AWS Cloud Enterprise Strategy Blog

Mark Schwartz

Author: Mark Schwartz

Mark Schwartz is an Enterprise Strategist at Amazon Web Services and the author of The Art of Business Value and A Seat at the Table: IT Leadership in the Age of Agility. Before joining AWS he was the CIO of US Citizenship and Immigration Service (part of the Department of Homeland Security), CIO of Intrax, and CEO of Auctiva. He has an MBA from Wharton, a BS in Computer Science from Yale, and an MA in Philosophy from Yale.

Techniques for Managing Strategic Risk

This new blog post, by John Naylon, Principal Solutions Architect at AWS, focuses on an important category of risk—strategic risks to a company. He shows why agility is so important in addressing those risks, and how balancing opportunities with risks effectively provides companies with a hedge against risks that can’t otherwise be mitigated. –Mark By […]

Is “Tailor” the Modern Solution to the IT Dilemma of “Build vs. Buy”?

To be honest, I’ve never liked the distinction between building and buying when it comes to software. Of course you shoud buy rather than build – if, somehow, there’s a third-party product that does exactly what you need, has the same roadmap for future development as your company will require, meets all your security needs, […]

The Lift and Shift: Rehosting Servers to AWS during a Cloud Transformation

To make the most of the cloud, most organizations need to change processes, governance models, and technical architectures. But that doesn’t mean there’s no value to simply “lifting and shifting” applications, which can be a great first step in the cloud journey. In keeping with agile ways of working, it’s a great idea to manage […]

Centralize or Decentralize?

Most large IT organizations, at some point, have to make decisions about what to centralize and what to decentralize. Some organizations decide to create a shared services group; others look to centralize governance over security and architecture, or to centralize procurement and financial management. When done poorly, the centralized functions can become frustrating bottlenecks, and […]

Unlocking the Trillion Dollar Value of Cloud

Business Cases for Cloud Migration I’ve seen some companies struggle to assemble and vet a business case for the cloud. Intuitively, they know the investment is solid. But they get bogged down in projecting their infrastructure needs and have difficulty connecting their cloud activities to broader returns on investment across the enterprise. Fortunately, there’s a […]

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: ADP on Making DEI a Priority Internally and in Its Products

LinkedIn reports that hiring for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles has increased more than 90% since 2019, as companies expand their investments in ensuring that their organizations, products, and communications reflect the diversity of the customers they serve. DEI is also a growing regulatory concern—particularly with regard to pay equity. In the US, most […]

Digital Transformation: Hype or a Strategic Necessity?

While the term digital transformation has become slippery and overused, it nevertheless remains a priority of many business and technology executives. In this blog post, Dr. Saša Baškarada, a senior transformation architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Professional Services, explains the drivers of digital transformation as well as its three interdependent stages. The resulting conceptual […]

IT and ESG Part Two: How IT Can and Must Further the Company’s ESG Efforts

In my previous post I explained why environmental, social, and corporate governance (or ESG) has become such an important concern for enterprises; why it is a strategic consideration; why it rises to the level of the board of directors’ attention; and how it differs from corporate social responsibility (CSR) in that it requires the company’s […]