From a Challenger to a Tech Giant

How Tech Mahindra is Enabling Digital Transformation for Indian Enterprises

A recent report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) revealed that India is now the third largest digitalized economy among G20 nations. The past decade has seen the country double down on digital, with government programs and innovative startups transforming everyday lives and bringing a whole new world of convenience to our fingertips. To keep pace with this digital-everything paradigm, Indian enterprises are evolving too. Today, 69% of organizations in India identify as ‘digital businesses’, investing in new technologies to meet consumer expectations and changing market demands. While this is a step in the right direction, some challenges must be addressed before businesses can bring the full scope of their digital vision to life.

The Need for Scale at Speed™

Digital may be at the top of the agenda for most Indian firms, but even today, many have not yet integrated their digital goals with the overall business strategy. This lack of alignment results in a big divide in the digital adoption maturity of leaders and those playing catch-up, especially against the current backdrop of rapid technological advancements. Leveraging next-gen tech also means equipping the workforce with the right skills. For a lot of Indian businesses, this has emerged as a major obstacle, with over 70% finding it difficult to recruit skilled experts. Along with outdated systems and processes, growing cybersecurity threats, and an increasingly complex web of regulations, these are some of the biggest concerns for enterprise decision-makers right now. Amid this dynamic landscape, finding success and remaining competitive means adapting fast enough to turn challenges into opportunities and embracing change across the organization to ensure the effectiveness of digital transformation initiatives. It’s no longer a question of prioritizing scale or speed – you need both.

Driving Innovation with an Indian Perspective

At Tech Mahindra, we have been on the frontlines of India’s digital journey, and we understand what it takes to bring scale at speed to power the growth of Indian enterprises. As a company of Indian origin, we combine the capabilities of large local teams and delivery centers with global knowledge and expertise built through engagements with leading organizations. Backed by 79 years of Mahindra Group heritage, our culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit makes us one of the most powerful employer brands. These factors combine to give us a robust foothold in the market (7 offices in tier 1 cities and 19 offices in tier 2 cities) as we help businesses transform with agility, resilience, and efficiency.

For example, our experience with enterprise-wide digital transformation helped an Indian automotive giant redefine their operations and adapt to the market. By designing and developing a private 5G network solution, we helped the business revamp its manufacturing processes, vastly improving efficiencies across ECU flashing and paint quality detection.

In the BFSI sector, we are accelerating tech adoption to address the growing need for personalization, which is aligned with the high expectations of India’s GenZ and millennial population. When one of India’s leading banks partnered with us to explore opportunities for improving customer experiences, we deployed the right mix of tech and domain expertise to identify use cases and launch a virtual lounge solution leveraging VR, blockchain, and AI. As a result, the bank became the first in India to enter the metaverse and revolutionize customer interactions.

Drawing insights from the growth in popularity of digital platforms among Indian cricket fans, we played a central role in reimagining how the sport is experienced. For a leading cricket board, our sports tech vertical was the key to connecting with fans through digital engagement. We created an end-to-end solution focused on designing, building, operating, and maintaining the client’s website, mobile apps, and a future-proof content management system. The result was round-the-year availability of scores, stats, graphical analysis, and scorecards, with incredible response from the fan base leading to over 1 million app downloads.

In the mobility solutions space, we are leading the way with our India-based portfolio companies, Comviva helping businesses create exceptional connected experiences. Recent acquisitions have also seen our capabilities grow significantly, with Perigord augmenting our pharma, healthcare, and life sciences expertise and Eventus bringing industry-leading CX transformation prowess.

The accolades are proof that our technology know-how and distinct approach to digital transformation are making a real difference for Indian organizations. 2024 has already delivered many big wins across various facets of business and innovation, including recognition as a Challenger in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Public Cloud IT Transformation Services (PCITS) report and some of the most prestigious awards:

• ET Best Tech Brands 2024
• Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability 2024
• IDC Future Enterprise Awards 2024
• NASSCOM Innovation Awards 2024
• India Digital Awards 2024 by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India)
• CIO Choice Awards 2024
• ASSOCHAM Tech Award 2024
• BW Businessworld Digital India Awards 2024

But What About the Skill Gap?

