Kyndryl & AWS launch modernisation service for firms

Kyndryl has launched an integrated modernisation offering with Amazon Web Services that combines Kyndryl Agentic Modernization with AWS Transform.

The launch comes as many organisations fall behind on technology modernisation programmes, according to Kyndryl.

The joint offer targets companies updating applications, infrastructure and core systems. Kyndryl and AWS are positioning it as a way to support large-scale planning and execution. Kyndryl said the service combines its software-led service model, AI-enabled workflows and engineering support with AWS Transform.

The combined approach is intended to help customers assess current systems, map out modernisation programmes and carry them through in a more standardised way. It is also designed to reduce transformation risk and provide a technology base suited to AI-related work.

Modernisation gap

Kyndryl used findings from its global modernisation report to frame the announcement. Nearly half of respondents said they were behind schedule on their modernisation goals, according to the company.

The release also pointed to a gap between organisations already using agentic AI in production for modernisation and those that are not. Among early adopters, 67% said they were ahead of or on track with their goals, compared with 51% of other organisations.

In Canada, Kyndryl said 47% of organisations had fallen behind in their modernisation plans.

Customers using the new integrated service will be able to take a continuous approach to updating applications, infrastructure and core systems, while also addressing technical debt and operational efficiency, Kyndryl said.

Service model

Kyndryl described its services-as-software model as a way to deliver services through software-driven automation, intelligence and digital workflows. It said the model is built on the Kyndryl Agentic Framework and scaled through Kyndryl Bridge.

The structure is intended to let customers run complex modernisation programmes with pre-built agentic workflows rather than relying entirely on scarce specialist skills. Kyndryl said the model also gives customers access to expertise in cloud, security, compliance, FinOps and technology operations while maintaining governance and business continuity.

The AWS element centres on AWS Transform, which Kyndryl said it has joined as a launch partner. The companies said they have developed an approach that shifts customers away from one-off modernisation projects and towards repeatable processes for updating technology environments over time.

The pitch reflects a broader shift in enterprise IT as companies face pressure to replace ageing systems while preparing data, applications and infrastructure for AI-related use. For many large organisations, the challenge is not only the cost of replacing legacy technology but also the operational risk of changing systems that support day-to-day business.

Those pressures have increased demand for tools and service models that break modernisation into smaller, more manageable steps. By pairing workflow automation with advisory and engineering work, suppliers are trying to show that major updates can be handled more consistently across large estates of applications and infrastructure.

Shawn D'Souza, Global Modernization Leader at Kyndryl, said the company sees modernisation as an ongoing discipline rather than a one-time programme.

"Many organizations are still treating modernization as a destination when it should be a continuous business capability," said Shawn D'Souza, Global Modernization Leader at Kyndryl.

"Organisations that can continuously modernize applications, infrastructure and core systems will be better positioned to adopt AI, adapt to change and create long-term value. Together with AWS, we're helping customers build that capability at scale," D'Souza said.