Andy Jassy (AWS)
As Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Andy Jassy prepares to take the reins from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, local partners are considering what it will be like dealing with the world’s largest cloud provider under its next leader.
Amazon’s impending leadership transition looks set to bring forth perhaps the most meaningful crossroads for the company since its founding, but how things will shake down for partners of its cloud services subsidiary remains to be seen.
Jassy has been at the helm of AWS from the very beginning, building it up to become the undisputed leader in the cloud infrastructure market. And it’s been in the lead for a long, long time. What’s more, it remains so far ahead of its closest two competitors, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, that it’s likely to remain the top provider for a while.
As yet, no replacement for Jassy has been publicly named. But it is clear that whoever comes in to lead AWS once Jassy takes on Bezos’ job in the third quarter of 2021 will have some big boots to fill and an incredible history of growth and innovation to live up to.
For Consegna Cloud managing director John Taylor, the departure of Jassy from direct leadership of AWS could in fact result in more, not less, of a focus on Amazon’s cloud business as the architect behind its rise turns his attention to its parent company’s broader business.
“With his roots in the cloud, we are confident that Jassy will continue to grow the Amazon cloud platform as part of its core business model and continue to invest in cloud innovation,” Taylor told Reseller News.
“Andy Jassy’s appointment to CEO is further proof of Amazon’s ability to pivot and propel forward.
“He shaped Amazon Web Services from its inception, ensuring the customer obsession of Amazon was a fundamental driver for what has become the world's largest cloud technology business,” he added.
Credit: Consegna Taylor suggested that AWS’ recent movements in A/NZ, such as the launch of its first AWS CloudFront content delivery network edge locations in Auckland late last year and the addition of new Availability Zones in Australia, is testament to the company’s continued growth strategy for the region and hopefully foreshadows what will come next from AWS under new leadership.
From the perspective of Mike Jenkins, founder and CEO of cloud and IT managed service provider The Instillery, AWS is still only just getting started on its path do market dominance, regardless of its tenure as the world leader the cloud infrastructure space.
So, what might that mean for local partners?
Jenkins hopes to see a continuation of the tone that has been set by Jassy during the years he has guided AWS from a fledgling operator to a major force in the world of tech.
“For the AWS channel ecosystem and market penetration spearheaded by the likes of The Instillery here and in Australia, we hope that Andy's legacy of disruption and anti-protectionism continue to be elevated as a key priority for Amazon Web Services,” Jenkins said.
And Jenkins has some advice for whoever steps into the role soon to be vacated by Jassy: focus on the regions.
“We're excited by this new chapter and will work closely alongside our strategic partners at Amazon Web Services both here in Aotearoa and across the globe as the new leadership is appointed,” he said. “One thing is clear, though, the hyperscale cloud arms race is already leaving many of the traditional local players behind.
“So, alongside Microsoft’s recent DC [data centre] investment in Aotearoa, a substantial commitment from AWS...would open up significant opportunity for both public and private sector cloud adoption with a specific focus on sovereign data – still proving a substantial obstacle for many Kiwi government departments and NZ Māori,” he said.
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