Wipro to take hyper automation drive across all projects in FY17

Aim is to improve productivity, and position it as a disruptive service delivery model through cognitive artificial intelligence and robotic process automation

After piloting with few client projects, Wipro, India’s third largest IT services company is now looking at taking its hyper automation drive within the company to the next level, introducing this to all service lines. The objective is not only to improve productivity through non-linearity, but to position it as a new way of service delivery disrupting the traditional IT delivery model though cognitive artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation.

“In FY 2015-2016, we have done successful Proof-of-Concept (PoC) in this (hyper automation) area across large clients. In FY 2016-2017, we plan to do large scale roll out across various archetypes, namely infrastructure and application managed services, application development and testing services,” the company said in its annual report filed with the US market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Overall, Wipro aims to release around 4,500 people during FY2016-17 through hyper automation of which around 1,500 would be from business process outsourcing (BPO) side of the business.

With the shift in the global technology buying space and focus by global corporate of cost savings, technology services providers like Infosys, TCS and Wipro are increasing looking at automation tools and technologies to improve productivity. Wipro has also invested in a cognitive AI platform called, Holmes. Built around open sources software, Holmes is focused towards solving enterprise business use cases by injecting cognition into IT and business processes.

“In hyper automation, we are very well-placed. We have completed 42 proof-of-concepts with customers; so now it is a matter of scaling up and we have got an organizational change management team in place in terms of driving this hyper automation within each one of these individual clients as we execute through this…,” Wipro CEO Abidali Neemuchwala said replying to a specific query by analysts post the company’s March quarter results announcement.

At the end of FY2016, Wipro Holmes was deployed with 18 engagements spanning across multiple industry segments. During the year, the company also successfully completed a pilot engagement in deploying and implementing an eKYC (electronics Know-Your-Customer) solution in a Wall Street Bank. During the March quarter of FY16, Wipro had filed 24 new patents alone for its Holmes platform.

Wipro is also making selective acquisitions in products and platform space to driver greater efficiency and non-linearity in its business model. Some of these include its platform-centric acquisitions such as Gallagher Financial Systems, Opus, Healthplan Services and Promax.

“We have formed a dedicated unit to drive non-linear revenue growth by leveraging IP-based products, platforms and solutions as well as through automation and innovative commercial constructs and delivery models,” the company added.

After taking over charge as the CEO of Wipro in February this year, Neemuchwala has set an ambitious target of taking the company’s revenues to $15 billion with an operating margin of 23 per cent by 2020.