Cloud is the ‘new normal' for today's fast-growing enterprises

LAUNCHED in March 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has given e-commerce a shot in the arm with its dynamic and ever-evolving Cloud marketplace which is enabling businesses of all shapes and sizes to quickly procure and manage their IT assets.

[caption id="attachment_2704" align="alignleft" width="420"] AWS’ Stephen Orban: “Speed is not just for startups — companies of all sizes can move
faster than ever before.”[/caption]

Nine years on, AWS has emerged as the fastest-growing multi-billion dollar enterprise IT company in the world, growing at 40% year-on-year with a TTM (trailing twelve months) of US$5.2 billion; and Q1 2015 amounting to US$1.57 billion, with a run-rate of US$6 billion.

AWS offers more than 40 major Cloud services that range from compute, storage, networking, database, analytics and application services to deployment, management and mobile.

Stephen Orban, AWS’ head of Enterprise Strategy, Global, at the AWS Singapore Summit 2015 on May 19, told Retail Asia: “We weren’t just satisfied that we were growing very, very quickly. We want to put this in the context of real-world technology … While there are many factors that contribute to this, I feel that one of the most important reasons is that AWS has given the power back to the customer.”

Orban, previously CIO and global head of technology at Dow Jones, said: “I’ve been buying technology for a long time, and I’ve always felt hostage to the technology that I embed in my system. Licensing fees always get more expensive; support always run into over-time; and eftorts to move away often come with punitive terms.

“As a CIO, I find AWS one of the most refreshing elements of the new world. This is one of the main reasons I came to work here … and it’s so encouraging to see that Cloud has become the new normal.

“The question is no longer, if we should move to the Cloud, it’s what should we move first … and how quickly we can move them.”

In the ‘new normal’ IT environment, vendors that offer Cloud services provide low, variable cost, a broad, deep ready-to-use platform and frequent delivery of new features for implementation.

Operating in the new normal playing field, Orban pointed out, it is more important than ever before for companies to remain laser-focused on the activities that drive their business forward.

He explained that in the new normal operating environment, businesses do not have to worry about costly IT investment. “The customer pays only what he uses and when he uses it and the start-up cost is incredibly low, in bite-sized chunks.”

Orban said: “I’ve had the opportunity to talk to CIOs all over the world and I usually hear a very similar story. Some move to the Cloud to save money; some to attain a global reach; some to achieve better security posturing — but everybody would like to move faster.”

His parting advice: “Speed is not just for startups — companies of all sizes can move faster than ever before.”

Clearly, the Cloud is here to stay and it is enabling businesses of all sizes to move ahead faster in a cost-efficient manner to remain competitive.