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IBM will Expand its Cloud Operations in Canada with launch of new Cloud Multizone Region to Open in Montreal, Quebec

IBM | April 8, 2024

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