AIB Bank has concluded a deal with IBM for a €65m spend over the next three years on digital transformation.

IBM will provide the bank with a next-generation IBM z15 compute platform, plus a technology portfolio which includes IBM’s Cloud Pak solutions and the capability to deliver services using Red Hat OpenShift.

“This will help AIB to sustain its high pace of digitalisation and its strong focus on security and resilience,” according to the company.

AIB's group technology officer Fergal Coburn said: “As we accelerate into the future of banking, we need the most advanced technology to underpin our ongoing digital transformation efforts.

“IBM technology has been the backbone of our service delivery for over 30 years, and this agreement maintains our relationship in the innovation space. This will be a core contributor in ensuring that we achieve the key technology objectives that underpin our 2023 strategic ambitions and to meet the challenges faced in our industry.”

In Association with

He added that the platform will enhance the bank’s cyber resilience and fraud detection capabilities.

IBM country manager Deborah Threadgold added: “This agreement continues AIB’s successful strategy of being at the forefront of digital transformation in the Irish banking industry.

"The IBM z15 is a key part of the bank’s overall hybrid cloud strategy and will enable AIB to manage traditional operations efficiently and securely and provide the tools to deliver new digital services in a very agile manner.”

AIB’s director of enterprise technology Graham Fagan commented: “As financial organisations progress on their cloud journeys, they need an approach that allows various cloud-based applications to work in concert.

“Our hybrid cloud strategy is helping us to simplify our technological infrastructure so that we can move and manage data, services and workflows across multiple clouds and on premise platforms. The IBM products and services we are acquiring allow us to further extend that hybrid cloud ambition in an innovative, agile, secure and compliant manner.”

Photo (l-r) Fergal Coburn, Graham Fagan and Deborah Threadgold. (Pic: Shane O'Neill/Coalesce)