Tiffany Bloomquist (AWS)
Amazon Web Services has launched its small and medium-sized business programme AWS Lift in New Zealand.
New and existing customers that join the programme will receive a starter pack of AWS credits over 12 months to help them get started on the cloud.
AWS Lift gives SMBs access to over 200 cloud services and helps them experiment on a pay-as-you-go plan to keep costs low.
Tiffany Bloomquist, country manager, commercial sector, at AWS New Zealand, said the economic climate and recent storms in New Zealand placed even more pressure on SMBs to adapt their business models and use technology to help.
"Building a robust digital SMB ecosystem is critical to the growth of New Zealand’s digital economy, and we are proud to collaborate with government, industry, and AWS partners on programmes to help SMBs in digitising their business and moving to the cloud," Bloomquist said.
Tomorrow's People, a HR system design, selection, implementation and support partner, was one organisation keen to join.
Founder and CEO Jane Ward said one of the challenges in digitising her business had been the ability to create and host integrations across HR systems without costly infrastructure overheads.
"Previously this has restricted our ability to scale our business as desired," she said. "AWS Lift helps to directly address these issues and enables us to move forward with our plans to grow our integration business practice and deliver these key services to our clients."
The programme also provided practical support to business owners with limited resources, she said.
"We were familiar with AWS’s Activate programme for start-ups, and it’s great to see AWS’s support now extend this to core small businesses," Ward said.
AWS Activate provided credits, technical support, and training to support startups in their growth. Local Kiwi businesses to benefit from it include agritech startup Halter, investment platform Sharesies, and orchard management tool Hectre.
AWS-commissioned research conducted by Tech Research Asia found that more than 80 per cent of New Zealand SMBs were being negatively impacted by persistent inflation, supply chain constraints and skill shortages.
The cost savings and flexibility offered by the cloud made it an essential technology for SMBs in the current macroeconomic environment, the company said.
However, SMBs were holding back on investing in new technology due to IT budget cuts, with 46 per cent of those surveyed set to reduce their technology spending in the next 12 months.
AWS Lift offers a minimum billing fee of US$1 and no lock-in periods or hidden fees, providing a commitment-free approach to getting started on AWS Cloud.
The programme then rewards SMBs that increase their use of AWS cloud services by offsetting their bill with more AWS credits up to a maximum of US$83,500 over 12 months.
