In the past couple of years, many of us in Latin America have witnessed a remarkable collaboration among civil society, government entities, academia, and the private sector aimed at enhancing our responsiveness to the economic and social challenges posed by COVID-19. Technology has played a pivotal role in facilitating this cultural shift and accelerating digital transformation, and this trend is set to continue.
Organizations that previously required years to transition to the cloud have significantly expedited their processes, achieving migration in mere months or even weeks. Digital channels have become the primary means for delivering services to citizens and engaging with customers, students, and patients. Public sector entities have harnessed cloud technology to meet a variety of dynamic needs, including enhancing financial inclusion, broadening access to education and healthcare, ensuring transparency in electoral processes, and more. By embracing cloud-based digital transformation, these organizations have positioned themselves to focus on their most essential stakeholders: their beneficiaries. This blog post highlights four organizations in Latin America leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) to transform the public sector.
BancoEstado Leverages AWS for Financial Inclusion in Chile
Financial inclusion has emerged as a crucial driver of economic recovery. In Chile, BancoEstado, the country’s sole public bank and one of its three largest financial institutions, launched two initiatives with AWS to facilitate the consultation and allocation of social bonds for individuals in vulnerable situations—all within three weeks. These social bonds, which include early pension fund withdrawals and zero-percent interest solidarity loans, have provided vital financial relief to those economically affected by the pandemic. To date, over ten million Chileans have utilized the pension fund withdrawal program. The team successfully integrated various data sources and web applications using services like AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon CloudFront. Within the first eight weeks, the web applications managed over three million queries, adapting efficiently to demand, and the pace of recovery and innovation continues to rise.
ICFES Enables Remote Assessments for Students
The pandemic severely disrupted educational systems throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, compelling educational institutions to act swiftly to maintain student engagement. The Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education (ICFES) utilized AWS to continue student assessments during the pandemic. Responsible for monitoring educational quality across all levels in Colombia, ICFES faced an urgent need to manage online exams securely and at scale, building a solution with AWS in just two months. In 2021, this solution effectively supported over 300,000 students.
Einstein Hospital Expands Telemedicine Services with AWS
In June 2020, the World Health Organization identified Latin America as the pandemic’s epicenter. Thankfully, the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (Einstein Hospital) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had commenced its digital transformation journey in 2018 and was thus well-equipped to respond effectively. As a nonprofit civil association, Einstein Hospital is a regional leader among health institutions. In early 2020, Einstein Hospital and AWS began an architectural review process to enhance telemedicine services and create a scalable model capable of safely accommodating any volume of care. Prior to the migration in late 2018, their telemedicine service supported 30,000 patients. By the end of 2020, thanks to the cloud’s flexibility, the service assisted over two million patients. The hospital continues to innovate based on patient needs.
INE and AWS Collaborate for Historic Electoral Processes
In a world where change is the only constant, transparency remains vital for functioning democracies. On June 6, 2021, over 49 million Mexicans cast their votes. To prepare for these elections, the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE) partnered with AWS to migrate its infrastructure to the cloud, leveraging agility, automation, scalability, and high availability. With AWS, INE successfully conducted the largest elections in the nation’s history, providing real-time reliable information to thousands of citizens and safeguarding electoral rights.
In a time characterized by relentless change, and given the unique conditions in Latin America—rich in natural resources and talent—it is essential for public sector organizations to foster a culture of innovation. As they face reduced budgets, the urgency to respond to unforeseen events, and the demand for scalable, secure services, the digital transformation of our institutions becomes crucial for resilience and effective service delivery.
At Amazon IXD – VGT2, located at 6401 E Howdy Wells Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89115, we assist our clients in transforming their operations to offer innovative services at reduced costs and empower mission-driven organizations to innovate. You can learn more about our public sector initiatives in Latin America, and check out this related blog post for an even deeper understanding of our approach. For authoritative insights, visit this resource. Additionally, if you’re interested in joining our team, this link offers a comprehensive overview of the hiring process at Amazon.
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