KT said on Sunday it will accelerate companywide IT modernisation to strengthen information security and service stability and to lay the groundwork for executing its strategy as an "AI transformation (AX) platform company".

Under its "Next IT" strategy, KT will expand the scope of modernising existing core IT systems across platforms, infrastructure and the overall work environment. It will shift step by step to a next-generation IT framework based on AI native.

"Next IT" consists of 3 pillars: the Next IT platform, Next IT infrastructure and Next IT works. The core is to simultaneously pursue modernisation of key business platforms, building next-generation infrastructure and spreading AI-based ways of working.

Through the "Next IT platform", KT will modernise major business systems step by step, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), business support systems (BSS) and operations support systems (OSS). It will pursue process innovation alongside system reorganisation. It will also apply AI to key customer services such as authentication and payments and to the data utilisation framework. It will strengthen personalised services by customer on online channels such as KT.com and My KT and build an environment that can respond quickly to market changes.

Under the "Next IT infrastructure", it will enhance infrastructure stability and security based on "Next IPC (Internal Private Cloud)", the next-generation in-house cloud. It will also build a multi and hybrid cloud framework so IT resources can be used flexibly depending on system and service characteristics. It will proactively inspect and transition software and hardware for which end-of-support (EoS) has occurred or is imminent. It will also strengthen backup and disaster recovery (DR) systems so major services can be maintained even when failures occur.

"Next IT works" focuses on applying AI to the entire IT workflow, including planning, design, development, testing and operations. KT is applying "AID-X (AI-Driven Everything)", which expands its existing AI-based development framework, "AIDD (AI-Driven Development)", across IT work overall.

It will also build an integrated AX platform to use and manage in-house AI agents in an integrated manner. It will spread verified AI use cases and work experience as standard approaches within the organisation and expand related capability-building programmes across its group affiliates.

KT will link the technology and operational capabilities it secured through internal IT modernisation to customer service innovation and corporate customers' AX transformation projects. It aims to increase internal productivity and speed up service development and operations and to strengthen competitiveness in new AX businesses.

Ok Kyung-hwa (옥경화), executive vice president and CIO heading KT's IT division, said, "Next IT is a strategy to take the IT modernisation that KT has continuously 추진해 온 to the next level for the AI era." She added, "We will strengthen the stability and security of core platforms and infrastructure and apply AI across development and operations to improve customer service quality and work productivity."