IBM to expand cloud capabilities in Canada

IBM will expand its cloud footprint in Canada with its first IBM multizone region (MZR) in the country, which will be located in Toronto and will enhance Big Blue’s existing data centre capacity.

The MZR will provide access to cloud services – from infrastructure to artificial intelligence – with increased service availability across the country. It is expected to be operational by late 2020.

The firm says the MZR addition will help Canadian businesses more securely deploy their workloads and applications across hybrid cloud environments.

IBM boasts that it is the only cloud provider able to deliver encryption certified to the highest level (FIPS 140-2 Level 4). As such the firm was chosen as lead technology partner for Payments Canada’s new high-value payment system, Lynx. Payments Canada oversees the clearing and settlement of approximately $210 billion every business day.

With 80% of mission-critical workloads (supply chain, core banking systems) still not on the cloud, IBM is helping enterprises combine on-premise infrastructure and public and private clouds into effective hybrid cloud systems.

"Two-thirds of Canadian enterprises are acting on digital transformation but many are challenged due to, in part, technical debt accumulated over time,"  Jason Bremner, VP of industry and business solutions at IDC Canada, said. "Canadian executives see hybrid cloud as a strategy to address their concerns because they can modernize applications that take advantage of different deployment models in a timely and secure manner."

IBM states its Canadian MZR will enable service level agreements of 99.9% uptime with a portfolio of services that include IBM Watson AI, blockchain, IoT, and analytics.

"As companies across Canada seek greater control of their data, this new capability will lead to improved resiliency, security and availability of the cloud platform right here on Canadian soil," Ayman Antoun, president of IBM Canada, said. "Expanding our cloud capabilities with a new multizone region will ensure that clients have greater access to the broad range of IBM cloud services."

The Armonk, New York–based computing pioneer offers a wide array of products and services, from hardware, software, cloud infrastructure and services to consulting. Its advisory offerings include business strategy and design, process and operations, resiliency, technology consulting and outsourcing, and cybersecurity. IBM has global revenues of approximately $80 billion, with its cloud division bringing in roughly $20 billion.