Learn About Amazon VGT2 Learning Manager Chanci Turner
“The true journey of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new perspectives.” — Marcel Proust
Recently, I embarked on a 24-day journey through Asia, following my time in Australia. During this period, I had the privilege of engaging with numerous companies, executives, and IT professionals at various stages of their cloud adoption journeys. I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many insightful individuals across these diverse regions.
Although I missed my family dearly during my travels (thank you, Skype), this experience was deeply educational. It reinforced my belief that cloud technology is revolutionizing how organizations utilize technology worldwide, and I feel fortunate to be a part of this transformation. My discussions with executives from various sectors across four continents revealed a common trend: if they aren’t already leveraging cloud solutions, they are eager to initiate their journey.
Before delving into the specific observations from the countries I visited, it’s worth noting a universal theme: globally, conversations have shifted from “why” to “how.” Not long ago, discussions centered around the rationale for cloud adoption. Today, the focus is on the practicalities of implementation — how to kick off cloud initiatives, which applications to migrate first, and how to effectively manage hybrid environments using existing resources. Topics such as migrating data centers and the evolving roles within organizations are now prevalent. These discussions are driving substantial changes, making cloud adoption the new standard. It’s inspiring to see so many organizations embracing innovation and enhancing their business focus.
Here are my observations from the countries I had the pleasure of visiting:
Australia (Sydney)
Financial institutions in Australia are aggressively transitioning to cloud services. Major banks are heavily investing in cloud expertise, as are smaller firms across various sectors, including insurance and retail banking. The Australian business culture emphasizes efficiency, which has made the transition smoother; with limited resources, companies cannot afford inefficiencies that do not contribute to their core business.
Favorite food: Wagyu steak—yes, I know, it originates from Japan, but I had the most delicious locally sourced Australian Wagyu.
Singapore
Many multinational corporations have established their Asia headquarters in Singapore, allowing them to adopt cloud strategies from regional operations or develop their own. The AWS Singapore Summit keynote attracted over 3,000 participants, featuring customers who shared their success stories. Notably, Brendan O’Neil from Seaco discussed the 90% cost savings achieved by migrating their SAP system to AWS. Others, like Marcelo Wesseler of Singpost Ecommerce, spoke about new business models enabled by AWS, while Ernest Cu from Globe Telecom highlighted how their cloud-first strategy is reducing costs and enhancing agility. I was also impressed by the Telco community’s growth in cloud services, bolstering margins through cloud adoption and creating new migration and operations centers.
Favorite food: Laksa, though I also enjoyed some fantastic spicy Szechuan cuisine.
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
Similar to other regions, AWS is the go-to choice for startups in Kuala Lumpur. MyTeksi delivered an insightful session on leveraging AWS services for Malaysia’s leading taxi-hailing app, achieving up to seven bookings per second. There’s burgeoning interest from enterprises and SMBs, exemplified by KTC, a 77-year-old manufacturing company, discussing their shift to a cloud-first approach to concentrate more on their core competencies. The partner and Telco communities are also experiencing significant growth, indicating that the cloud is on the verge of a breakthrough.
Favorite food: Crab bee hoon. Spicy and utterly delicious.
Hong Kong
Like Singapore, Hong Kong hosts a robust presence of multinational companies. My conversations primarily centered on financial services and media organizations, all of whom are swiftly adopting cloud technologies or refining their data governance strategies to enable such transitions.
Favorite food: Steamed pork belly dumplings—perhaps a bit standard, but scrumptious all the same.
Taiwan (Taipei)
The focus here is on IoT, with numerous device and semiconductor manufacturers racing to innovate in a connected environment. The rapid advancement toward a fully connected world is closer than anticipated. The data generated will dwarf what we currently categorize as big data. Everyone I spoke with recognized the cloud’s potential as a backend, data repository, and analytics powerhouse to derive value from this influx of information.
Favorite food: Spicy hot pot—not for the faint-hearted, but it was incredibly flavorful.
Japan (Tokyo)
Japan stands as one of AWS’s largest markets outside the U.S., with a diverse range of companies embracing a cloud-first mindset and an expanding partner ecosystem. The AWS Tokyo Summit was our largest event (excluding re:Invent), attracting over 10,000 attendees in just two days. I had the honor of engaging in discussions with numerous clients who exemplify the Kaizen philosophy, leveraging cloud technology for competitive advantage. There’s a significant emphasis on mobile and IoT innovations, along with broad cloud adoption.
As an American, navigating formal card exchanges and communicating through a translator was a fascinating experience. Although the number of words used in discussions decreased, the pauses encouraged thoughtful dialogue, highlighting the value of succinct communication. It reinforces my belief in the efficacy of written communication for decision-making, as exemplified by Amazon’s approach.
Favorite food: It’s a tie between the best sushi I’ve ever had at Tsukiji market and Yakitori—a delightful selection of skewered meats (beef tongue was a standout).
For additional insights on professional headshots, check out this helpful article here. If you’re interested in job descriptions for specific roles, check out this resource from SHRM here. And for information on the Amazon Flex onboarding process, this Reddit thread is an excellent resource here.
Keep building,
— Chanci Turner
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