The dawn of the AI era is paving the way for the arrival of next-gen talent at our organizations, writes Sriram Natarajan

The Financial Express, January 21, 2024

In the pre-pandemic world, I would evaluate coding proficiency of senior developers through questions on data structures and algorithms or give them assignments on system design with scalability in mind. Now, I ask them to take a week and build the application for a Communications Service Provider’s order management system – with the help of Generative AI.

This is just one example of the dramatic change in how IT service providers want to deploy talent in the AI era. No matter which industry they serve – communications, retail, or banking – they are switching gears to apply AI across the board. Broadly, there is scope to improve customer experience by faster troubleshooting, raise operational efficiency by eliminating redundant tasks, and shorten software development lifecycles by generating code, test cases, and many more.

Already, the early adopters have invested deeply. Consider these stats: Generative AI will add $2.6-4.4 trillion in global corporate profits annually, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Corporates, governments, and think-tanks have already begun exploring Generative AI seriously: a Gartner poll of 2500 executive leaders found 70% in exploration/investigation mode with Generative AI, while 19% had already begun pilots.

At an operational level, the new AI wave touches every instance where work can be made less human-dependant for repetitive tasks. With the advent of Gen AI over the last one year, this is taken a step further: complex tasks requiring niche human skills are now being executed through AI, enhancing service delivery with much less Cost per Output. Let me illustrate with examples.

Smart Contact Centers:  Generative AI models can translate messages from regional languages real-time,helping contact centers resolve customer issues 80% faster. This solves issues in just minutes, from what could have taken hours or even a day.

Battling order fallout: Order fallouts are a tremendous headache in the Communications industry. This means new customers do not get linked up with services like high-speed internet on time, causing negative customer experience. With Gen AI,  order fallout analysis time gets reduced by over 70%, helping teams spot bottlenecks and resolve issues quickly.

SDLC reduction: For IT teams, issue resolution, software development and testing have been highly Human Resource-intensive.  Generative AI offers huge gains across your Software Development LifeCycle (SDLC).

• Code generation: AI-assisted code generation with developer supervision/review for high-quality, reusable code
• Code refactoring: Improving clarity & and maintainablity of your code without affecting its external behavior
• Code documentation: Laying down clearly what a block of code is expected to do & user guidelines on how to use it.
• Code testing: Automated test case & script generation to accelerate test coverage.
• IT Operations: Ticket triaging, SOP generation, Root cause & code analysis across application support and infrastructure services

The dawn of the AI era is paving the way for what I call next-gen talent. Broadly, they stand out in their ability to use advanced AI for higher productivity, faster & varied problem-solving, and crafting elevated customer experiences that require little-to-none human involvement. Here are some markers of next-gen talent.

• Prompt engineering is now a sought-after skill. Subject Matter Experts who deeply understand problem statements, software evolution, and the working of Generative AI will be able to construct the right prompts, validate outputs, iterate effectively, and get the desired results.
• The next-gen talent will not have to worry about gaining deep exposure to multiple coding languages and their syntaxes. Instead, a strong grasp on engineering principles and problem-solving through logical thinking will come into focus.
• Knowledge of natural language processing, advanced programming & scripting concepts, data analysis and visualization will be the arrows in their quiver.
• At higher levels, leaders who can incorporate AI capabilities across tasks and redefine functional goals with an AI-first approach will be spearheading change across functions.

As a global talent base for software services, India faces a huge opportunity in the dawn of the AI era. With our favourable demographic dividend and supportive policymaking, we should adopt a proactive approach to tackling disruption, kick-start strategic reskilling, and drive stronger industry-academia collaborations to ride this AI wave into a period of hypergrowth.

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Prodapt will design and implement a Target Operating Model for end-to-end business transformation and agility

London, Jan 10, 2024

Global Cloud Xchange (GCX), the global network service provider, has selected Prodapt, the largest and fastest-growing specialized firm in the Connectedness industry, as its strategic partner to achieve transformation across IT systems and business processes, and deliver managed services for service delivery and service assurance operations.

