In a bustling conference hall filled with over 15,000 eager attendees, the excitement at the AWS Summit Sydney was palpable. Among the crowd was Prabhakar Appana, Senior Vice President and Head of AWS Ecosystem at HCLTech. 

In an exclusive interview with HCLTech Trends and Insights, Appana shared profound insights into the evolving partnership between HCLTech and AWS, the burgeoning realm of AI-centric enterprise solutions and the strategic focus on catering to specific sectors like finance in the ANZ region.

Reflecting on the impact of the AWS partnership, Appana highlighted HCLTech's role in driving large-scale transformations. "As part of the premium consulting partner, we are in a position to drive majority of large-scale transformations and discussions with AWS," Appana emphasized. He outlined the rapid acceleration and a remarkable expansion from three to over 20 competencies. 

Appana highlighted the strategic collaborations between HCLTech and AWS on GenAI that will enable building GenAI solutions and prototyping for various clients across industries, which will propel HCLTech to a prominent position in the global market. "The amount of acceleration that we have been able to achieve over the last 18 plus months has been tremendous," he added.

Pioneering AI-centric solutions: A holistic approach

Delving into the realm of AI-centric enterprise solutions, Appana shared insights into HCLTech’s approach in catering to diverse client needs. "We take a holistic approach for clients, which has highly intense regulatory environment," explained Appana. From legacy landscapes to cloud-native environments, HCLTech adopts a comprehensive strategy to facilitate the adoption of generative AI. 

"Generative AI is as powerful as you want when you have the right set of data, applications, governance and a data strategy. We are working on building those elements for various clients so that the adoption of generative AI becomes easier for the client community. So, we see a lot of traction in the market,” he emphasized.

Highlighting recent successes, including a partnership with ANZ Bank, Appana expressed excitement about the burgeoning market traction and the potential for future growth.

Navigating sectoral challenges: The financial industry’s focus

Addressing the unique challenges posed by the finance sector, Appana stressed the importance of rigorous scrutiny and regulatory compliance. Collaborating closely with clients, HCLTech navigates complex regulatory landscapes while focusing on automating SDLC lifecycles and enhancing consumer experiences. 

Appana mentioned the indispensable role of system integrators in accelerating production deployments while ensuring adherence to stringent security standards. Beyond finance, HCLTech extends its expertise to manufacturing, energy utilities, automotive sectors to name a few, fostering innovation across diverse industries.

Key takeaways: AWS Sydney Summit and future prospects 

As the interview drew to a close, Appana shared his key takeaways from the summit, expressing excitement about the potential for technological innovation in Australia. "I'm very excited. Everybody is looking at what can be done. What’s coming up next and what is happening across different regions,” he remarked.

The AWS-HCLTech collaboration demonstrates a shared commitment to exploring industry solutions, while leveraging AI to accelerate innovation. For instance, HCLTech developed Ziva on AWS, an AI bot for the financial services industry, also addressing and integrating Amazon Connect and Amazon Q. HCLTech has also been recognized as an ML-powered Amazon Connect launch partner, further underscoring the strength of this strategic partnership. 

With a strategic focus on driving large-scale initiatives, pioneering AI-centric solutions and navigating sectoral challenges, HCLTech is driving new possibilities through technology innovation.