One of the most distinguishing things about our government entities is their broad scope of services. In this ever-changing landscape, no other sector is responsible for doing so much for so many, so quickly. Modernizing the way digital services are delivered by government to citizens worldwide is an increasingly pressing need. This need includes a growing obligation to provide accessible and transparent digital experiences for all citizens, protect security and manage costs with a simplified IT environment and align IT resources to maximize productivity and cost efficiency.

However, modernization is a complex process that requires government entities to balance the return on investment of legacy hardware and institutional knowledge with the need to comply with regulations and meet sustainability goals.

Mainframe occupies a coveted place in today’s business environment and plays a central role in the daily operations of the world’s largest corporations. “Whether it is in banking, finance, healthcare, insurance, utilities or government, mainframe continues to be the foundation of modern business,” says Nathalie Le Prohon, President, IBM Quebec Technology at IBM Canada.

In fact, the technology powering today’s modern mainframe systems can enable government entities with the ability to process millions of transactions needed to serve the citizens and accomplish other mission critical activities. The technology has been built to accelerate improvements in security, customer service, business resiliency, and make it easier to leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI).

With the introduction of IBM’s z16 series of mainframe computers, IBM has evolved its mainframe offerings to become a robust and powerful agent of digital transformation for both public and private organisations.

Homegrown innovation from Bromont, QC

And while this is a global offering, the IBM z16 series has a tie to Canada and Quebec. The z16 series semiconductors encapsulation is manufactured in IBM’s largest semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Bromont. 

Recently, it was announced that IBM and Government of Canada are working on a new semiconductor collaboration. A key component of this work is increasing advanced packaging capacity throughout Canada, which complements IBM’s semiconductor R&D leadership at the Albany NanoTech Complex. IBM is proud of its presence in Quebec, and last year celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the IBM plant in Bromont.

Leveraging modern mainframe technology in Government

Mainframes are playing and will continue to play a key role as part of today’s modern digital experience. Many critical services and functions of government have relied on IBM mainframe technology for decades; as these mainframe systems offer the best mix of security, performance, reliability, resiliency, and scalable platforms for mission-critical workloads.

Recommendations for the leveraging modernized mainframe technology in Government:

1. Cloud or mainframe – Government entities that serve millions of citizens will need and can have both as part of hybrid cloud environment.
2. Cybersecurity – Use pervasive encryption as a powerful tool against cyber threats. Pervasive encryption is one of the best and most affordable ways to protect data. The modern mainframe includes this level of 21st century security at the semiconductor chip level.
3. Resiliency –Business resiliency must be a central tenet of modernization. Government entities must ensure seamless delivery of benefits and services to the businesses, community organizations, and families that rely on them and other government entities that they support. IBM’s mainframes provide government agencies with these highest levels of Reliability, Availability and Serviceability
4. Embrace automation – Government entities can leverage the modern mainframe platform with open architecture to implement automation and AI that can help reduce claims backlogs, fraud detection, extract value from data more quickly, increase cyber security efficiency and can also help address current skills shortages.

“What’s clear is that government leaders don’t have to choose between cloud and mainframe systems. Modernizing government IT systems requires the best of both technologies. IBM is confident that a hybrid cloud model is the best platform for modernizing government IT systems. We also know that the modern mainframe is a valuable component of hybrid cloud model that can help accelerate that modernization,” says Ms. Le Prohon.