GCX’s global customers require highly available and disruption-free network services to enable high-speed digital connectivity. With this new partnership, GCX and Prodapt aim to deliver a highly automated, agile technology infrastructure that will fast-track service activation and streamline network management to deliver enhanced digital experiences to customers.

Prodapt will design and implement a Target Operating Model for end-to-end business transformation. This includes refining core processes, defining end-to-end solutions, and modernizing existing systems with cloud-native best-of-breed platforms.

Categorization as Telecom-Native is based on high domain relevance to serve Communications Service Providers (CSPs)

Chennai, India, 21st November 2023

Gartner has recognized Prodapt as a Large Telecom-Native Regional IT service provider across North America, Europe, and Latin America, which we believe underscores high domain relevance and specialization in serving CSPs.

The IT Service Provider Selection Guide for CSP CIOs illustrates industry and regional presence, capability focus, provider “DNA”, and scale of providers across North America, Europe, and Latin America. These providers have telecom industry interest, investment, and experience.

Telecom-Native providers draw over a third of all revenue from the telecom sector and deliver specialized services for Communications Service Providers. Regional providers are those like Prodapt who work with clients with a presence across several continents.

Goal to drive digital transformation & intuitive customer engagement for Communication Service Providers

Chennai, India, September 18th, 2023

Prodapt, the largest and fastest-growing specialized firm in the Connectedness industry, has entered into a partnership to enable ServiceNow expand its telecom, media and tech (TMT) business to help Communication Service Providers (CSPs). The expanded scope will drive digital workflows for greater operational agility, enhanced productivity, and intuitive customer experiences.

Now, CSPs can help employees do more at work by strengthening business workflows, removing siloes between functions and digitizing tasks, besides raising operational predictability through an exclusive set of cloud- and network-first Prodapt accelerators. For customers, they can offer digital-first, proactive experiences that feel light, intuitive, and effortless.

Prodapt’s proven consulting and deployment expertise in ServiceNow’s telecom, media and tech product suite will help transform customers’ Telecom Order Management, Telecom Asset Management, Telecom Service Management, Telecom Services Operations Management, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance processes, making them scalable and easy to maintain. With a sizeable team of certified ServiceNow consultants and network architects, Prodapt is executing ServiceNow-driven transformation projects with the largest CSPs across the globe.

Harsha Kumar, CEO of Prodapt, emphasizes the expansion strategies that the company executes in the country. With an investment of $7 million and 500 jobs, it seeks to settle in the isthmus and project itself in other commercial niches

La Estrella de Panamá, July 3, 2023

First, Upender Singh Rawat, Ambassador of the Republic of India in Panama, concurrent to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, ratifies the interest in strengthening commercial ties between Panama and India (March). Then, the Minister of External Affairs of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at the invitation of the National Government through Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, arrives at the isthmus (April). After that (May), Prodapt, a company in the connectivity industry, based in India, announces that it will expand its operations in Panama through an investment of $7 million dollars, leveraging the exclusive benefits of offshoring offered by the country.

Undoubtedly, diplomatic and commercial relations between Panama and India are strengthening at a good pace.

Harsha Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prodapt, details that the company “is the first consulting and technology services firm, based in India, to establish operations in Panama. Driven by the country’s talented workforce and business environment, we have been able to grow the operation significantly over the past two years.”

In an interview with La Estrella de Panamá, Kumar reviews the benefits of the investment made in the country, the advantages and disadvantages of Panama in terms of the connectivity industry and reviews the company’s plans on country soil, asserting that in the future, success in Panama “will serve as a roadmap for similar close expansions in our markets.”

