HCLTech teams up with Guardian to speed up AI-led technology overhaul

HCLTech has signed a multi-year technology partnership with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America to support the insurer’s push toward an AI-driven technology transformation. The agreement signals Guardian’s long-term plan to modernise its core technology stack while improving speed, efficiency, and customer experience across its digital platforms.

The partnership brings together HCLTech’s enterprise technology services and Guardian’s focus on data and artificial intelligence as central pillars of its future IT strategy.

A long-term shift toward AI-led modernisation

Guardian plans to use HCLTech’s GenAI service transformation platform, AI Force, as part of a broader enterprise-wide effort to modernise technology operations. The collaboration is designed to streamline application development, testing, support, and infrastructure management.

By consolidating services with a single strategic technology partner, Guardian aims to simplify internal operations while supporting faster product and service rollouts. The company expects the initiative to improve engineering outcomes and reduce the time needed to move new digital capabilities from development to production.

The focus is not limited to back-end systems. Guardian has positioned the partnership as a way to accelerate customer-facing digital innovation, with the goal of delivering more consistent and seamless experiences for policyholders and enterprise clients.

Guardian bets on data and AI

Steve Rullo, chief digital and technology officer at Guardian, described the partnership as a foundational step in the insurer’s technology roadmap.

“Partnering with HCLTech is a key step in our long-term strategy to harness data and AI, consolidate services with a single strategic partner and modernise our core technology foundations,” Rullo said. He added that the collaboration would help Guardian improve efficiency while building digital services that customers increasingly expect from large insurers.

For Guardian, the move reflects a wider trend in the insurance sector, where companies are reworking legacy systems to support automation, analytics, and AI-driven decision-making at scale.

HCLTech expands its financial services footprint

For HCLTech, the Guardian deal strengthens its position in the U.S. financial services market. Srinivasan Seshadri, chief growth officer and global head of financial services at HCLTech, said the partnership highlights the company’s experience in supporting large insurers through technology change.

“Partnering with one of the largest insurers in the U.S. underscores HCLTech’s leadership in financial services, driven by our AI expertise and deep industry experience,” Seshadri said. He noted that HCLTech will draw on its global delivery footprint and transformation experience to support Guardian’s business goals.

The engagement adds to HCLTech’s portfolio of long-term transformation programs focused on AI, digital engineering, and cloud-led modernisation.

What this means going forward

The partnership comes at a time when insurers are under pressure to balance operational efficiency with rising expectations for digital-first services. By leaning on AI-led platforms and integrated service models, Guardian is looking to reduce friction across its IT landscape while supporting future growth.

While financial terms were not disclosed, both companies framed the agreement as a strategic collaboration rather than a short-term outsourcing deal. The emphasis on multi-year modernisation suggests that AI and data will remain central to Guardian’s technology decisions in the years ahead.

For HCLTech, the deal reinforces its role as a transformation partner for large enterprises navigating complex technology upgrades in regulated industries.