AWS Public Sector Blog

Recent events, from public sector cyberattacks and severe weather events to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, have revealed that many educational institutions, as well as regional and local governments, are not fully prepared to respond to these incidents. At the same time, large-scale disruptive events illustrate how important it is for public sector organizations to respond rapidly to keep essential services running as well as quickly pivot to offer new services. In an IDC survey of 2,000 U.S. residents in September 2020, 31% said they would like to continue virtual government services as a replacement for in-person interactions, while another IDC survey of U.S. teachers revealed that 38% expect a growth in hybrid or remote learning to be a lasting change.

For school systems across the U.S., making sure students have a secure environment to use the internet is not only the right thing to do— it’s the law. When the Kentucky Department of Education switched to 100 percent remote learning, they turned to Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Lightspeed Systems to keep students safe and engaged in online learning at home.

Our global network of Cloud Innovation Centers (CICs) powered by AWS and in collaboration with our CIC sponsors, who host and run the centers, aim to empower public sector organizations to quickly create and test new ideas using Amazon’s innovation methodology and cloud technology. Check out some stories of digital prototypes the CICs have published over the last few months that focus on improving public safety, adapting to the pandemic, and innovating through voice and video technology.

Information technology and cloud services can be enablers for modernization of these business processes and tax systems, and improved constituent experience. For public administrators, these tools can also shorten the window between the enactment of a new law and its timely and successful implementation. Here’s how governments are addressing some major challenges using the AWS Cloud.

College exams are stressful enough without a pandemic. Singapore University of Social Sciences wanted a remote contact center solution to make it easier for students and faculty to get support during remote learning and examinations. They turned to Amazon Connect to create a streamlined, accessible, and equitable solution for their community.

Students’ educational achievements—including academic transcripts, work history, and skill credentialing—are often scattered across multiple institutions and disparate IT systems. EdTechs are adopting blockchain technology to simplify this process, with credential portability, data privacy, simplified workflows, and added data security.

Healthcare organization Dr. B launched to get as many COVID-19 vaccines into as many arms as possible. To achieve its mission to make access to care—specifically the COVID-19 vaccine—more efficient and equitable, the company created a serverless solution built on Amazon Web Services (AWS).   

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has been focused on preparing  citizens for the growing tech, IT, and cloud industries. Collaborating with Ivy Tech and Amazon Web Services will help reach more learners and accelerate economic growth by fueling the state’s tech industry with skilled talent.

Now available for organizations and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partners interested in expanding into the public sector: the APN Navigate Program. The APN Navigate Program expanded to offer dedicated tracks to help new and existing AWS Partners build a successful public sector practice. Called Public Sector Foundations, these tracks are open to all registered AWS Partners with the goal of helping them do business in the public sector and define their specialty to accelerate their route to market with AWS.

A new interactive AWS CLI tool expands the functionality of AWS Ground Station. You now have a simple way to schedule AWS Ground Station satellite contacts directly from your terminal. Learn more about how to use the CLI tool with scheduling, viewing, and canceling contacts to your satellite.