Top highlights from AWS worldwide public sector partners at re:Invent 2023

Jeff Kratz, right, and Thomas Siebel, center, listen as Jason Bonci talks during their fireside chat at the AWS Partner Keynote at re:Invent 2023.

This week, the city of Las Vegas served as a vibrant hub of energy and creativity during the Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent 2023 conference. This is my 11th year participating in re:Invent and I continue to be awestruck by the innovative ideas and value that AWS Partners bring to our customers. For those who were unable to attend or watch virtually, this blog post summarizes some of the key partner highlights.

Advancements in generative artificial intelligence (AI) for public sector customers

We unveiled an array of products and services centered around generative AI, ranging from Amazon Q, an AI-powered chatbot, to the latest generative AI enhancements in Amazon Connect, and a multitude of others. AWS Partners are already scaling innovation for citizen services rapidly through AWS generative AI services.

I had the privilege of hosting a fireside chat with Jason Bonci, chief technology officer of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), and Thomas Siebel, CEO of C3 AI, as a part of the partners keynote by Dr. Ruba Borno, vice president of AWS channels and alliances. Jason and Thomas talked about how the USAF is working with C3 AI and AWS to improve aircraft readiness with AI and predictive maintenance solutions in the cloud. Watch and listen to the conversation in the keynote video recording.

During my breakout session, I shared how the Nebraska Judicial Branch is advancing justice using generative AI on Amazon Bedrock. Handling approximately 285,000 legal cases annually means that the Nebraska Judicial Branch manages hundreds of thousands of paper documents, audio and video files, and various forms of evidence every year. AWS Partner ScaleCapacity automated the Nebraska Judicial Branch’s document management system and introduced a generative AI feature, with the goal to enable attorneys to swiftly access data and information from any case exhibit. The process, previously manual and time-consuming, can take seconds with Amazon Bedrock.

We’re providing a number of generative AI education and training resources for AWS Partners, as well. In addition to the Generative AI Center of Excellence for AWS Partners, we launched the new generative AI Targeted Transformation Module (TTM). The generative AI TTM, as a part of the AWS Partner Transformation Program, is a one-on-one, consultative engagement to help partners identify and prioritize generative AI use cases based on industries and growth strategies. If you’re interested in learning more about this TTM, please speak to your AWS Partner Development Manager or contact AWS.

Cybersecurity: A top priority

I also moderated a fireside chat about implementing an impactful, large-scale cybersecurity strategy with Ryan Murray, chief information security officer of the State of Arizona, and Dr. Bianca Lochner, chief information officer of the City of Scottsdale. Ryan shared insights into Arizona’s whole-of-state cybersecurity program, and said “working with AWS Partners, local leadership, and other key stakeholders is critical in creating an effective cybersecurity community at all levels.” Bianca said “AWS Marketplace has revolutionized our procurement process – from meeting the grant requirements to reporting to leadership,” by removing hurdles, offering better pricing options, and adding transparency. Watch a recording of this session.

In the public sector, security and compliance are pivotal aspects of digital transformation. To expedite the journey towards security and compliance, AWS offers the Global Security and Compliance Acceleration (GSCA) program. When customers and partners are seeking to meet their regulatory requirements, they usually need more than one partner to help them through the entire process. We launched the new GSCA Bundles to streamline this process and cover the entirety of the compliance framework journey, from migration to certification. The bundles are available on AWS Marketplace.

Enhancing profitability for AWS Partners

AWS Partners are a tremendous driving force of innovation, continually pushing boundaries and promptly leveraging the latest AWS cloud services for our customers. Canalys predicts that the value of the AWS Partner economy is estimated to be up to $512 billion. At re:Invent, we announced 10 enhancements across our programs and services to help our partners achieve even greater productivity and profitability.

Our mission is to make the AWS Partner Network with AWS Marketplace your preferred route to market and empower you to deliver differentiated value to millions of AWS customers. We’re aligning the AWS Partner experience—including programs, incentives, and enablement—around AWS services and the partner business models: business outcome solutions, technology solutions, managed services, services, and resell. These enhancements are aimed at providing you more relevant and prescriptive guidance, in a consistent and predictable manner.

Recognizing AWS Partners

At re:Invent, we celebrated partners who excelled in solving challenges for public sector customers. This year, we had a record-breaking number of nominations with more than 800 submissions across various categories. For AWS Partners who support public sector customers, we had 23 Partner of the Year winners in the Federal Government, State or Local Government, Education, Aerospace and Satellite, Nonprofit Organization, Small Business Partner, and the Global Public Sector categories. These partners’ impact spans globally, making a significant difference in the lives of citizens across the world.

Re:Invent is our kick-off to the upcoming year. AWS Partners are transforming public sector institutions, making resources more accessible, and supporting critical customer missions. As we look to 2024, I’m excited about the achievements our partners will accomplish.

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