In an exclusive interview with CIO&Leader, Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan, Global Head – Technology Service Lines at Virtusa, talked about the company’s new GenAI platform, Virtusa Helio. He explains how Helio stands out in the enterprise AI space, tackles common adoption challenges such as data silos and compliance, and enables industry-specific AI transformations.
He also sheds light on Virtusa’s approach to upskilling talent in an AI-driven market, shares his perspective on the future of enterprise AI, and highlights the trends that senior tech leaders should watch over the next few years. Below are the edited excerpts:
Global Head – Technology
Service Lines,
Virtusa
CIO&Leader: The AI landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. What are the top trends in AI and GenAI that senior tech leaders need to prepare for over the next 3-5 years?
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan: We are seeing AI and GenAI drive fundamental shifts in enterprise technology. Generative AI will revolutionize content creation, simulation, and hyper-personalized experiences, making AI applications more accessible and impactful. AI-driven automation and real-time analytics will streamline operations, optimize resources, and enhance decision-making.
A key trend will be AI on edge devices, enabling real-time, on-site data processing for industries like healthcare and manufacturing, improving responsiveness and efficiency. AI-assisted engineering will automate repetitive tasks across software development and accelerate legacy modernization, allowing enterprises to scale innovation. Meanwhile, advancements in Natural Language Processing and conversational AI will redefine customer engagement, while computer vision and image recognition will enhance quality control and AR applications.
Security will be paramount as enterprises prepare for quantum-resistant cybersecurity to safeguard AI systems against emerging threats. Ethical AI and responsible governance will also gain prominence, ensuring fairness, transparency, and regulatory compliance.
We are investing actively in these areas through the AI platform, Virtusa Helio, and strategic partnerships with hyperscalers and other key players. By combining cutting-edge AI capabilities with continuous talent upskilling, we are equipping enterprises to navigate and lead in this rapidly evolving AI-driven future.
CIO&Leader: Virtusa has launched its GenAI brand and solution, Virtusa Helio. What makes Virtusa Helio a game-changer, and how does it differentiate itself from other AI solutions in the enterprise space? How does Virtusa Helio adapt to the specific challenges of different industries?
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan: Virtusa Helio is a transformative force in enterprise AI, offering a comprehensive ecosystem that spans the entire AI lifecycle. Its key pillars—Helio Innovate, Build, Enhance, Assure, and Operate—ensure seamless AI adoption from ideation and prototyping to production, modernization, and intelligent operations automation. With a strong focus on security, compliance, and scalability, it integrates AI into enterprise workflows, precisely addressing industry-specific challenges.
What sets it apart is its deep industry focus and tailored approach. In financial services, it enhances risk management and content synthesis. In healthcare, it accelerates drug discovery and clinical decision-making. Meanwhile, in retail, it powers personalized customer experiences and optimizes supply chains. Helio adapts to unique business needs by developing customized AI adoption strategies and implementation programs, supported by its GenAI Center of Excellence (CoE).
Backed by more than 1,000 AI architects and engineers, it continuously innovates industry-specific and horizontal AI solutions. By driving measurable business impact, Helio enables enterprises to accelerate innovation, improve efficiency, and remain competitive in an AI-driven market. As a catalyst for digital transformation, Virtusa Helio empowers organizations to unlock AI’s full potential for sustainable growth.
CIO&Leader: Enterprise AI adoption often gets stuck due to issues like data silos, compliance, and scalability. How does Virtusa Helio help companies overcome these roadblocks?
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan: Data silos and compliance are real challenges in taking AI to production. It is almost like the fast-moving trains are ready but are waiting for the rails to be laid. However, this scenario is creating more data projects within large enterprises. That said, we take a pragmatic Proof of Concept (PoC)-based approach with a human-in-the-loop model to increase accuracy rates, all within a controlled environment.
