By ibmblogs and Dave McCann
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, government offices were forced to close with little notice. Public sector organizations at all levels had to find new ways to meet the needs of citizens remotely when in-person services were no longer possible.
CIOs and senior leaders were immediately faced with the limitations of their existing IT infrastructure to handle exploding demand for anywhere, anytime access to government services for citizens, and the urgent need to enable remote work for employees.
Now, as they take stock of the lessons learned during the pandemic, most would agree that the pandemic dramatically accelerated the need for an effective cloud modernization strategy. Not surprisingly, government agencies across Canada are now putting IT modernization plans into overdrive by moving traditional IT systems and applications to the cloud.
That’s where the IBM Client Innovation Centre Quebec for Cloud Modernization (Gatineau) comes in. By working closely with our government clients, IBM helps accelerate their journey to the cloud. We come prepared with the hybrid, multicloud solutions to help government organizations modernize and digitally transform their complete infrastructure.
Delivering services to Canadians securely, simply and cost-effectively
The Government of Canada has committed to a cloud-first approach to IT modernization. IT leaders see hybrid cloud as the path forward to deliver the performance, security, innovation, agility, and scalability needed to bring their projects from the planning stage to full operation.
However, faced with a critical shortage of internal capabilities to support their ambitious migration to cloud, CIOs are looking for a partner to help them skilfully manage the cost and complexity of modernizing their IT infrastructure to support digital transformation.
CMC: Open for business in Ottawa-Gatineau
No matter where public sector organizations find themselves on the journey to cloud, IBM’s skilled team of consultants can help. Strategically located in Ottawa-Gatineau, the CMC is fully operational and ready to support public sector digital transformation initiatives.
- Our team of highly skilled, security-cleared, cloud-focused consultants work in both of Canada’s official languages – either as a virtual service or on site.
- We are a full lifecycle partner who can help your organization build an open, secure platform while maintaining Canadian data sovereignty.
- We offer an expert blend of business strategy, design, architecture, agile development while tapping into the latest advancements in AI, automation, blockchain, security and more.
Our IBM Garage Methodology allows public sector clients to work side by side with IBM experts to collaborate on innovative projects, both virtually and in person. The Garage method uses a ‘minimum viable product’ approach, allowing essential application development to happen quickly and iteratively.
It’s worth noting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) software – used to provide benefits for millions of workers affected by the virus – was designed and implemented in mere weeks using the “minimum viable product” approach.
From COVID to Cloud-First
Post-COVID, Canadian citizens expect the same convenient, real-time access to government services that they enjoy while doing their banking or online shopping. Government employees are now seeing a future where remote work will be considered “business as usual.”
When you’re ready to move critical workloads to the cloud quickly and reliably in support of your ongoing digital transformation, the IBM Client Innovation Centre Quebec for Cloud Modernization (Gatineau) is open and ready for business.
Key Benefits of the CMC:
- Complete focus on hybrid, multi cloud solutions, infrastructure and application modernization
- Open and secure platform: IBM Cloud’s Protected-B status offers secure management of sensitive data and applications
- Canadian data sovereignty
- Fast and agile service delivery to meet client’s cloud migration and modernization needs
- Support services for Federal, Provincial, Municipal, and Crown corporations
Read: Let’s Rethink Citizen Services for the Post-COVID World
Watch: IBM Client Innovation Centre Quebec for Cloud Modernization (Gatineau)
by Dave McCann, Managing Partner & Canadian Leader, IBM Consulting
Twitter: @D_McCann29
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-mccann-ibm
