Tag: AWS

AWS gets three year cloud contract with Home Office

The Home Office has signed a three-year cloudy deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) valued at £450,281,369.

The contract falls under the G-Cloud 13 framework and is to provide public cloud hosting services to the Home Office. T

This latest agreement follows a series of collaborations between the Home Office and AWS, which are becoming increasingly controversial.

Last year, a report from the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) and think tank TaxWatch revealed that AWS has secured UK public sector contracts exceeding £600 million since 2017.

The report also highlighted concerns about tax payments, with AWS allegedly avoiding £84 million in taxes during the same period.

Amazon Web Services loses Chris Vonderhaar

Amazon Web Services has lost its top cloudy executive Chris Vonderhaar who was the bloke who planned, designed and constructed AWS’ data centres.

For those who came in late, AWS datacentres power the $85bn cloud company’s infrastructure and cloud services.

Vonderhaar had been with the company for nearly 13 years in top cloud infrastructure roles and it is unclear why he has left. In 2021, it was thought that Vonderhaar would be a successor to former AWS CEO Andy Jassy, recently promoted to CEO of Amazon.

In addition to leading the Amazon subsidiary’s datacentre global strategy, Vonderhaar was responsible for business development and procurement of utility connections, the AWS renewable energy portfolio, and AWS sustainability teams and business, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Nothing weird about vendor firings

Aviatrix CEO tech leader Steve Mullaney has been telling the world+dog that there is nothing unusual about the large number of layoffs that are occurring in the IT industry.

He said that a large number of sackage is due to the “overhiring” technology companies did over the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mullaney said: “Everyone just kept hiring, hiring and hiring, whether it made any sense or not. There was no downside to it. And all anyone cared about was growth at any cost. Then last summer hits. All of a sudden everybody then says, ‘We’ll now, hang on. That’s not the way the world works anymore. You actually have to be profitable.’ It’s going back to what’s normal.”

He said that AWS probably hired hired tens-of-thousands of people over the last year so there is nothing wrong with AWS.

 

 

Rackspace heads into Middle East

Rackspace is launching into the Middle East (UAE) Region with a new branch in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Its new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region consists of three Availability Zones (AZs) and becomes AWS’s second region in the Middle East with the existing AWS Region in Bahrain, launched in 2019.

Rackspace Technology is a Consulting Partner for AWS and has more than 1,800 AWS cloud certifications globally. It has a strong AWS presence in the Middle East with a roster of customers, including BFC Group, the leading money transfer and currency exchange provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain, having supported the migration of its core application and supporting systems to AWS public cloud, while providing ongoing management and consultancy services.

Ellison claims he is cheaper than Amazon

Oracle co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison claims he is beating Amazon Web Services on price.

Ellison claimed that some of AWS’ “most famous brands” plan to move to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

He said. “And the AWS bill is getting very large. And they can save a huge amount of money by moving to OCI. And we expect next quarter we’ll be announcing some brands and companies moving off of Amazon to OCI that will shock you.”

He continued: “The amount of money these huge companies, these very famous companies, spend with Amazon is kind of staggering. I mean, everyone assumes, ‘Hey, I move to the cloud, and I save a lot of money.’ Depends which cloud you move to. And Oracle is much less expensive than the competition. … We’re talking to the most famous brands that are running Amazon and some of them are going to be moving very soon.”

AWS expands security partner network

Cloudy bookseller AWS has expanded and revamped its partner network.

The outfit has bought in eight new categories to help customers  locate partner software and service solutions: Threat Detection and Response; Identity and Access Management; Infrastructure Security; Data Protection; Compliance and Privacy; Application Security; Perimeter Protection; and Core Security.

Speaking to the gathered throngs at AWS’s annual re:Inforce conference worldwide head of cloud foundations for the AWS Partner Network, Ryan Orsi, claimed the move will allow partners to “increase their business, increase their trust and visibility with their customers and prospects out there to show they have all the right skill sets and knowledge about AWS environments.

ITHQ and ADP take Rubrik to the mid-market

Flexibility, speed of delivery, breadth and depth of portfolio are important for channel success, it seems. ITHQ, supports hybrid cloud and claims to deliver “cyber resilience” to its customers.

That’s according to Nik Grove, Head of Hybrid Cloud at ITHQ. He said that as his business expanded it made sense to have an MSP option in place, especially to address customers that wouldn’t go to the likes of Rubrik directly.

“Services like Rubrik can be out of reach for many SMEs and small businesses, but thanks to this model with Assured Data Protection, it’s readily available as a managed service to businesses with smaller footprints. And all for a monthly subscription, which generates a regular income for us”, he said.

Rubrik has become a part of ITHQ’s managed service installations. Grove claims that it’s simple and straightforward to deliver,regardless of scale. This ranges from small AWS and Microsoft Office 365 deployments to much larger corporate IT and cloud infrastructures.

“Customers can be up and running almost immediately thanks to the close working relationship we enjoy with ADP. Quotes and agreements can be turned around in minutes making the service very accessible and easy to deploy”, said Grove.

Assured Data Protection is the largest MSP of Rubrik’s cloud data management platform. Its managed service offering helps customers, resellers and other MSPs expand their Rubrik operations and service offerings. In the last 12 months it added threat detection to its service offering to cater for all data management needs and align those functions with cyber security, said Grove.

