It’s hard to imagine Bangalore-based Wipro Limited as anything other than a high-tech IT organization. Just listen to how Wipro insiders describe their company.

“Wipro is a professional services organization,” says Kamal Shah, the company’s global head of information systems. “We work in the spaces of technology, outsourcing, and managed services, as well as providing business operations support.”

In fact, this multinational information technology and consulting company serves global customers in nearly two dozen industries – everything from aerospace to utilities – and it can count around 900 of the Fortune 1000 companies among its customers.

It’s definitely high-tech.

But do you know what the original Wipro name stood for? Western Indian Vegetable Products Limited.

That’s right; Wipro started back in 1945 as a manufacturer of vegetable and refined cooking oils. Then in the 1970s, the company began shifting its focus to the new opportunities offered by the rapidly evolving computer industry.

It seems that Wipro has always been looking toward the future and exploring the potential of new technologies. It’s a culture of innovation that continues to thrive throughout the company today.

Getting Ready for the Internet of Things

A good example of this forward-looking focus is Wipro’s announcement last fall of its support as a founding sponsor of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (or CDAIT).

CDAIT – a global, non-profit, partner-funded center located in Atlanta, Georgia – was established to foster interdisciplinary research and education while driving general awareness about the Internet of Things (IoT).

With the IoT’s potential to impact virtually every sector of the economy and society, CDAIT’s researchers hope to stimulate creativity and productivity gains while addressing important issues such as privacy, ethics, regulation, and policy.

“We are happy to join forces with Georgia Tech and explore the possibilities of how the IoT explosion can transform the world in which we live,” said Dr. Alan Atkins, vice president and global head of IoT at Wipro Limited, in the announcement.

Transforming Business Systems

“Embracing the potential of the Internet of Things is certainly one of Wipro’s strategic objectives,” agrees Shah. But in a recent video, he also describes how adopting the latest software technologies in Wipro’s own business systems is helping the company better address the needs of its worldwide clients.

“We truly want to drive a culture where data becomes a core for everything we do from a decision-making perspective,” says Shah. And to help achieve this goal, Wipro is now using SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and such analytics tools as SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence solutions and SAP Lumira software.

One of the critical areas in which Wipro is making the most of these capabilities is when identifying the right resources and skill sets for a given customer project. “We are leveraging SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA to do a fast matchmaking between a program’s specific requirements and the large talent pool that we maintain within our organization,” explains Shah.

Looking to the Future while Honoring the Past

“The future of Wipro is very exciting,” says Shah. “We continue to identify new offerings and look for additional ways to innovate. And we know our own journey will be very closely coupled with all the exciting ventures that our customers are pursuing.”

There’s no doubt that Wipro keeps changing with the times. But make no mistake. Wipro has never lost sight of its 70-year past either.

See that colorful sunflower in the company’s logo? It’s a very intentional reminder of Wipro’s earliest days in the vegetable products industry.