Do you want to rapidly get business value from AI? Tietoevry SmartGen Suite helps

SmartGen Suite is a modular set of components that includes data management best practices, Microsoft Azure OpenAI tools, open-source code and reusable processes built on the core principles of modularity, repeatability and security by design.  Data and AI experts help assess the effectiveness of the AI solution, accelerate time to production, and maintain and manage it, ensuring efficient and secure use throughout the solution's lifecycle.

We saw that building each customer’s AI application from scratch is not sustainable. So, we created this reusable framework that enables us to repeatedly deliver AI value. We’re essentially developing different use-case accelerators that help customers quickly get up to speed with AI as they need it.” 

Janne Vihervuori, Head of Solution and Business Development at Tietoevry Tech Services

The team saw that many generative AI challenges are fundamentally similar, even across different industries. The focus on modularity and reusability means SmartGen Suite can be widely applied. In addition to the industrial use case, the framework has also already been implemented in the retail sector and for public services.  

“While specific AI use cases may vary, the underlying processes often share similar needs in terms of data management and user interactions. Whether handling customer tickets with a chatbot, managing product information or assisting with administrative workflows, many of the core components can be reused,” says Vihervuori. 

Secure AI solutions: A commitment to security by design

One of the early challenges faced by the team was to manage unrealistic expectations around AI. All the hype about technology has fueled a perception that it can solve almost any problem. The team saw that addressing these broad ambitions would not be possible, so they learned to focus on solving specific problems in a way that would be repeatable across customers. 
 
“We started tackling bite-sized problems to address the realities of how people work. That’s when we really began to see success. By engaging directly with users and understanding their workflows, we were able to formulate the practical and modular framework we see today,” says Bharath Vijayaraghavan, Lead AI Strategist at Tietoevry Tech Services. 

Bharath Vijayaraghavan, Lead AI Strategist at Tietoevry Tech Services

The team also focused on addressing concerns around privacy and security. With many Large Language Models (LLMs) hosted on public cloud platforms, customers are often worried that data they input could be exposed. While this is a common misconception, there are indeed legitimate security and integrity implications to be considered with AI. These include biased responses, potential data breaches and AI ‘hallucinations. 

To address these concerns, the development team adopted a ‘security by design’ approach. This means building security measures into the framework from the outset, while continuously monitoring to ensure any AI solutions remain secure as they scale.  

“Security by design is fundamental. We've built that governance into the framework from day one,” explains Vijayaraghavan. 

AI framework that’s always up to date 

Another key member of the team behind SmartGen Suite is Pirja Heiskanen, Head of Data and AI at Tietoevry Tech Services. She explains how user-centric thinking took center stage in the development work.  

“Generative AI applications only deliver business value if users actually use them,” she says. “That’s why we apply service design principles to ensure the tools fit seamlessly into people’s workflows. We’re not just creating cool demos – we’re building a secure, scalable framework that customers can trust.” 

Pirja Heiskanen, Head of Data & AI, Tietoevry Tech Services

SmartGen Suite supports the entire lifecycle of generative AI applications; from understanding user needs and specific use cases, to building actual solutions in an agile and phased way. Whether deploying one application or 10, the principles built into the framework help customers achieve faster time-to-value by quickly translating ideas into tangible business results.  

The framework is designed with continuous improvement at its core. New components and other AI advancements are regularly evaluated and integrated to ensure SmartGen Suite remains modern and effective.  

AI is moving really fast and we’re continuously evolving the SmartGen Suite. The framework does not become outdated – we’re in this for the long haul,” says Pirja. 

The team is already looking ahead to the next major wave of development: Agentic AI. This refers to autonomous bots that can independently make decisions and handle tasks. 

Tietoevry Tech Services’ current development approach integrates and vectorizes data to make it usable for AI applications. While this method remains valid, the future will be characterized by networks of autonomous agents capable of retrieving information on demand. The team anticipates that this change may necessitate some reworking of the platform. 

“The next few years will be all about Agentic AI,” says Vijayaraghavan. “Today, humans solve issues. Tomorrow, bots will do so. But this requires proper governance to ensure they operate securely in our environment and in the customer’s domain. We’re already working on these agentic frameworks.” 

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