Kyndryl Makes a Series of Announcements Impacting the Channel

Mission-critical enterprise technology services provider Kyndryl has made a series of recent announcements that have resonated across the channel.

Kyndryl recently announced the expansion of its cloud modernization solution, Skytap, into Australia.

The company has also established a global strategic alliance with Databricks to leverage Kyndryl AI services to support customer adoption of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.

Additionally, the philanthropic arm of Kyndryl, Kyndryl Foundation, has teamed with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to complete the Cyber Resilience Program pilot for the not-for-profit (NFP) sector. 

Skytap for mission-critical data

The Skytap solution enables customers to move and run their complex, mission-critical data center systems in a hybrid cloud environment.

Skytap enables customers in the Microsoft Azure Australia East data center region in the Sydney metro area. It’s the first deployment of Skytap into a new geographic region since Kyndryl’s acquisition of Skytap. Sydney is the tenth Microsoft Azure data center region where Skytap is now available.

“We’ve seen surging demand for IaaS for Power workloads in Australia, and we expect interest to grow during the coming years as local organizations seek more efficient ways to migrate to the cloud without the need to re-write or re-platform applications,” said Ashish Kumar, president of Kyndryl Australia and New Zealand. “I’m looking forward to deepening our already strong relationship with Microsoft to bring the offering to our local organizations to enable them to modernize their mission-critical IT estates to improve operations and deliver greater innovation that improves the customer experience.”

By making Skytap available in the new region, Kyndryl is provided with an opportunity in Australia to infuse the company’s experience in migrating cloud workloads with the capability of Skytap on Azure to connect legacy applications to Azure native services like AI, machine learning, security, and DevOps from day one. 

Through the integration of Skytap for IBM Power on Azure, Kyndryl will be able to offer end-to-end comprehensive solutions addressing every phase of a business’s digital transformation journey that spans strategic planning, development, migration, modernization, and ongoing management.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Kyndryl to bring Skytap on Microsoft Azure to Australia and New Zealand,” said Evan Williams, director of the Microsoft Azure & security business group in Australia & New Zealand. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing innovative cloud solutions that empower local enterprises to seamlessly migrate and modernize their IBM Power workloads. By integrating Skytap with Azure’s native services, we are enabling businesses to leverage advanced AI, machine learning, and security capabilities from day one, driving efficiency and business continuity.”

Kyndryl’s IT modernization services utilize Skytap to enable seamless migration and transformation of AIX, IBM i and Linux on IBM Power, and x86 workloads on Microsoft Azure without application re-factoring.

The solution enables organizations to minimize capital expenditures, reduce operational disruption, and mitigate risks when migrating legacy workloads, while embracing modern cloud capabilities.

Kyndryl-Databricks alliance for digital transformation

Kyndryl is partnering with data and AI company Databricks to enable customers’ digital transformation by delivering AI at scale and empowering them to become data-driven organizations.

Kyndryl will integrate its data and AI services with the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, a unified platform for data, analytics, and AI, to help customers modernize their IT infrastructure and achieve their business objectives in a cost-effective manner.

“Partnering with Databricks furthers our ability to support customers and drive business growth by establishing the right digital foundation and providing complete application and data modernization services,” said Giovanni Carraro, Kyndryl’s Global Strategic Alliances Leader. “Together, we’ll expand the reach of Kyndryl’s services through the delivery of integrated solutions that enterprises need to enable AI at scale and reap the benefits of their digital transformation journeys.”

The alliance will make Kyndryl’s data, AI, and modernization services available to support customers leveraging the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, including:

• Establishing and modernizing data foundations: Kyndryl will provide end-to-end data services to help customers adopt Databricks and modernize their data and data architectures, ensuring data quality, security, and scalability.
• Accelerating AI adoption: Kyndryl will guide customers in applying the Databricks platform to unlock the potential of their data, leveraging advanced capabilities to gain deeper insights and enable AI at scale.
• Integrating SAP data: Kyndryl will also support customers in combining their SAP and enterprise data through the SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Databricks, unlocking insights, delivering business value, and increasing productivity.
• Delivering analytical insights: Kyndryl will combine its deep mainframe expertise with Databricks to bridge the gap between legacy systems and cutting-edge analytics to deliver increased business insights and value to customers.

The Cyber Resilience Program pilot

The Kyndryl Foundation and UTS have announced the successful conclusion of the Cyber Resilience Program pilot, marking a major milestone in their partnership to build cybersecurity skills in Australia’s NFP sector.

The pilot has provided fully funded training for 397 learners and is now open to the Australian public. The partnership aims to provide fully funded training for up to 1,400 individuals working in the NFP sector over the next two years.

“We are seeing a clear, strong demand for accessible cybersecurity education within the not-for-profit sector over the last year,: said Erandhi Mendis, Social Impact Leader at Kyndryl A/NZ. “Cyber resilience shouldn’t be a privilege. We’re excited to continue our partnership with UTS to support broader systemic improvements in Australia’s digital safety landscape and a more inclusive cybersecurity workforce.”

The Cyber Resilience Program was initially launched in 2024, achieving a 340 percent increase over initial expectations of 90 participants in the first year.

“Through the generous support of the Kyndryl Foundation, we are addressing the growing demand for online and face-to-face cyber resilience training and cyber career pathway programs,” said Peta Wyeth, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and IT, UTS. “UTS is proud to be providing a service that helps not-for-profit organizations and the communities they serve through training that addresses head-on the growth in cybercrime that is targeting small enterprises, which are vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

Kyndryl’s cloud services and support have seen significant upgrades this year to streamline cloud migrations. Learn more about Kyndryl’s new AI private cloud services and SAP support to drive ROI, speed, and efficiency.