CXO of the week: Deepak Visweswaraiah, Site Managing Director, Pega India

Pegasystems is a B2B company, builds innovative software that crushes business complexity so the clients can make better decisions and get work done. It helps the brands solve their biggest business challenges: maximizing customer lifetime value, streamlining customer service, and boosting operational efficiency. Pega technology is powered by real-time AI and intelligent automation, while our scalable architecture and low-code platform help enterprises adapt to rapid change and transform for tomorrow.

Deepak Visweswaraiah is the Vice President, Platform Engineering, and Site Managing Director,Pega India. With significant leadership experience, Deepak leads the India Leadership Team (ILT) at Pega tobolster the organization’s efforts in strengthening and growing its India operations.

Recently we have engaged in an interview with Deepak Visweswaraiah – Site Managing Director, Pega India. He talks about how Pega dominates the market with technologies like AI and also share his journey so far.

Introduction.

Pegasystems Inc. is a NASDAQ listed software company headquart in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1983, Pega is a powerful low-code platform that builds agility into the world’s leading organizations so they can adapt to change. Clients use our AI-powered decisioning and workflow automation to solve their most pressing business challenges – from personalizing engagement to automating service to streamlining operations.

We take a fundamentally different approach with technology to achieve outcomes desired by customers. The company dominates the market with technologies like AI infused with empathy, Real- time AI Intelligent Automation, Robotic Process Automation and Low code App development. From maximizing customer lifetime value to streamlining service to boosting efficiency, we help the world’s leading brands future proof their businesses and make better decisions with real-time AI and intelligent automation. We have built our scalable and flexible architecture to help people focus on what matters most, so they can meet today’s customer demands while continuously transforming for tomorrow.

Pega has built a strong presence across various industries including public sector, BFSI, Telecommunications, and healthcare, among others. Software solutions in these sectors automate manual work and build complex system at the enterprise level with features right out-of-the-box.

How has Covid-19 accelerated the transition to digital for the traditional IT industry?

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, many organizations have encountered unexpected gaps in business continuity. As we were operating in a completely remote environment, digital adoption increased dramatically at both the organizational and industry levels. According to a global survey conducted by Pega titled Demystifying complexity in the modern workforce, 86% of respondents expected technology to significantly change' or have a profound effect on the way we work in the future.

More surprising in this scenario was the increased speed with which digital or digitally enhanced offerings were created, particularly in the IT industry. True digital transformation has evolved from a buzzword to a strategic imperative for driving innovation and remaining relevant in the new business environment. Intelligent automation, AI, and low code technologies provided enterprises with the digital capabilities needed to emerge stronger from each stage of the crisis. Overall, the occurrence of Covid- 19 demonstrated the advantages of a tech-enabled future and assisted business leaders in reimagining business models and innovating alongside them.

What will be the new normal in the industry?

Business dynamics have transformed drastically in recent years, and these changes are likely to continue. The internet culture coupled with technological advancements has additionally accelerated what businesses can aspire to achieve. Although the pace of digital acceleration and innovation indicates that rates of adoption are years ahead, leaders must re-examine and take a more unified approach to digital transformation and tackle business complexity. A global study by Pega found that three out of four employees feel their job complexity has increased due to digital transformation projects that operate in silos.

We are living in a new, technologically enabled post-pandemic work future in which organizations place a premium on preparedness and flexibility. Every company is now a technology company, with employees playing a key role in driving the use of technological solutions as a force for change within organizations.  Extreme Automation, which includes the use of new technologies such as AI, cloud applications, blockchain, natural language processing, and many others, will further transform the way we work.

What, as per you, are the five important things that Pega India should be looking at today?

At this point, we must continue to lead the way on customer experience, assisting enterprises in solving problems quickly and catering to customer needs while transforming for the future.  Therefore, adopting a technology-based approach to excel in customer centricity.

Pega, which is at the forefront of a digital revolution, uses cutting-edge technology to facilitate collaboration between experienced IT professionals and workers in non-traditional development roles. This is accomplished with technologies such as low code, robotics, end-to-end automation, and artificial intelligence, which solve pressing business challenges while fostering constant innovation.

The complexity of today's work environment is something that everyone is experiencing. Pega's approach is to simplify business complexity at the front end and assist businesses in navigating uncertain times. Our applications are designed for evolution, intelligently and quickly adapting to changing markets, exemplifying our 'Build for Change' approach.

Employees are at the heart of business resilience, and we at Pega echo this ethos, so we are committed to supporting, strengthening, and empowering our employee community through upskilling, reskilling initiatives, ERGs, among others.

At Pega, we strive to foster a culture in which everyone experiences a collective sense of belonging and is valued for who they are. It enables us to adapt to the changing needs of diverse talent, clients, and markets and create an environment that welcomes different perspectives on how to solve problems and innovate.

What changes is Pega bringing to the industry?

Doing business today is extremely complicated due to fragmented systems, inefficient workflows, siloed departments, demanding customers, and the need for constant change. As new technologies are introduced, we believe that now is a better time than ever to embrace change. We strive to find better ways to build and deliver software, reducing complexity for businesses across industries. Pega software connects disparate systems to assist leading brands in making better decisions, deepening customer and employee relationships, increasing efficiency, and creating value.

Our Center Out approach structures technology at the customer level, assisting them in achieving results quickly and with a scalable future. Furthermore, our low-code capabilities enable businesses to collaborate more effectively with their stakeholders and gain access to new capabilities. Our other capabilities in AI, automation, RPA, and other areas simplify complexity for businesses in any industry.

Overall, Pega's innovative software assists organizations in focusing on what matters most: lowering costs and increasing revenue, building personal connections with customers, finding more meaning in their work, collaborating, innovating, and propelling their businesses forward.

How has the pandemic changed the work culture now?

In the aftermath of the pandemic, companies have been forced to rethink their work practices - leveraging technology and accelerating its adoption for daily processes, prioritizing employee safety, and seeking a healthy work-life balance, among others. It has altered work culture forever by opening a wide range of opportunities and giving leadership a rare opportunity to rethink and redirect their cultural evolution.

The pandemic prompted the development of flexible and inclusive workplace policies that allow people to have more control over their time, whether at work or at home. Overall, it has compelled businesses to reconsider and reconstruct their work processes, such as leveraging technology and ensuring its rapid adoption for daily processes, prioritizing employee safety, and striving for a healthy work-life balance, among other things.

Hybrid work is here to stay. At Pega, we want our offices to be a magnet and not a mandate. We aim to do frequent activities that bring people to office. However, knowing that we will stick to a hybrid model, we will change as business dynamics demand future personal connections with customers, finding more meaning in their work, collaborating, innovating, and propelling their businesses forward.

One book that you would recommend to the freshers that can help them.

One of Patrick Lencioni's classics, "The Ideal Team Player," is my recommendation for freshers. I believe the book provides excellent concepts for us to think about what it takes to be a successful team player, which is always important in the workplace. The book also emphasizes three qualities that are required for people just starting in their careers: Hungry, Humble, and Smart.

One advice that you find extremely useful and relevant over the years.

To remain competitive in the IT industry, you must constantly upskill and reskill yourself. Companies look for people who are adaptable and can upskill themselves to meet the needs of the industry, which is constantly changing. Companies value curiosity about new technologies and methodologies. For example if you are working on a product that is normally deployed in an “On Premises” model the technology and architecture could be entirely different than if you have same product working in a cloud native architecture that is designed to operate at scale in a multi tenant environment. Companies look to move their products into better technology available when they look at new generations of the same product. In being able to participate in such projects, one has to constantly understand, learn and upskill to remain sharp and relevant.