Amazon Web Services (AWS) now has a region clouds in Spain, which will also help Portuguese companies. But for Portugal, the strategy is first and foremost to support the startup ecosystem and help technology train talent. You can read about it in an interview with AWS CEO for Portugal and Spain, Dinheir Vivo.
In November, AWS opened a cloud region in Spain. How will this affect AWS in Portugal?
A new AWS Europe region located in Spain. [Aragão]allows all organizations to reduce latency for their end users in both Spain and Portugal, and allows more organizations to use advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), earning machine, Internet of things and mobile services. That is, it will drive innovation for AWS customers in the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal, who will also be able to store their data in Spain with the assurance that the content will stay there if they don’t move it.
What makes the AWS offering different from competitors (Oracle, IBM, Google, and Microsoft)?
We built our region from the ground up, which means we are investing 2500 million euros in this project, supporting 1300 new full-time jobs, with an estimated impact on Spanish GDP of 1800 million euros over ten years.
located built a megadata center in Sines🇧🇷 The Portuguese government intends to use this area of business in the country. Can Portugal host the region clouds AMS?
We have customers in Portugal who have been with AWS since the beginning, and we always take the feedback that all of these companies share with us into consideration. AWS already has an office in Portugal and Amazon CloudFront Location, an infrastructure that offers all organizations in the country faster content delivery and additional cybersecurity protection. We also recently announced a new local area in Lisbon, an infrastructure implementation type that places computing, storage, database and other services close to major population centers and industrial centers.
Portuguese companies are realizing that rapid innovation and digital transformation are critical to their success, especially in such an uncertain time.
And innovation is a way to stay relevant and succeed in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment.
And in order to innovate quickly and sustainably, it is necessary to introduce computing technologies into cloud, accelerating digital transformation. Therefore acceptance cloud is accelerating. Portuguese companies are ready for the challenge and are partnering with AWS to overcome it.
How many clients do you have in Portugal, can you give examples?
We have tens of thousands of clients in the Iberian Peninsula. In Portugal, they are available in all industries and sizes. We work with large companies such as Galp and NOS, small and medium-sized companies such as Think Future and Indie Campers, start-ups such as Feedzai, Outsystems and Talkdesk, and public sector organizations such as the municipalities of Cascais and Porto and the Portuguese Football Federation . .
In Portugal, the business structure mainly consists of SMEs? Are SMEs of interest to a giant like AWS?
Portuguese companies have an excellent opportunity to innovate and offer their customers new services, for example, using advanced technologies cloud computingas machine learning, AI or data analysis. And we’re not just talking about big companies with big technology budgets. Calculation in cloud democratized the use of technology through the model usage fee🇧🇷 Companies of any size can use these technologies at a very low cost. For example, when the pandemic hit Portugal, Portuguese company SME Beachcam developed a solution that used its cameras to enforce social distancing among beach goers. He created a way to count people to help enforce social distancing on beaches, and he did so with an AWS solution that processed images from 71 different cameras that, instead of focusing solely on one area, captured views from different areas starting from the planned routine and the highest level of security and privacy.
How do you assess the digital maturity of Portugal?
Portugal is on the right track to accelerate the digital transition. With government support and a clear goal to accelerate the transition as a driver of economic recovery and advance European leadership in digital innovation and the digital economy, we believe the country is in an excellent position and AWS is here to help.
How does it help materialize?
One example is the vibrant startup ecosystem. We work with startups such as Codacy, Talkdesk, Feedzai, Unbabel, MyDidimo and many others who are building their business on AWS, allowing them to quickly scale and expand around the world. We have various programs to help you start your journey to cloud For example, AWS Activate, a startup resource pack launched globally in 2013, provides a range of benefits, including up to $100,000 in AWS credits or technical support and training. We also work with accelerators, incubators, seed funds and other early stage investors such as Beta-i, Startup Lisboa, UPTEC and Startup Portugal, Indico Capital, Armilar Venture Partners and Portugal Ventures.
Acceleration of implementation cloud creates an excellent job opportunity worldwide and we are also working to educate Portuguese citizens and offer them the opportunity to access jobs in cloud🇧🇷 AWS invests in the future of the Portuguese technology community. We recently announced a partnership with the Coordinating Council of Higher Polytechnics (KSVPI) to promote digital skills training and modernize polytechnics. The agreement focuses on talent development and digital skills training initiatives, especially in the area of technology. cloudthat stimulate innovation and support modernization and learning about the technologies and needs of the next generation. cloud of the 25 public higher education institutions affiliated with CCISP. This covers over 130,000 students.
Is this their only initiative? No. We also support technology professionals to expand their skills and knowledge in cloud free of charge, through webinars and AWsome activities. AWS partners with Portuguese universities, business schools, and foundations such as the University of the Algarve through AWS Educate. This program, designed for students, gives them access to materials intended for familiarization cloud computing in areas such as AI, voice and face recognition, or medical research. In Portugal, we also have the AWS Academy program, which aims to enable higher education institutions to prepare students for certification and careers in cloud, and which are recognized in the industry. Institutions already participating in this program include the University of Aveiro, the University of Coimbra and the Higher Institute of Engineering in Porto.
