July 2020 | 1,117 words | 4-minute read
As a leading technology provider, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is working with over a thousand organisations across the world to keep them up and running. The company powers the financial backbone of several countries, supports some of the largest healthcare and pharma companies in the world, and runs technology for governments and public service operations.
TCS has been a pioneer in location independent work practices, having started offshoring 50 years ago, making it one of the companies most prepared to adapt when the Covid-19 pandemic forced businesses to migrate to remote working options. The company launched a programme to ensure business continuity using their Secure Borderless Work Spaces infrastructure, allowing over 90% of TCS associates, both onshore and offshore, to work from home, thus ensuring business continuity.
“We proactively deployed collaboration platforms, cloud-enabled infrastructure and robust security practices, which stands us in good stead as we deal with this unprecedented situation,” says S Sukanya, global head – delivery excellence and governance, TCS.
Borderless operations
Even as the pandemic impacts businesses around the world, TCS’ teams have continued to deliver technology services that enable life-saving healthcare, food and medical supplies, financial services, mobile connectivity, and utilities such as electricity, gas and water, to keep societies functioning and bring a degree of normalcy to the lives of the millions of people affected by travel bans, isolation, lockdowns and social distancing.
This has been made possible by its Secure Borderless Workspaces™ infrastructure, (video above) through which associates working remotely are able to connect, collaborate and provide value delivery — and the results are showing. Sukanya says, “Clients want us to take on more work which other companies may have been unable to handle, and associates are happy that they have flexible operating hours (thanks to zero commuting time), which offers them more hours for work, learning, fitness and pursuit of hobbies.”
As a pioneer, TCS had proactively deployed collaboration platforms, cloud-enabled infrastructure and robust security practices over the years, which have positioned the company to navigate this unprecedented global crisis. “Our clients have trusted TCS to manage their technology. We will continue to keep earning their trust by working together to navigate these difficult times,” says Sukanya.
People connect
A large part of why TCS’ teams (working remotely around the world) have been able to work so well together is through the company’s efforts to keep people connected and boost morale. As working from home becomes the new normal, TCS has extended virtual learning sessions to associates globally and is making sure they stay connected through various collaboration platforms.
There have been physical initiatives (fitness, nutrition, ergonomics, yoga) and psychological programmes (awareness support and morale building, wellbeing for focused groups, mindfulness, counselling support), as well as live pasta making sessions, talent showcases and ‘bring your pet to work’ days, that encourage virtual fun.
Additionally, webinars have been connected to motivate employees to adapt to a new way of life. Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand interacted with TCSers and discussed life in quarantine, and approximately 450,000 colleagues tuned into a webinar with American astronaut Ronald Garan, who shared his tips and tricks for surviving in isolation.
Impact report
- Digital Impact Square (DISQ) by TCS is an open social innovation platform that encourages innovation using digital technologies to address the needs of citizens. The Vehicle e-Pass System and the MahaKavach app are two Covid-19 specific innovations that have emerged from DISQ.
- The Vehicle e-Pass System by Adivid Technologies was widely used by the Maharashtra Government during the lockdown. It enabled essential and authorised service providers, like those in the medicine and food supply chain, to apply digitally for an e-pass and secure rapid approval from police and other local authorities, thereby ensuring problem-free movement of essential goods and services.
- The MahaKavach app was designed to enable government officials to track suspected Covid-19 cases in the state. The smartphone of a person tested positive for the novel coronavirus is installed with this app, which provides details about the person’s travel history and list of public places that they may have visited, thus offering a more time- and cost-efficient method of contact-tracing.
- TCS iON’s digital classroom is a web-based digital education platform that has empowered educators to move lessons from physical classrooms to digital classrooms. They can engage with students in real time by uploading and sharing their lessons, videos, worksheets, assignments and assessments, and also by using interactive methods like polls, debates, quizzes and surveys.
- In TCS’ Innovation Lab in Hyderabad, India, a team of scientists have identified 31 molecular compounds that hold promise of finding a cure for Covid-19.
- Programmes like GoIT and Ignite My Future have also been made available to teachers, students and parents digitally, through collaboration between TCS and their STEM education partners worldwide.
—Anuradha Anupkumar, Arushi Agrawal, Cynthia Rodrigues & Sanghamitra Bhowmik
