Technology leader Wipro Ltd has concluded ‘CodeStorm AppHack,’ a two-month long internal virtual hackathon for Wipro employees, to develop mobile and web-based applications.
Aimed at fueling innovation and igniting the creativity of employees, CodeStorm AppHack encouraged them to develop their dream app for both the B2B and B2C segments, using cutting-edge technologies, said Wipro on June 25, 2015.
Over 250 teams of employees from across the globe participated in the initiative. The teams competed with each other in a virtual hackathon set-up which involved designing apps for multiple platforms and languages including iOS, Android, HTML 5, Java and other Open Source technologies. The initiative witnessed over 2,000 collective hours of coding by Wiproites, supported by a team of senior mentors.
The teams developed a number of innovative apps in multiple rounds, over the period of two months. The submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges and mentors, which included members from Wipro’s Distinguished Member of Technical Staff (DMTS) Community and the company’s leadership team. The evaluation rounds were a mix of virtual and physical presentations and discussions.
The panel short-listed 25 apps developed during the course of CodeStorm AppHack. Wipro will explore incorporating some of these innovative solutions in customer projects as well as for developing internal use cases. The top 5 winning teams were rewarded with reward points that are part of Wipro’s internal corporate rewards program.
Elaborating on this initiative, K.R. Sanjiv, Chief Technology Officer, Wipro Ltd, said, “We want to enable an environment where employees can showcase their expertise, learn and adapt to the latest skill-sets, collaborate with their peers and use creativity and innovation to solve challenging problems. And have fun while doing so. We formed teams across geographies and helped participants collaborate remotely with their teammates to develop some truly remarkable apps.”
Saurabh Govil, Global Head, Human Resources, Wipro said, “We are delighted that CodeStorm AppHack was well received by our employees. This is one of the many initiatives that we are driving to accelerate reskilling and training of our employees using new models of engagement. Initiatives such as these, which are designed in a fun format, help appeal to the millennial generation. The hackathon demanded a blend of creativity, technical and business skills to solve challenges and was therefore a showcase of their ideas and new-age skill-sets.”
A remarkable body of work was generated as a result of the virtual hackathon in areas such as mobility in retail, building in-store experiences, next-gen smart grid management for power utilities, IoT (Internet of Things) based home appliance automation & control and API (Application Program Interface) mashups to enable employee-friendly business processes.
AppHack is part of ‘CodeStorm,’ a global internal initiative aimed at encouraging the skillful use of technology and to inculcate a culture of innovation among the company’s employees, in a fun way. CodeStorm was launched in 2014 and over 7,000 Wipro employees have participated in ‘CodeStorm’ initiatives so far.
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