Category: Government

From skin cancer detection through the SkinVision app to a virtual tour of the White House through the White House Experience app, technology is bringing the previously unimaginable into the hands of the public. Over 100 customers shared their stories of cloud transformation at the AWS Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C, and we had a front row seat to the action.

Today, AWS announced the winners of the 2018 AWS City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge at the AWS Public Sector Summit in Washington, DC. The City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge encourages cities, counties, universities, and organizations serving underserved populations to look to the cloud as they work to make the world a better place. From STEM-based collaboration to disaster recovery, this year’s winners have big plans for the cloud.

AWS GovCloud (US) gives AWS customers a place to host sensitive data and regulated workloads in the AWS Cloud. It is an isolated AWS Region, subject to FedRAMP High and Moderate baselines, and it allows customers to host sensitive Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and all types of regulated workloads. AWS GovCloud (US) Region launched in 2011, and since then we have been focused on driving innovation and access to new services in the AWS GovCloud (US) Region for our public sector customers.

We are excited to announce the expansion of the AWS Public Sector Contract Center. Public sector organizations can look to leverage existing contract vehicles as a means to procure cloud services, drastically accelerating procurement. This allows public sector organizations to focus on mission delivery.

Members of our AWS Partner Network, customers, and industry experts were recently featured on a special broadcast of Government Matters, a program centered on information and analysis covering technology, security, defense, management, industry, and the workforce. Here are some key takeaways from cloud leaders who joined the show.

The AWS Institute teamed up with James Stewart, co-founder of the UK Government Digital Service and Deputy CTO of UK Government, and Manj Kalar, a public finance specialist, to turn this dialogue into actionable ideas. See their four recommendations below on “Budgeting for Change: Four Ways the UK Government Can Spend Smarter and Deliver Better,” which they discussed at the Institute for Government and will discuss next week at the AWS Public Sector Summit.

In May 2015, the CIO’s office at the U.S. Department of Interior embarked on a mission to provide a secure, scalable platform for the 32 agencies that make up the Federal Geographic Data Committee. The platform provides a managed services environment for agencies to host and share geospatial data, geospatial services and geospatial applications for the public, and with other government agencies and their partners. DOI names GTRI, now Zivaro, the mission partner. GTRI, an AWS Advanced Technology Partner, specializes in the selection, implementation, deployment, and maintenance of AWS environments.

AWS and the Australian Signals Directorate Essential Eight, Melbourne Business School experiences 99.89% uptime with Amazon WorkSpaces, and five ways new technologies can shape the future of work – all on this month’s top blog roundup.

During my recent visit to Latin America, I was enchanted by the beauty, grace, and passion of tango dance during a show at the Buenos Aires Faena Hotel. The dancers reflect the Argentine people – honoring their history, tradition, and culture, but are not afraid to innovate, take chances, and lead. I was also amazed with the beauty of the Andes, delivering strength, power, a quiet peace and gentle inspiration. It is with this backdrop that I met with AWS customers in Latin America to discuss the power of cloud computing.

This year’s City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge saw a variety of applications from countries around the globe. Nominations included cities, counties, universities, and, for the first time, a diversity category (We Power Tech) using the cloud to improve the lives of their constituents. Learn more about the finalists and their projects, including emergency response and disaster preparedness, collaborative learning, securing elections, and more.