About
Cognizant is a global leader in IT services and consulting, providing cutting-edge technology solutions to empower businesses worldwide. With over 300,000 associates worldwide, Cognizant’s Learning & Development (L&D) team drives large-scale upskilling initiatives to align technical proficiency with business needs.
Supporting a diverse and globally distributed team, Cognizant’s training programs emphasize skill acquisition, proficiency development, and operational readiness to meet customer demands.
Since 2023, Cognizant has partnered with Heropa to power its virtual, hands-on training programs for associates across diverse technology domains – from software development and DevOps, to data analytics and AI.
Challenge
Cognizant’s L&D team faced mounting challenges as it shifted from measuring learning hours to measuring skills and proficiency. This change required faster, more agile, and scalable training delivery.
Key hurdles included:
- A Shift to Skill-Centric Training: Moving from tracking learning hours to emphasizing skill acquisition and proficiency (beginner, practitioner, specialist, expert) required more targeted, outcome-driven training solutions.
- Urgent Deployment Timelines: High-priority programs like Skill to Deploy (S2D) and Skill to Retention (S2R) demanded rapid environment provisioning. Setup delays of up to 21 days threatened client deliverables and business outcomes.
- Infrastructure Limitations: Reliance on non-cloud infrastructure led to inconsistent connectivity and performance for associates worldwide.
- Complex Learning Needs: Delivering training in advanced domains - such as data analytics, AI, and DevOps - required highly customized environments that traditional training models couldn’t support with agility or scale.
Our traditional methods were not only slow but also unable to address the dynamic and immediate training needs of our associates and clients.
Swamy M, Learning & Development, Cognizant
Solution
To overcome these challenges, Cognizant partnered with Heropa to use our Virtual IT Labs platform to transform its training delivery model, deploying scalable virtual environments that delivered a transformative learning experience.
Key Wins for the Cognizant L&D Team:
- Accelerated Environment Readiness: Heropa enabled Cognizant’s teams - including capability SMEs - to independently design, build, and validate new lab images for emerging skill sets. Once finalized, learners could launch labs in seconds, and immediately start their training.
- Custom Virtual Labs: Cognizant was able to develop tailored environments for diverse skill areas, including Java, .NET, Python, DevOps, data analytics, and generative AI.
- Global Scalability: Our cloud infrastructure delivered consistent performance and accessibility for thousands of associates worldwide.
- Cost and Resource Optimization: Transparent reporting and flexible plans helped Cognizant optimize resource use, while achieving significant cost savings.
With Heropa, we have transformed our approach to training. The platform’s flexibility and scalability allow us to meet the dynamic needs of our associates and clients with speed and precision.
Swamy M
Results
The partnership with Heropa delivered measurable business impact for Cognizant, across key operational metrics:
- 80% Faster Deployment: Training environments now go live in 4 days instead of 21, accelerating readiness for business-critical programs.
- Significant Cost Reduction: Annual training environment costs were reduced by more than 75%, through optimized infrastructure and automation.
- Enhanced Learner Experience: There was a significant uplift in learner satisfaction and engagement scores across consecutive quarters after the program was launched.
- Increased Adoption: Internal teams now specifically request “Heropa environments” instead of generic virtual labs—reflecting widespread confidence and trust.
Outlook
Building on this success, Cognizant continues to expand its use of Heropa as a core enabler of its global training and upskilling initiatives. Key focus areas include:
- Advanced Analytics and AI Training: Expanding Heropa’s use in high-demand domains like data analytics and generative AI.
- Cross-Domain Expansion: Exploring applications of Heropa in testing and IT infrastructure services to address emerging skill gaps.
- Enhanced SME Enablement: Collaborating to optimize lab environments for complex enterprise platforms like SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce.
- Scaling for Broader Skill Coverage: Preparing scalable solutions to address the remaining 60% of identified skill gaps, ensuring rapid readiness for future needs.
The flexibility, trust, and reliability Heropa brings to our training programs are unparalleled. As we look to the future, we see Heropa as a vital partner in empowering our associates with cutting-edge skills.
Swamy M
Cost Savings
75%
Custom Templates Created Annually
Dozens
Faster Deployment
80%
Associates trained globally
1000+
Heropa has elevated the training experience for our associates. Faster deployment, cost savings, and enhanced feedback have made a significant impact on our L&D objectives.
Swamy M.
Learning & Development, Cognizant
