Leader Talk: In Conversation With Sandeep Joshi, VP, Head of Delivery India, EPAM

"Successful GCC- Technology service provider partnerships thrive on trust, agility, and innovation, driving scalable and transformative solutions."

1. What are some of the advantages that service providers offer in GCC-SP collaboration initiatives?

Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are at the core of many enterprises’ global operations and act as strategic innovation arms contributing to business growth. To keep up with the evolving phases of digital transformation, GCCs seek specialized expertise and scalable solution development that aligns with their goals. IT service providers integrate as growth partners, bringing collaboration, agility and co-innovation to the table—helping GCCs extend capabilities in emerging technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence), advanced data analytics, cloud infrastructure and more.

IT service providers consistently focus on holistic talent development, proficiency in emerging technologies, experience across domains and setup of collaborative environments. This, in turn, helps them enhance the value proposition for GCCs. The objective is to help GCCs get to market faster, build scalable products and innovate continuously, and IT service providers help them achieve these goals faster through high-performing teams.

2. Can you share some examples of successful GCC-SPV collaborations that EPAM has done?

EPAM brings extensive experience in AI-accelerated engineering services, which has translated to an improvement of 30% or greater in productivity and speed-to-market. We introduce a comprehensive range of AI-enabled, end-to-end capabilities across digital transformation, data analytics, cloud solutions and the overall software development lifecycle, backed by a heritage of technology and engineering excellence.

One example of successful EPAM-GCC collaborations is with a leading US-based travel aggregator. What initially started with product development and maintenance further scaled to deep work in areas like platform optimization, mobile application development (Android and iOS), business process management and more. EPAM helped the client thrive amid challenging market conditions through ramp-down management and relocation of teams to conducive geographies. As the engagement matured, EPAM worked closely with the client to enhance customer experience by integrating GenAI. The solution helped create rich and personalized itineraries and travel recommendations based on customer preferences. This enabled the client to tap into larger customer segments and drive exponential business growth.

3.  What are some of the partnership models that you have explored while collaborating with GCCs?

When GCC clients need more time to set up operational facilities in India, we manage operations on their behalf and hand over complete control once they are established. This helps us enable rapid scaling and capability building with reduced risks. When fully stable, they switch to a model wherein they only pay for the time and resources spent on the project. This model supports agile development processes, especially when the project scope is not well defined. Eventually, the engagement scales to a stage where the client wants us to handle specific business processes under agreed-upon Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Over time, as the engagement matures and our teams collaborate more with the GCCs, the client transitions to an approach wherein we join hands to co-develop the roadmap. This further extends to a phase where we mutually agree on business outcomes, and it's our responsibility to make it achievable for the client.

4.  What are some of the challenges that you have faced while collaborating with GCCs?

Collaboration of IT service providers with GCCs offers significant opportunities but also introduces some challenges, such as adhering to data privacy regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) and more. Working with GCCs calls for comprehensive information security (InfoSec) policies to ensure protection against breaches and compliance with regulations. 

Working with early-stage GCCs who are at the initial phase of the maturity curve can result in longer approval cycles, leading to slower operational efficiency. Instances where multiple stakeholders are involved further add process-based complexities, leading to extended approval timelines. Overcoming these challenges can help GCCs to capitalize on the service provider’s full range of technology capabilities. This can not only enhance productivity but also foster innovation, leading to improved speed-to-market for GCCs.

5. Can you share some best practices in creating successful GCC-SP partnerships?

Some of the best practices to create successful GCC-Service Provider partnerships include defining clear objectives and roles, building modern engineering capabilities, creating transparency, prioritizing talent development and more. IT service providers should ensure proper alignment with the client’s data security and InfoSec policies to strengthen confidence in the partnership. An inside-out approach, where business understanding and trust building become the highest priority, can help service providers build strategic relationships with GCCs. Partnerships with hyperscalers, experience in a multi-supplier environment and proper alignment with the client’s technology ecosystem enable service providers to introduce scalable and innovative solutions for GCCs.

At EPAM, modern engineering lies at the nexus of our successful collaborations with GCCs. Over the years, we have carefully developed internal tools, recruitment protocols and upskilling programs that support the growth of GCCs from seed to scale. We hire experts specializing in domains like Retail, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance), Life Sciences and more, along with consultants in new-age technologies like AI, Data Science and Cloud Computing, to develop a talent base specific to the needs of GCCs. EPAM champions a culture of continuous upskilling and ensures access to high-performance teams with in-depth experience in product and platform development. EPAM also introduces POD (Product Oriented Delivery) teams, which work very closely with GCCs as cross-functional, autonomous teams skilled as per specific project requirements. To position ourselves as a trusted accelerator for GCCs, we continuously enrich our engineering culture through EngX (engineering excellence) and ProductX (product excellence) programs, combined with a robust AI-powered delivery and productivity toolset.

Original article here.  

Learn more about how EPAM is fostering growth in GCCs through Modern Engineering and Scalability: https://www.epam.com/about/newsroom/in-the-news/2024/epam-fostering-growth-in-gccs-through-modern-engineering-and-scalability

Discover career opportunities at EPAM India here https://jobs.welcome.epam.in/jobs