“Cyber resilience is no longer a nice to have, it’s become a necessity. Premium services, such as Rubrik, that would typically cost large organisations tens of thousands of pounds to install are now available at a fraction of the cost as a managed service. This is good news for the customer and for fast growing businesses like us.”

ITHQ does not feel the need to white label the service or hide the fact it works with Assured Data Protection.

“We’re transparent with our customers. We don’t hide the fact that this is a managed service being provided. They’re happy with the ongoing support and professional services they receive. It’s an arrangement that suits all parties.”

Grove claims the managed services model is becoming a better fit for customers on a commercial and operational level. “It works better financially as businesses are finding they can consume technology as, and when, they need it, rather than having to make huge upfront investments. But this isn’t restricted to the lower end of the market. Grove is finding that this type of deployment also suits larger organisations, which is helping to drive engagements with businesses that have international footprints.”

He said:  “We are entering an exciting phase where we’re seeing lots of growth, lots of expansion. We’re taking on new projects and working with new customers. We’re active in hybrid cloud and cyber security but we’re always diversifying. Over the course of this year, we’ll be adding DevOps, data analytics and other specialisms to our portfolio. Having a partner like ADP adds credibility and supports our trajectory.”

 

 

Fujitsu partners with AWS on digital transformation

Fujitsu is teaming up with AWS to accelerate the “digital transformation” of the finance and retail industries.

Under the move, the Japanese technology giant creates new offerings that are a new part of the FUJITSU Hybrid IT Service which is Fujitsu’s cloud service.

The company says it will use AWS Professional Services to develop and operate new systems as well as modernisation and in-house development of support services for existing systems.

Amazon signs green deal with AES

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a deal with green energy storage firm AES as part of its move to be powered by renewable energy by 2025.

In a statement, AES said the PPAs are part of a number of projects that will help Amazon achieve its goal of having its global operations powered by 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025, which is five years ahead of its original schedule.

AES CEO Andrés Gluski said: “Together with Amazon, we are showing how customised energy solutions and innovative thinking can help organisations of all kinds to decarbonise their operations and the grid.”

Cloud giants should expect closer monitoring

Cloud giants AWS, Azure and Google Cloud should expect some closer monitoring from the Prudential Regulation Authority.

The Financial Times is reporting that the financial services regulator is looking for ways to access more data from Amazon, Google and Microsoft because of the impact that service outages and cyberattacks would have on British banks.

The watchdog wants more robust outages and disaster recovery tests given the increasing reliance UK banks have on a handful of cloud providers.

This could include the introduction of a “war game” which models AWS and Azure failing at the same time, executives said.

Cloud first makes the UK grade

An Information Services Group report claims that enterprises are increasingly embracing a cloud-first approach to their IT investments.

The “2021 ISG Provider Lens Public Cloud – Services & Solutions Report for the UK” said that enterprises are looking to service providers to help them migrate more of their workloads to the public cloud.

It finds many large UK enterprises interested in hybrid cloud environments, which enable continued use of legacy IT systems, even though an increasing number of companies anticipate a time when they would migrate all of their IT assets to the cloud. Small and medium-sized enterprises, meanwhile, are looking at infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) options to replace their depreciated hardware assets.

ISG partner Jan Erik Aase said that the move to the cloud is expected to be the primary driver of IT market growth in the UK in the coming years.

Ingram Micro Cloud signs new agreement with AWS

Ingram Micro Cloud has announced a new global Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with AWS.

The big idea of this multi-year, joint investment is geared towards accelerating the growth of AWS Partners worldwide through Ingram Micro Cloud.

During the multi-year, global agreement, Ingram  and AWS will accelerate initiatives to increase reach and footprint in existing geographic markets and expand into new geographic markets across EMEA, LATAM, and ASEAN countries. 

AWS opens marketplace to code writing partners

Amazon Web Services has started a new programme gives VARs, channel partners and MSPs a new and faster way to market their intellectual property.

The big idea is that by encouraging channel partners that develop their own applications they will bring them to market via the Amazon Marketplace.

AWS announced that consulting partners that build their own software will now be able to distribute their software via the AWS Marketplace like any other independent software vendor (ISV).

Tech Data expands AWS Practice Builder scheme

Tech Data has rolled out the second wave of its AWS Practice Builder scheme.

The programme which takes resellers to the point where they can bill for services in four months. Tech Data has been running the programme since June and has now wanted to rope in a new wave of partners.

Those that signed up in the first wave will continue to progress through the programme to get to the point where they can qualify as AWS Select tier partners.

The cunning plan is to get more resellers into a position to sell public cloud services.

Wipro sets up AWS cloud arm

Wipro has launched a dedicated Wipro AWS Business Group (WABG).

As the name suggests the unit will help customers fast-track their AWS cloudy plans.

WABG will help organisations worldwide drive business acceleration, enhance customer experience, and leverage connected insights. This strategic move reflects the commitment of both Wipro and AWS to foster the success of their shared business as well as their passion to “continually innovate for enterprises” – whatever that means.

The launch was inspired by recent collaborations between Wipro and AWS, including the implementation of cloud solutions for Wabtec, a supplier of critical components, locomotives, services, signaling, and logistics systems and services for the global rail industry.