How did Prodapt choose Panama to expand its operations?
The company had begun to look for a destination with the resource and proximity to the Latin American market to help us improve the provision of services for one of our clients in the region. Weighing a set of options that include Mexico and Chile, we chose Panama to establish our strategic nearshore center for its unique multilingual capability, skilled workforce, and most importantly, the scope to provide specific services to the North American market, given the time zone compatibility that Panama enjoys with the United States. Panama has offered us an exceptional talent pool, a peaceful and progressive business environment, and a high level of support for the expansion of operations.

How long has the company been present in Panama?
Prodapt established its operations in Panama in early 2020, during the pandemic. We have managed to grow our workforce from six employees to over 200 people employed in the technical support and customer service space.

What are your plans on national soil in the short and long term?
Panama has invested in the development of a solid telecommunications infrastructure, including a well-established fiber optic network and advanced mobile communication systems. This infrastructure has facilitated high-speed internet connectivity and efficient communication channels across the country.
At the end of this fiscal year, Prodapt Panama will have 300 people. We recently announced a $7 million operations expansion that will involve significant investments in workforce expansion and related expenses. The multi-year investment will generate 500 jobs in several cutting-edge technology domains, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence. In the long term, we envision our Panama hub as the anchor facility for all Latin American businesses, representing 15% of our annual revenue. Second, the center will grow into an important facility to provide comprehensive services to the U.S. -. Going forward, our success in Panama will serve as a roadmap for similar nearshore expansions in other markets.

What does Panama represent for Prodapt?
It is an important resource base that offers us optimal talent and technological capabilities in a strategic location. The availability of people with multilingual capabilities and strong technological backgrounds in a nearshoring location is a challenge faced by several technology services companies today. The successful scaling up of service delivery is a model worth emulating elsewhere.

What kind of specialized jobs will be open to Panamanians? How will you find the right candidates or train them?
The recently announced investment will generate approximately 500 technology jobs in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and technical support. Our workforce expansion strategy goes beyond leveraging the pool of experienced talent in Panama and includes attracting new talent coming out of universities. Prodapt runs a one-year training program for recent graduates to enhance their skills and offers broad exposure to our capabilities, services and solutions. In addition, our Learning and Development programs have customized offerings for our people with varying levels of experience to acquire the critical skills and certifications needed to grow and thrive in the technology industry. We execute programs to identify and prepare managerial talent internally and create a portfolio of leaders within the organization.

Generally speaking, as far as the connectivity landscape is concerned, in which areas does Panama excel and in which areas does it lack?
Panama has made significant progress in evolving certain technical and infrastructure aspects in the connectivity landscape. For example, Panama has invested in the development of a robust telecommunications infrastructure, including a well-established fiber optic network and advanced mobile communication systems. This infrastructure has facilitated high-speed Internet connectivity and efficient communication channels throughout the country. However, the connectivity industry is frequently disrupted by advanced technologies. It is worth mentioning that generative artificial intelligence is finding a widespread boom in companies today, which requires a new wave of skill development. To maintain a competitive edge, companies in Panama could consider upskilling as an ongoing process for their workforce, with a focus on areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics and more.

How will reliance on artificial intelligence affect the economies of countries like Panama?
Artificial intelligence offers strong business value for companies looking to drive automation in their business operations/IT operations and achieve reduced operating costs. For a fast-growing economy with a large number of skilled professionals, Panama is well positioned to leverage the fast-growing adoption of AI (artificial intelligence) to attract foreign investment to the country. With continued investments by the government and the private sector, the evolution of a technology-driven startup community using this technology, including generative AI, will propel Panama into the league of sought – after startups around the world.

Chennai, July 14th, 2023

Prodapt, one of the largest & fastest-growing specialized firm in the Connectedness industry, announced it will work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help Communications Service Providers (CSPs) achieve business benefits by accelerating their digital transformation.

As an Advanced Consulting Partner of AWS, Prodapt is equipped with strong service delivery expertise in AWS technologies, capabilities, and best practices. This allows Prodapt to leverage its deep capabilities in Operations & Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) and proven expertise in the Connectedness domain to transform the operations and end-user experience of mutual customers.