Virtusa Helio addresses key hurdles in enterprise AI adoption by tackling data silos, ensuring compliance, and enabling scalability through a secure and structured approach. By integrating seamlessly with existing IT ecosystems, Helio breaks down data silos and provides holistic data access and analysis, enhancing insights and optimizing workflows. To address the compliance barrier—particularly in regulated industries like finance and healthcare—we collaborate with clients to design AI solutions that prioritize data privacy, security, accuracy, and governance. Our robust security framework ensures adherence to industry regulations, mitigating risks and enabling responsible AI adoption.
Its scalable architecture supports growing data volumes and complex AI workloads without compromising performance. Its end-to-end framework—spanning innovation with Helio Innovate, development with Helio Build, modernization via Helio Enhance, and operational efficiency through Helio Operate—ensures a smooth transition from experimentation to full-scale AI deployment. By addressing these key roadblocks, Virtusa Helio empowers enterprises to drive AI-driven efficiency, innovation, and business value at scale.
CIO&Leader: Virtusa’s AI upskilling initiatives, including the partnership with IIT Madras, highlight a strong commitment to talent transformation. With AI rapidly reshaping job roles, how should enterprises rethink their hiring and training strategies to stay ahead? What skills will be most critical in an AI-driven workplace?
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan: To stay ahead in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, services firms like ours must prioritize two key aspects of re-skilling: building AI solutions (including GenAI) and leveraging AI smartly across the software development lifecycle. This involves integrating AI for developers, testers, business analysts, and more, ensuring seamless and effective application throughout the process. At Virtusa, over 70% of our software developers are empowered with the AI-Assisted Developer Program, while nearly 50% of our quality engineering teams benefit from the AI-Assisted Assurance Program. This strategic approach connects the quality of requirements to the quality of development and enhances overall productivity.
Additionally, GenAI-based ‘Review the Review’ mechanisms and sentiment scoring significantly improve high-volume product-feature testing combinations, boosting the efficiency of product engineering teams.
We also offer a Virtusa-certified AI-assisted program and a bespoke GenAI Architects Program, both instrumental in driving client success. We strengthen our AI upskilling through strategic initiatives like our partnership with IIT Madras. We collaborate with leading e-learning platforms and organize in-house training sessions, workshops, bootcamps, and hackathons to foster continuous learning and innovation.
Beyond technical skills, we mainly focus on nurturing adaptability, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making. Programs like our Thrive Academy with Emeritus and our Google Cloud collaboration for campus hiring emphasize holistic talent development.
In today’s dynamic world, success hinges on continuous learning, innovation, and evolving skills. By embedding AI into workforce development and fostering a culture of upskilling, Virtusa is building agile teams that drive digital transformation and secure a competitive edge.
CIO&Leader: Where do you see AI taking the enterprise landscape in the next decade? How is Virtusa positioning itself to stay ahead in this rapidly shifting market?
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan: The next decade in the context of AI is a long horizon. Given that innovation is happening at such a rapid pace—and disruption across the AI ecosystem is almost a monthly affair—adoption of AI across enterprises will be pervasive. We call this AI Everywhere. Our continuous focus and investment in R&D, with the AI paradigm shifting into Agentic and Physical AI, are critical for staying ahead. Our ongoing commitment to continuous upskilling for our employees also remains a key differentiator.
Additionally, when we speak to industry experts and analysts, Virtusa’s R&D efforts in this space and our world-class understanding stand out as significant advantages.
We are positioning ourselves at the forefront of this shift through its comprehensive GenAI platform, Virtusa Helio. Helio delivers enterprise-grade AI solutions across the full lifecycle—from ideation and rapid prototyping to production-ready deployment and continuous optimization—while ensuring security, compliance, and scalability.
Beyond technology, we are preparing for the AI-driven future by investing in cloud-native, data-centric, and automation-first strategies. We are strengthening our capabilities through deep collaborations with institutions like IIT Madras, hyperscalers like Google, and other key partners, while also expanding our presence in key regions to provide localized support. Our commitment to workforce upskilling ensures that enterprises have access to AI-ready talent.
By driving responsible AI adoption, fostering continuous innovation, and building a future-ready framework, we are not just adapting to but actively shaping the enterprise AI landscape, enabling businesses to stay ahead in an increasingly digital world.