IBM Canada and Celero sign 7-year, multi-million dollar agreement for Hybrid Cloud and data centre modernization

Transformation of services to Canada's credit unions will increase the operational resiliency, cybersecurity and speed critical for a post-COVID environment.

CALGARY, AB, July 21, 2020 /CNW/ - IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Celero, a leading solutions integrator for Canadian credit unions, have signed a 7-year, multi-million dollar strategic outsourcing agreement that will modernize and transform Celero's data centre and data centre network environments, moving their infrastructure services onto a hybrid cloud environment. Through this agreement, Celero will significantly advance the digital banking technologies, cloud services, security and payment solutions they provide to more than 110 credit unions and financial institutions across Canada, further positioning their capabilities to support business and economic recovery from the implications of COVID-19.

Operational resiliency of critical business services, uninterrupted service, remote and easy access, and rigorous data security measures against disruptions and threats are critical for credit unions in how they provide innovative service delivery and excellence to members.

"Innovation cannot stop in a crisis; in fact, it is instrumental in navigating out of one," said Xerxes Cooper, general manager of Global Technology Services for IBM Canada. "I believe what we'll see in a post-COVID economy is those businesses that fought the urge to shift their priorities, and instead recognized the imperative to accelerate their digital transformation, will emerge stronger and more prepared. The vision that Celero is demonstrating in their commitment to innovation and transformation by migrating workloads onto a hybrid cloud environment is a fantastic example of an organization planning for success long-term."

Through modernization of their technology and infrastructure services, Celero is enabling Canada's credit unions to future-proof their systems with scalability, responsiveness, and security as the country moves through post-pandemic economic recovery. "To deliver on our clients' digital ambitions and accelerate their recovery from COVID-19, it's critical for Celero to embark on this innovative path forward with our long-standing collaborator, IBM. The transformational opportunities of moving to a hybrid IBM Cloud platform will result in Celero and our clients becoming more agile, resilient and forward-looking, which will ultimately translate to a superior experience for credit union members," says Tom Papagiannopoulos, senior vice president at Celero.

The IBM-Celero Agreement includes secure cloud services, resiliency testing, threat management, disaster recovery support and process automation. Through this collaboration, Celero will expand their innovative capabilities and world-class uptime by standardizing data and systems architecture, streamlining procedures and safeguarding stability. For Canadian credit unions, the agreement will support their visions for speed to market and adoption of the cloud, in today's 'always-on' and hyper-connected financial services landscape.

About IBM Canada

For more information about IBM Canada, visit: www.ibm.com/ca-en.

About Celero

Celero is a leading provider of digital technology and integration solutions to credit unions and financial institutions across Canada. Clients trust Celero's proven track record delivering innovative banking technologies, digital and payment solutions, cloud computing, outsourcing, IT and advisory services. Celero offers reliability and security through its world-class hosted banking system and data center operations. With key partnerships across the globe, Celero also brings the scale and extensive capabilities of multinational technology companies and the focused expertise of fintech startups. For more information, visit celero.ca.

SOURCE IBM Canada Ltd.

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