For any enterprise, the dream of building state-of-the-art digital capabilities cannot come to fruition without people who have the skills to initiate and accelerate transformation. This is a problem for Indian businesses right now, with skill gaps emerging across essential areas such as data science, analytics, IoT, cybersecurity, and AI, to name a few.

At Tech Mahindra, we believe education is the answer. Our focus on nurturing global thinkers and engaged leaders of tomorrow is perfectly exemplified by Mahindra University – one of India’s premier multidisciplinary institutions combining academic rigor with industry relevance. Through experiential learning, global immersion programs, internships, and research opportunities, we are enabling some of the nation’s brightest minds to hone their entrepreneurial spirit and fuel their passion for innovation as they get ready to tackle the complex problems facing industries and society at large.

The numbers speak volumes:

• 1000+ Placements
• 200+ Companies
• 450+ Publications
• 25+ Awards

Additionally, we are also joining forces with leading academic institutions to inspire new generations of pioneers and changemakers with exposure to global tech and industry trends.

Here are some of our key academic collaborations:

• IIT Madras (Indian Institute of Technology Madras)   
  Focus: Joint research in AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, and 5G technologies
• IIT Kanpur (Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur)   
  Focus: Cybersecurity, Robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT) research
• IIT Hyderabad (Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad)  
  Focus: Advanced Digital Technologies, AR/VR, and Blockchain
• BITS Pilani (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani)   
  Focus: Innovation in AI, Data Analytics, and Digital Transformation
• IIIT Hyderabad (International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad)   
  Focus: AI, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing
• VIT University (Vellore Institute of Technology)   
  Focus: Robotics, Automation, and Industry 4.0 technologies
• Amity University  
  Focus: Cybersecurity, AI, and Cloud Computing

Our Focus on the Future Doesn’t Stop There

We are committed to the constant pursuit of the next big groundbreaking solutions through our Centers of Excellence (CoEs) across India. From expanding 5G, IoT, and cybersecurity capabilities to developing new industry-specific applications of AI, advanced analytics, intelligent automation, cloud, and more, our CoEs are taking center stage in bringing Indian enterprises to the forefront of digital innovation.

Makers Lab is yet another example of our emphasis on cutting-edge research and development. This initiative is aimed at providing a common platform for human ingenuity and curiosity to shape disruptive solutions for real-world problems. In India, Makers Lab is present in major cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Noida, powering new ideas in AI/ML, blockchain, quantum computing, and robotics.

Some of our recent Makers Lab projects include:

• The Indus Project – An open-source large language model designed to empower all Indic languages and simplify communication across India.
• Project MANAV – Our solution for creating real-time digital personas with diverse applications, including digital sales agents, gamification for brand engagement, and internal training.
• Entellio – A futuristic enterprise-grade on-premise chatbot powered by generative and discriminative AI.
• Atmanirbhar Krishi – A super app for farmers that provides consolidated and curated information related to agriculture.
• Panchang Intelligence – Our India-specific take on weather forecasts in the form of a rainfall prediction solution based on an ancient Indian almanac.
• BHAML – A platform designed to break language barriers in coding, with support for multiple native Indian languages
• MindAtEase – An aggregation platform created with the goal of simplifying access to valuable mental health resources.
• Iris – A unique ideation platform designed to unlock fresh perspectives by capturing and sharing information within an organization.

In Conclusion

Over the years, our journey from being a challenger to becoming a tech giant has mirrored India’s rise through the global digitalization charts. From manufacturing leaders to banking powerhouses and government organizations, the nation has embraced digital transformation at a pace that has shocked the world. As emerging technologies continue to drive disruption across industries, the avenues for innovation will only keep expanding, and at Tech Mahindra, we will be ready to help enterprises chart the right course for success.