Trusted Partnerships can Accelerate Modernization

An urgent need to accelerate digital transformation

As business leaders across Quebec plan their organizational future in our post-COVID world, they are seeing profound changes that must be considered as part of their transformation efforts. For example, remote work is likely here to stay. E-commerce and the customer experience have become top priorities. The pandemic has also clarified the importance of relationships – with each other and with our planet.   

In my role as sector leader for IBM in Quebec, I am committed to the success of Quebec businesses across all industries. By building relationships based on trust, I partner with clients to co-create change and scale impact across their businesses.  

New challenges in a post-COVID world 

To meet changing market demands, Quebec companies are beginning to invest heavily in improving the customer experience and expanding their e-commerce capabilities. Cloud and automation underpin these priorities, both areas where many had traditionally underinvested.  

Across the province, business leaders find themselves facing several interconnected challenges: 

• The battle for talent. Meeting ambitious post-COVID digital transformation goals requires the right people, talent and resources, but with the current shortage of tech talent we must find ways to retain skilled employees, give them the ability to grow, and provide an environment that fulfills their career goals while balancing their personal lives.  
• The need for speed. Post-COVID, the need to go to market in fresh new ways, regardless of industry, has intensified. Our clients need to accelerate their e–commerce strategy and their cloud journey to deliver at speed with agility. They must build IT and business teams internally that are agile, multidisciplinary and collaborative – teams that can release changes in smaller increments to deliver value faster. This ties back to talent. 
• The pressure to optimize operating costs. Clients are looking for help to demystify their cloud vision, to build a roadmap. Rather than spending years and millions of dollars on the move to cloud, IBM believes in an incremental approach – one where we ‘fix forward’ by making small changes and learning from mistakes along the way. IBM Garage Methodology takes this approach, resulting lower costs and less effort compared to working  toward one big release.  

IBM’s long-term commitment to Quebec 

IBM continually invests in Quebec because we believe in the future of Quebec business. For example, the Client Innovation Centre (CIC) in Montreal offers a local pool of hundreds of skilled people in a bilingual, global centre that provides industry-focused services in areas such as AI, cloud, analytics, and ERP. IBM has also established an AI Lab at the University of Montreal where IBM and academic researchers focus on core technologies that will help shape the future of AI. 

Quebec businesses are looking for help to guide them on their journey to cloud, and IBM takes a unique, holistic view of their digital transformation goals. We offer the end-to-end skills, education, resources, cloud expertise, and financing that can transform your business, boost operational efficiencies and meet your sustainability objectives.

A recent IDC report [1] reveals that 81 percent of companies surveyed in Quebec believe IBM is a trustworthy company, and 79 percent say that IBM understands their company needs. Our clients count on us to work differently – and smarter – as part of our commitment to their long-term success. That’s how we build strong relationships in Quebec. That’s how we accelerate together.

Accelerate with IBM Consulting

Francois Dufresne is a Senior Partner and Leader of IBM GBS Quebec. He leads a team of passionate people, dedicated to deliver value to our IBM clients and help Quebec organizations reinvent and transform their business. Francois brings over 20 years of experience in business and digital transformation. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francois-dufresne-63b49513/