AWS Cloud Enterprise Strategy Blog
Author: Stephen Orban
Stephen is the GM (General Manager) of a new AWS service under development, and author of the book “Ahead in the Cloud: Best Practices for Navigating the Future of Enterprise IT” https://amzn.to/ahead-in-the-cloud Stephen spent his first three-and-a-half years with Amazon as the Global Head of Enterprise Strategy, where he oversaw AWS’s enterprise go-to-market strategy, invented and built AWS’s Migration Acceleration Program (MAP), and helped executives from hundreds of the world’s largest companies envision, develop, and mature their IT operating model using the cloud. Stephen authored Ahead in the Cloud so customers might benefit from many of the best practices Stephen observed working with customers in this role. Prior to joining AWS, Stephen was the CIO of Dow Jones, where he introduced modern software development methodologies and reduced costs while implementing a cloud-first strategy. These transformational changes accelerated product development cycles and increased productivity across all lines of business, including The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch.com, Dow Jones Newswires, and Factiva. Stephen also spent 11 years at Bloomberg LP, holding a variety of leadership positions across their equity and messaging platforms, before founding Bloomberg Sports in 2008, where he served as CTO. Stephen earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from State University of New York College at Fredonia. https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=4575032
The Future of Managed Services in the Cloud
“You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow” -George W Bush In February, I began a discussion around the evolving role the partner ecosystem plays in helping enterprises transform their business using the cloud. As my post explained, the ecosystem around the cloud is growing and changing rapidly, and most of […]
Announcing the AWS Summit — Chicago, April 18–19
Announcing the AWS Summit — Chicago, April 18–19 Registration for the 2016 AWS Summit — Chicago is now open. This free event is an opportunity to help your team learn about the AWS cloud platform, new services, and cloud best practices. Consider sending your team to the AWS Summit and accelerate your organization’s cloud journey. AWS Summit — Chicago will give […]
Accelerate Your Cloud Strategy with Partners
“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.” -Mother Teresa Different organizations take different approaches to partnering with third parties for technology expertise. Some are biased toward building their own technology; others outsource some or all of the development, maintenance, and ongoing operations of […]
4 Dos and Don’ts When Using the Cloud to Experiment
“The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it” ― D.L. Moody In my last post, I described how the cloud is making experimentation easier, cheaper, and less risky for companies of all shapes and […]
Create a Culture of Experimentation Enabled by the Cloud
“Speed matters in business” -Jeff Bezos Keeping your business competitive in today’s market is hard, though in many that’s always been the case. Wired points out that, since its inception in 1955, the Fortune 500 has seen between 20 and 50 companies fall off the list each year. Technology has a lot to do with this […]
AWS Marketplace Continues to Make Using the Cloud Easier
When I oversaw my first data center migration to AWS in 2013, my team had just eight weeks to complete it. The data center we were in was being evacuated and repurposed for something other than data center space, and we didn’t have time to re-architect the systems running on the hundreds of servers in […]
11 Things to Consider When Educating Your Staff on Cloud
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. – Benjamin Franklin My last post discussed how you already have the necessary resources to leverage cloud technologies, provided you enable your staff with the appropriate education. So how do you, the Chief Change Management Officer, educate your staff so that […]
You Already Have the People You Need to Succeed with the Cloud
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to a number of executives from a wide range of companies about their business and IT strategies. Every executive and company has their own unique set of challenges, but they all share […]
Great Leaders Make New Rules
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” ― Robert A. Heinlein Good leaders enforce the rules. Great leaders know when the […]
What Makes Good Leaders Great?
“It’s a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.” -Steve Maraboli Leaders lead in many different ways. Some lead by fear, some by example, some with charisma, and some lead through others. And while every leader’s style is slightly different, experience has taught me one thing that […]