The emerging paradigm in business operations was forced by the dramatic change in how enterprises and governing bodies use technology during the Covid-19 era. From the rise of videoconferencing platforms mainly utilized for remote work, to the streaming services that are now the main source of entertainment, this technological shift is here to stay.
For cloud solutions provider Amazon Web Services (AWS), this year will serve as a launchpad for major changes that businesses will take, primarily in the cloud technology space. This is according to AWS lead technologist for the Asia-Pacific region Olivier Klein, who discussed the role of technology moving forward during a virtual group interview.
Klein said that when it comes to cloud capabilities, data centers are soon to be old news. Cloud-based applications are now being utilized and companies are taking advantage of their flexibility, accessibility, and faster delivery time, he said, adding that 5G technology will only boost the computational work needed for this, extending to the edge of networks.
“The rationale behind so many customers really moving to cloud computing is that it’s not just using someone else’s data center. It’s not just access to some storage and compute services. It’s that ability to get access to any kind of capabilities that we offer – no matter if that’s AI models, or serverless computing, or intelligent data analytics, or Internet of Things (IoT),” Klein explained.
Through the cloud computing service by AWS, businesses can avoid managing expensive data centers and focus on transforming their culture of becoming more digitally native. In a more local context, Globe Telecom has moved the majority of its technology infrastructure to AWS, enabling the company to acquire new infrastructure resources in less than two days and increase app performance by 15 times. Maintenance and operation costs also went down by 30%.
“We have millions of active customers across the world in over 190 countries. The key point here is anyone who uses the cloud computing platform gets access to the same technologies that some of the largest enterprises have,” Klein said.
These capabilities don’t come in a single size as well since AWS provides solutions only where it is needed, offering flexible choices for enterprises. Klein mentioned the fully managed service AWS Outposts for co-location spaces and on-prem hybrid cloud experience, and AWS Wavelength that is optimized for mobile edge computing applications.
“AWS Wavelength is very interesting for the Philippines. We collaborate together with telco providers for the 5G infrastructure, specifically making our services available in the cell towers of these 5G deployments,” he added.
Finally, AWS has its sights on the final frontier. With AWS Ground Station, the company aims to provide scalable satellite communications control and data processing without the need to build or manage a ground station infrastructure.
“Anyone, no matter how small the startup out there would be, can now get access to schedule a satellite uplink and only pay for the time they actually run that uplink. That’s really game-changing,” Klein concluded.