Working together, Prodapt will make its Network Service Assurance solution for CSPs (NeSA) available on AWS to assist in network incident diagnosis, predict and prevent network service incidents. With an agreed pipeline of joint solutions, Prodapt aims to help CSPs achieve significant improvements in agility, innovation, scalability, and
cost-effectiveness.

“Businesses have to figure out how to operate in this connected world and there are three components which enable all of this,” Kumar explained.

The Economic Times, Jun 22, 2023

Technology services and consulting firm Prodapt is doubling down its focus on connected platforms and software (CPS), more commonly understood as Big Tech, the newly appointed CEO of the Chennai-based company, Harsha Kumar told ETtech.

“Businesses have to figure out how to operate in this connected world and there are three components which enable all of this,” Kumar explained. “The layer at the very top, which all of us consume as consumers or businesses, is what we’re calling Big Tech. One of my big focus areas is to increase our penetration in big tech, which we call CPS when we go to market. We are really trying to increase our penetration of this space.”

“We are working with two of the largest social media and online media giants to design chips which go into things like the glasses to create the AR/VR experiences,” Kumar explained. “That’s an area we’ve been working on for a few years which is futuristic and leading edge.”

Further, he said Prodapt would also be looking to help these companies with ‘data enrichment’. Specifically when it comes to this Big Tech bracket that the company services, Kumar said that these companies are looking at Prodapt for the services they provide to the users on their platform.

“Even things like this whole live search or location search. To do that, you need a tonne of images to be tagged. That is all done manually using humans. It is the tagging by humans which then makes it possible for an LLM to learn it and then do it. That’s an example. So the big techs are using us more for tagging and cleaning engineering data to make it ready for their customer’s use cases,” Kumar said

Prodapt claims that its clients connect 1.1 billion people and 5.4 billion devices. The company said it works with Google,Verizon, Lumen, Vodafone, Liberty Global, Liberty Latin America, Windstream, Rogers, Telus, British Telecom, Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft, KPN, Virgin Media, and Deutsche Telekom, among others.

Earlier in May, Prodapt announced that it was expanding its Panamanian operations through a $7 million investment.

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Partnership aims to fast-track digital transformation of service providers through cloud-native approach

Miami and New York, June 9, 2023

Intraway, the leader in No-Code, SaaS Activation, Provisioning and Multi-Domain Orchestration, today announced a partnership with Prodapt, the largest and
fastest-growing specialized firm in the Connectedness industry, to jointly offer pure cloud SaaS service activation and orchestration solutions to accelerate digital transformation efforts of service providers. Prodapt, with its deep telecom network domain expertise and integration capabilities, will simplify the development and deployment of the BSS/OSS stacks of integration operators through a cloud-native approach.

Panama City, May 26, 2023

Prodapt, the largest and fastest-growing specialized firm in the Connectedness industry, is expanding its Panamanian operations through a $7 million investment, leveraging the unique nearshoring advantage offered by the country.
The investment will generate approximately 500 technology jobs in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and technical support.

Cloud-native solution combines SaaS platforms for converged service delivery and seamless integration to help businesses go to market faster

Spain, Madrid, April 20, 2023

Prodapt, the largest and fastest-growing player in the Connectedness industry, today announced the launch of BoltSpeed, a business support system solution that brings together industry-leading SaaS products like Salesforce Communications Cloud, Aria, and MuleSoft to offer a one-stop managed services platform for service providers.

In the fast-paced digital era, fiber businesses are being tied up by elaborate licensing arrangements and long implementation cycles for their software needs. The need to engage with multiple vendors, tackle difficult integrations, and sift through siloed data have made it a complicated journey for businesses aiming to provide a delightful, omnichannel customer experience.

With pre-configured tools and capabilities bundled together, BoltSpeed eliminates multi-vendor hassle, and provides simplified and converged solution delivery for all software needs, including licensing, implementation, and support.