White Papers
Abstract
AskTZ is TechZone’s AI assistant that provides a single, conversational entry point for creating, managing, and troubleshooting environment requests while also supporting platform questions and support inquiries. This document outlines what’s new in AskTZ, including major capability upgrades, limitations tied to the new content model, and what users can expect as content migration continues. If you interact with TechZone in any way, AskTZ is designed to make your experience faster, easier, and more intuitive via self-service capabilities.
Content
What is AskTZ?
AskTZ is TechZone’s AI assistant that serves as the single, unified entry point for creating, managing, and troubleshooting environment requests — as well as answering platform questions, feature inquiries, and Level‑1 support needs. Users can interact with AskTZ using simple natural‑language prompts, making complex tasks far easier and faster to complete.
AskTZ automates common provisioning steps, guides users through multi‑step workflows, and integrates directly with TechZone systems. It reduces friction across the entire request lifecycle, helping users accomplish tasks more efficiently, with fewer errors, and without navigating multiple UI pages or documentation sources.
As both an agent action engine and a knowledge hub, AskTZ becomes the user’s single stop for:
- Environment provisioning and management
- Questions about how to use TechZone features
- Troubleshooting and L1 support
- Guidance on policies, opportunities, and contributor workflows
In short: AskTZ centralizes everything users need — making TechZone simpler, smarter, and more intuitive to use from day one. Just ask!
What’s New in AskTZ
AskTZ introduces significant upgrades across provisioning, request management, automation, and AI‑driven guidance — making the overall TechZone experience faster, smarter, and more intuitive than ever.
Below is a high‑level capability comparison between AskTZ v1 (the version currently live and generally available) and AskTZ (the enhancements arriving in the 26.1 Major Release - April 1st, 2026).
Legend
Green — Supported today (via Beta Program)
Red — Not supported
Black — Coming soon or planned for 26.1 Major Release
| Capability | AskTZ v1 | AskTZ (New & Improved) - 26.1 Major Release |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Environment Provisioning | Not supported | Full provisioning of Certified base images with size, purpose, and platform selection |
| Add‑On Services Installation | Not supported | Automatically installs and configures optional services (CP4D, watsonx, etc.) |
| Re‑Provision Environment | Not supported | Rebuild of previous or failed deployments |
| Reservation Extensions | Supported | Auto-approved within duration policies (up to max allowed) |
| Slack Notifications | Not supported | Provisioning start/finish alerts and extension reminders |
| Re‑Send Cloud Invites | Supported | Fully automated, secure invite resend (v1 parity) |
| Opportunity Code Lookup | Supported | Status lookup for open-stage IBM Sales Cloud opportunity codes + Gainsight Relationship IDs |
| Contributor Documentation Q&A | Not supported | AskTZ consumes TechZone Content Docs to answer contributor questions |
| User Sentiment Feedback | Supported | Rate AskTZ responses to improve accuracy and clarity with a simple thumbs up or down |
| Data Model Support (new architecture) | Not supported | Fully aligned with new TechZone data model for future features |
Max Extension Duration Auto‑Approval | Not supported | Automatically approves any extension request that falls within TechZone duration policies, ensuring users can secure additional time quickly and without the delays of using each extension allowed one at a time. |
AskTZ Limitations & Migration Requirements
AskTZ is built on a new, modernized data model that enables the improved automation, reliability, and consistency that TechZone has been working toward. This updated foundation includes major enhancements in testing rigor, security posture, metadata quality, and provisioning pattern standards — all of which are required in order to leverage AskTZ request capabilities.
Because these improvements rely on the new framework, AskTZ can only operate on content that has been migrated to the new content model. Migrated environments have the structure, metadata, and compliance needed for AskTZ to perform tasks accurately and safely.
What This Means for Users
Better reliability, consistency, and success rates: Environments that have been migrated to the new content model will offer a smoother experience with fewer provisioning failures, clearer error handling, and more predictable behavior — because AskTZ can work with richer, standardized metadata.
Full access to AskTZ's new automation capabilities and workflows: If the environment provisioned from was migrated to the new content framework, then you will get the benefits of all the capabilities list above.
Limited AskTZ support for non‑migrated environments: Some environments may not yet support AskTZ features if their content has not been migrated to the new model. These environments can still be used normally through the TechZone UI with standard capabilities such as extend, share, and transfer. However, AskTZ will not be able to take actions on these environments until migration is complete. This behavior is expected and aligns with the platform’s migration approach. Content owners have been notified and are engaged in migration efforts where migration is planned.
Supported vs. Unsupported Scenarios
AskTZ Capabilities Will Work For:
- Certified environments migrated to the new data model
- Content owned by contributors who have completed migration
- New assets created natively in the new content model
AskTZ Capabilities Will Not Work For:
- Legacy v1 environments not yet migrated
- Contributor content still on the v1 framework
When AskTZ cannot proceed due to migration status, it will gracefully notify the user and redirect them to supported alternatives when possible.
What to Expect Going Forward
As more content owners migrate to the new model, AskTZ will automatically gain support for those newly migrated environments — no changes needed from users. Over time, AskTZ will support the full catalog.
If an environment you rely on is not yet supported, refer to the migration policy or contact the content owner to understand the planned migration timeline.
How to Identify the Content Owner and Migration Timeline
To understand the planned migration timeline, you’ll need to contact the content owner of the environment.
- Go to the My requests page in TechZone.
- Locate the reservation for the environment in question.
- Select the three‑dot (⋮) menu on the reservation tile.
- Choose View Collection.
This will navigate you to the collection from which the environment was provisioned.
- From the Collection Overview page, review the collection details.
- Identify the content owner email address(es) listed on the overview page.
- Contact the content owner directly to confirm whether the content is planned for migration and to understand the expected timeline.
Who Should Use AskTZ
AskTZ is designed for everyone who interacts with TechZone — IBMers, Business Partners.
Whether you’re requesting to deploy new environments, managing requests, or looking for help, AskTZ gives you a simple, conversational way to navigate TechZone without needing to search, click through multiple pages, or open a support case.
If you prefer to:
- Ask a question instead of digging through documentation,
- Get quick help without filing a ticket,
- Complete tasks in seconds instead of minutes, or
- Have an AI assistant guide you through TechZone...
AskTZ is built for you.
If you interact with TechZone in any way, AskTZ can make your workflow faster, easier, and more intuitive than ever before.
AskTZ Beta Program (February 3 – March 27)
AskTZ is currently available in Beta from February 3 through March 27, giving IBMers, Business Partners, and content contributors early access to explore new capabilities before the 26.1 Major Release. During this period, you can try the upgraded experience, provide feedback, and help shape the final version of AskTZ.
Get Started with the AskTZ Beta
- Sign up for the Beta Program: https://w3.ibm.com/w3publisher/techzone-hub/techzone-champions/asktz-beta (IBMer accessible only)
- Start using AskTZ: Once you have the "Beta" role permission, you will be able to access AskTZ (Beta) right from techzone.ibm.com home page in the bottom right hand corner of each TechZone page.
- Share your feedback: https://w3.ibm.com/w3publisher/techzone-hub/techzone-champions/asktz-beta/asktz-betafeedback-form (IBMer accessible only)
Your input during this beta window is critical — it ensures AskTZ delivers a faster, smarter, and more intuitive TechZone experience for everyone at launch.
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Document Information
Modified date:
30 March 2026
UID
ibm17263026