- IBM's new Cloud Multizone Region (MZR) will help Canadian
enterprises leverage generative AI and address data sovereignty
requirements
- The IBM Cloud MZR will be designed to meet the needs of even
the most regulated industries, prioritizing resiliency, performance
and scalability, security and compliance
- Innovative capabilities and services will be available to
clients throughout Canada
including access to IBM Power Virtual Server, VMware as a Service,
SAP, and HPC as a Service
MONTREAL, April 8,
2024 /CNW/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today plans
to open a new Cloud Multizone Region (MZR) in Montreal, Quebec. The facility will be
designed to help clients address their evolving regulatory
requirements and leverage technology such as Generative AI with a
secured, enterprise cloud platform. The Montreal MZR will be
comprised of three Availability Zones, isolated locations within a
data center or cloud infrastructure, that are designed to provide
availability, consistent cloud services, and greater resiliency to
help clients run mission-critical workloads.
"The new Cloud MZR will serve as a catalyst for transformative
advancements, empowering businesses to harness the full potential
of hybrid cloud and AI. By offering a trusted, locally based Cloud
infrastructure, we will be providing businesses in Quebec and across Canada with the peace of mind they need to
innovate and grow, while adhering to stringent data privacy and
sovereignty requirements," said Deb
Pimentel, General Manager Technology, IBM Canada. "We
are proud to contribute to the continued growth in the province's
thriving tech ecosystem by establishing robust infrastructure with
potential to drive even more digital transformation and sustained
economic development."
According to the IBM Cloud Transformation Report 2023, business
leaders highlight the need for a hybrid cloud approach to unlock
the power of generative AI. In fact, the report found 64% of hybrid
cloud users in Canada have a
formal organizational-wide approach for the use of Generative AI.
As clients across Canada embrace
generative AI, IBM Cloud offers a high-performance, flexible,
AI-optimized infrastructure for IBM watsonx, with bare metal and
virtual server Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) options.
"As we strive to help our customers across the utilities sector
deliver on their missions, it's critical we deliver services
quickly and close to where their data resides to help customers
manage their data sovereignty requirements. IBM has a long history
with us as an innovative provider in Canada and we are excited to see their
continued dedication in the region. With the new Montreal MZR, IBM
will make it possible to reduce latency so we can bring high speed
services directly to the doorstep of our users while furthering our
commitment to comply with the latest regulatory requirements to
keep data both in-country and protected," said Sharat Balachandran, VP, Research &
Development, SmartWorks, a division of Harris Computer
Systems.
IBM Cloud MZR network will expand with Montreal facility
Building on the opening of IBM Cloud's Toronto MZR in 2021 and
existing data centers in Montreal,
the opening of the new Montreal MZR is planned for first half of
2025. IBM's expanded presence in Canada is expected to help clients throughout
the country manage their emerging and existing regulatory demands –
including geographic requirements around sovereignty – while
driving innovation. This will be the latest advancement in IBM
Cloud's delivery of global next-generation MZRs and data centers
designed to deliver higher bandwidth, resiliency, security,
reliability, and automation capabilities.
IBM Montreal MZR will be designed to help Canadian clients
address their regulated industry requirements
Further, as regulated industries such as federal and financial
services continue to face changing requirements, the Montreal
MZR will be designed to enable Canadian clients to deploy AI and
mission-critical workloads with high levels of security, and help
clients address their data sovereignty and regulatory compliance
requirements. This includes helping them on their journeys to
demonstrate their compliance with the Government of Canada's Protected B Medium Profile, a
security level defined by the government for sensitive information
and assets. IBM's enterprise cloud platform is designed to help
Canadian clients in even the most highly regulated industries with
workloads in IBM Cloud to address their local regulatory
requirements.
Canadian enterprises will be able to harness the power of
IBM Montreal MZR to boost scabality and reliability for
customers
SmartWorks, a division of Harris Computer Systems,
and other enterprises across Canada will have access to the new MZR which
will be supplied by 100% renewable electricity and its innovative
hybrid cloud capabilities including access to IBM Power Virtual
Server and VMware as a Service, along with SAP and HPC as a
Service.
IBM Cloud MZR will help Canadian clients accelerate cloud
adoption
By delivering access to IBM's enterprise cloud platform designed
for highly regulated industries, IBM aims to help clients across
Canada accelerate cloud adoption.
For example, supported by a growing ecosystem of more than 130
technology partners and fintechs, IBM Cloud for Financial Services
is designed to accelerate financial institutions' digital
transformations with a focus on trust, security, compliance, and
data sovereignty, and includes security and controls specific to
the industry that are built-in to the platform. Additionally,
clients can leverage Payments-as-a-Service capabilities, including
Checks-as-a-Service delivered by the IBM Payments Center, an arm of
IBM Consulting, which can help give them access to the benefits of
a managed, secured cloud-based platform that has the ability to
scale up and down to meet changing electronic payment and check
volumes.
As clients across Quebec and
greater Canada continue to
transform, IBM remains committed to helping them drive innovation
with resiliency, performance, security and compliance at the
forefront. The expansion of IBM's presence in Canada can help enterprises across the country
to leverage technology such as Generative AI with a secured, cloud
platform while they addresstheir latest regulatory demands.
For more information, please visit https://www.ibm.com/cloud
Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are
subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals
and objectives only.
The client is responsible for ensuring compliance with all
applicable laws and regulations. IBM does not provide legal advice
nor represent or warrant that its services or products will ensure
that the client is compliant with any law or regulation.
Media Contact:
Ruhee Dhar
IBM Canada
Email: ruhee@ibm.com
SOURCE IBM