Wipro elevates identity security with AI and automation

A global leader in information technology services, Wipro brings together world-class consulting, design, engineering, implementation and operations capabilities to enable digital transformation for enterprises building a more resilient, secure and sustainable future. It has annual revenue of around USD 10.8 billion and thousands of customers worldwide. 

Wipro is a human-centered business. It recognizes that the future hinges not only on cutting-edge technology, like artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, but on the people that wield it. Wipro today has more than 230,000 employees representing 146 nationalities– all working in concert with clients and partners in 65 countries across six continents.

“Identity is at the center of everything we do with cybersecurity at Wipro,” Satvinder Madhok, CTO and Global Head of Technology Infrastructure, Identity Access & Cybersecurity at Wipro, says. “It allows our people, clients and partners to work seamlessly. It keeps us compliant with the varied regulations in all the different jurisdictions we operate in. And it protects the firm from external and internal threats.”

Identity security at the core

Wipro’s journey towards a zero-trust identity architecture began in 2021 when it deployed SailPoint’s cloud-based IdentityNow solution. This supported the organization’s entire workflow, with an intuitive user interface and role-based access for provisioning, de-provisioning and recertifications. It also laid the foundation for the firm’s current migration to Identity Security Cloud.

The challenge for Wipro’s cybersecurity team, as for their counterparts in organizations worldwide, is what Madhok calls “a plethora of tools that don’t talk to each other.” This disparity is amplified across the industry by a shortage of cybersecurity professionals. As technology outpaces human capacity to manage it, organizations can struggle to fully realize the value of their investments in cybersecurity tools. And with a huge day-to-day workload, existing staff can also lack the time to keep up to date with cybersecurity trends, technologies and developments.

“For us, the solution was clear: we needed to platformize the entire identity process,” Madhok says. “This would empower us to extract maximum value from the latest technologies, like AI, with enhanced scalability and flexibility across diverse environments, and humans focusing on strategic thinking and innovation.”

Platformization partner

Wipro took an analytical approach to evaluating identity security vendors, conducting and completing extensive due diligence. Its new solution would have to be software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based and platformized. It needed to provide a secure and seamless experience for employees and customers and ensure trouble-free compliance. It also had to represent an investment for the future, backed by a clear vendor roadmap.

“SailPoint is equipped to support the platformization of our full identity lifecycle, with strong integrations with other systems and extensive automation,” Madhok explains. 

This decision was especially critical since the new solution would not only be implemented at Wipro, but also be showcased to the firm’s clients. Wipro has been a SailPoint Delivery Admiral Partner every year since 2018. This underscores its commitment to significant testing and training on SailPoint technology.

“Entrusting SailPoint with our cyber security has proven to be highly effective in safeguarding Wipro, our employees and businesses against cyber threats. Their cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions are empowering us to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ease. With SailPoint as our cyber security partner we are fortified against emerging threats.” says Anup Purohit, Global CIO, Wipro

360-degree success

Wipro has made SailPoint Identity Security Cloud the heart and soul of identity across all its systems. Key initial benefits include: 

• A seamless joiner-mover-leaver (JML) process
• Completely automated birthright access, ensuring new hires and movers can be productive from day one
• The automatic disabling of every dormant identity, with self-service options for reactivation after a vacation, sabbatical or other absence
• Password rotation and multi-factor authentication (MFA) rotation for every identity – eliminating orphaned and dormant identities from the organization
• The automatic deactivation of identities on an employee’s last day

Robust compliance

Wipro’s identity security program also provides a strong foundation for compliance, which is critical in an organization with such a diverse portfolio of businesses across so many countries – each with a different set of requirements and subject to a different regulatory regime.

"Having a mature identity domain gives a lot of comfort as we navigate audits, whether internal, external, statutory or third-party," Madhok explains. "Good compliance is good business because it secures our customers too and gives them confidence in our responsible identity management."

Continuous awareness

In concert with its migration to SailPoint Identity Security Cloud, Wipro has continued to focus on company-wide identity security awareness, education and certification. Dedicated team members drive the awareness program across all levels of the organization, from the C-suite and Board to the frontline, with subject matter experts included in educational events.

"Continuous awareness is in Wipro's DNA," says Madhok. "We hold a huge number of regular awareness sessions, training programs, seminars and symposiums to educate our people and create awareness around the identity domain. Identity is not just IT's responsibility; it's everybody's responsibility."

All members of Madhok’s team are required to be certified. They make good use of SailPoint’s online Identity University training and certification platform. It allows experienced professionals to select product-based training, and train at their own pace. Those new to identity security can choose an appropriate role-based course.

AI-powered future

Wipro has adopted AI as central to its identity security evolution, supporting its ongoing zero-trust initiatives. 

"At least 50% of use cases within the platform will leverage AI elements in the next three years," Madhok predicts. "Identity lifecycle management is going to be pretty much an automated process. AI behavioral analytics is also going to play a huge role in protecting identities as well."

"My end goal is to make every identity a privileged identity, whether it's human or machine. And we see the potential to achieve this on the SailPoint platform,” he continues. 

Madhok expects this level of protection to have a positive impact on the firm’s cyber insurance policies: mature identity practices will go a long way in balancing risk in a more complex digital world.

“We are firmly focused on taking Wipro beyond enterprise-wide adoption of effective identity capabilities to advanced capabilities using automation and AI. Ultimately, we mean to work with SailPoint to build extended and unified identities that allow frictionless access across external identity ecosystems – what SailPoint calls Horizon 5 in the identity security journey,” Madhok concludes.