Kyndryl Signs Agreement with UK Tax Authority to Accelerate and De-risk Modernization in Critical Tax Infrastructure
Kyndryl, IBM’s managed infrastructure services business spin-off, has signed an agreement to manage a proportion of HMRC’s (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) mainframe services. HMRC is the UK’s national taxing authority, and during the 15-month period, Kyndryl will also do discovery work in order to prepare for cloud migration and modernization.
According to the news brief, HMRC has a “significant mainframe estate” which Kyndryl will be taking on as part of the government department’s mission to migrate applications and “eliminate technical debt.” This is the first time that HMRC has contracted directly with Kyndryl, and the deal is worth £4.4m.
According to The Register, HMRC has one of the largest and most complex IT estates in Europe. It includes “600 systems, 800 terabytes of data, 1,000 IT changes a month and a 24/7 IT operation. It serves 45 million citizens and more than 5 million business taxpayers.”
As the agency strives to be less dependent on legacy systems, Kyndryl states that it “will support HMRC’s Cloud journey.”
“Kyndryl is thrilled to sign its first direct contract with HMRC to support HMRC’s strategic aims of administering tax systems in the simplest, most customer-centric and efficient way. The agreement underpins our continued commitment and focus to support the UK’s public sector and to drive better outcomes for UK citizens,” said John Chambers, Kyndryl United Kingdom & Ireland President.
Source: Kyndryl
US Enterprise Computing Virtual Career Fair
If you’re looking for work in an enterprise computing environment, make sure to register for the upcoming Enterprise Computing Career Fair, sponsored by IBM in partnership with CareerEco.
Candidates will have the opportunity to meet with several companies who are actively looking to hire people with IBM Z skills.
The event will take place virtually on October 25, from 12–3 pm Eastern.
Who is invited?
- Candidates over the age of 18 seeking full-time positions, internships, and apprenticeships in enterprise computing
- Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States
- Open to all candidates that have completed the IBM Z Xplore Foundations & Concepts Courses and received their Concepts badges prior to the fair
- Watch for more details on IBM Z Xplore
For more information and registration, go to CareerEco.
IBM Commits to Train 2 Million in Artificial Intelligence in Three Years, with a Focus on Underrepresented Communities
IBM has announced a commitment to train two million learners in AI by the end of 2026, with a focus on underrepresented communities. This new effort builds on IBM’s existing commitment to skill 30 million people by 2030, and is intended to address the urgent needs facing today’s workforce.
To achieve this goal, IBM will be partnering with universities globally, expanding education collaborations, and launching new generative AI coursework through IBM SkillsBuild, the company’s free education program.
According to the company news release, The IBM Institute for Business Value recently completed a study which found that (according to surveyed executives) implementing AI and automation will require 40% of their workforce to reskill over the next three years, mostly those in entry-level positions.
“AI skills will be essential to tomorrow’s workforce,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President & Chief Impact Officer. “That’s why we are investing in AI training, with a commitment to reach two million learners in three years, and expanding IBM SkillsBuild to collaborate with universities and nonprofits on new generative AI education for learners all over the world.”
IBM SkillsBuild already offers free coursework in AI fundamentals, chatbots, and crucial topics such as AI ethics. The new generative AI roadmap includes coursework and enhanced features.
- Coursework includes Prompt-Writing, Getting Started with Machine Learning, Improving Customer Service with AI, and Generative AI in Action.
- AI-enhanced features within the IBM SkillsBuild learning experience will include chatbot improvements to help support learners throughout their journeys and tailored learning paths based on each learner’s personal preferences and experiences.
PlasMa: An Homage to the Mainframe of the 70s
Mainframes have long since moved past the age of programming with switches, but with time and distance comes a certain nostalgia for the old mainframe hardware.
Drawing on his past career at International Computers (ICL) in the UK during the 1970s, “Phil” (he doesn’t publish his full name) has created, from scratch, a computing machine simulator built as an homage to the old mainframe computers.
According to Phil’s blog, “It simulates a complete mini/mainframe system in a self-contained desktop-sized box containing real lights and switches. The system comprises a ‘mini-like’ processor with a small amount of main memory running a relatively simple instruction set, and assorted ‘mainframe-like’ peripherals such as a paper tape reader and punch, mag tapes, exchangeable disks and an operators console.”
The construction of the whole project is available for viewing on YouTube, and Phil has made a Build Guide available as well as a simulator program that can be downloaded from his website.
Source: Hackaday
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.