Category: technology

AWS re/Start India Prepares Local Talent for Cloud Careers

BANGALORE – October 6, 2021 – Today, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of AWS re/Start in India. AWS re/Start is a free skills-development and job training program that prepares learners for cloud computing careers. The 12-week program is offered with no cost to learners, and previous technology experience is not required to apply.

Research from AlphaBeta (a strategy and economics consulting firm) indicates that digitally skilled workers currently represent 12% of India’s workforce. By 2025, the number of workers in India requiring digital skills will need to increase nine times. In India today, 76% of digital workers expect cloud computing will be a required competency for them to perform their jobs proficiently by 2025.[1] AWS re/Start helps address this challenge by delivering free training and also supporting participants as they launch cloud computing careers.

AWS re/Start is a skills-based training program that covers fundamental AWS Cloud skills and practical career skills, such as interviewing and resume writing. Through real-world, scenario-based exercises, labs, and coursework, students build Linux, Python, networking, security, and relational database skills. The program prepares participants for entry-level cloud roles in operations, site reliability, infrastructure support, and more.

In addition, the program prepares and covers the cost for participants to take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam, so they can validate cloud skills with an industry-recognized credential.

In India, AWS re/Start will host cohorts based in six cities, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram. The program collaborates with five local education organizations, including EduBridge Learning, Edujobs Academy, iPrimed Education, Rooman.Net, and Vinsys IT Services, to deliver virtual training by an expert instructor. AWS re/Start will work with these organizations to connect program graduates to potential employers.

Amit Mehta, Head of AWS Training and Certification – India, Amazon Internet Services Pvt. Ltd (AISPL), said, “The industry demand for cloud adoption is far outpacing the number cloud-skilled workers available, leaving organizations struggling to find and hire the talent needed to implement cloud services. To overcome the lack of supply, cloud talent must be cultivated from non-traditional sources. AWS re/Start brings new talent into the cloud ecosystem by skilling unemployed and underemployed individuals with little or no technology experience and preparing them to launch a cloud career.”

Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology, and engineering services with approximately 150,000 employees in India, is providing financial assistance for AWS re/Start, and plans to interview and hire select program graduates into various cloud roles. Capgemini, an AWS Partner, will work closely with EduBridge Learning to facilitate this.

Pallavi Tyagi, CHRO of India at Capgemini, said, “At Capgemini, we are committed to shaping the talent landscape in India by providing opportunities for individuals to transition into high-demand roles while building their careers. AWS re/Start aligns with that focus, and reflects our commitment to help new recruits get the future they want. As AWS re/Start scales in the country, we believe it will be game-changing for more and more Indians looking to reskill, and take advantage of opportunities in a dynamic and evolving cloud and technology services job market.”

 Girish Singhania, CEO at EduBridge Learning, said, “We seized on the opportunity to be part of this program with AWS because we believe technology skills are critical to India’s future workforce. We are excited to engage non-tech learners through AWS re/Start, as they have not previously considered a career in tech. This program also ties in well with EduBridge’s high-level goal to bridge the gap between skilled talent and organizations looking to hire.”

 Vikrant Patil, CEO at Vinsys IT Services Pvt. Ltd., said, “As an AWS Training Partner, Vinsys IT has three years of experience delivering AWS Training to IT professionals. With a vision to make learning accessible to learners with a curious mind, we are excited to now bring free foundational cloud training to individuals who aren’t yet working in technology, and help them build a career in this exciting space. This thoughtful initiative can help people in India who are interested to learn about cloud computing, but fall short of resources.”

AWS re/Start is delivered in 25 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, UK, and U.S.

AAC-IEC Alliance Provides Enterprise Cloud Transformation Strategy, with Cybersecurity, for Regional Water Authority

Columbia, SC, October 05, 2021 –(PR.com)– AAC Utility Partners and Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), through their recently formed North American Alliance, partner with South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) to successfully develop an enterprise cloud transformation strategy focused on a “Cloud Smart” approach addressing risk mitigation from a cybersecurity perspective.

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) is a forward-thinking water utility and environmental services organization recognizing that the cloud is an operational model not a place. So, the convergence of the IT/OT components of its nonprofit corporation are a necessary operational modification in today’s – and, more importantly, tomorrow’s – complex cyber-sensitive climate. The RWA set out to develop a cloud strategy that would encompass the totality of the company’s operations regarding not only digital transformation, but complete information systems security.

The RWA’s project objectives and the mission of the AAC-IEC Alliance align perfectly, in pursuit of a strategic approach that embraces how each major vertical of the organization will be impacted by decisions made in the two major areas of focus: 1) business-focused technology services (traditional and cloud); and 2) cybersecurity. Utilizing the NavigateOne™ and SOPHIC™ methodologies, AAC and IECyber (the Cyber Entrepreneurship and Business Development Department of IEC) examined the RWA’s operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity and compliance, governance, program management and people.

The team reviewed numerous artifacts provided by the RWA and conducted a number of working sessions with key resources from the RWA’s Technology and Business transformation & Strategy Groups. The team also conducted a cybersecurity pre-assessment exercise using the Rapid Cyber Assessment methodology (RCMA), a core component of the SOPHIC Pro™ suite. The engagement culminated in creation of a strategy, with actionable recommendations, providing overall direction for moving IT functions to the cloud, as well as continued improvement in the RWA’s organizational cybersecurity maturity level. This included recommending adoption of a “Cloud Smart” strategy. Adopting this strategy will provide the RWA with a roadmap to evaluate safe, secure, cloud computing options before making any new investment decisions, not just with IT but also with OT in the long-term.

Premjith Lakshman Singh, RWA’s Chief Information Digital Officer and Vice President of Customer Care, commented, “Every organization has to go through a journey to understand their business capabilities and identify how they can use technology to enable their business efficiently and safely both now and into the future. This Enterprise Cloud Transformation Strategy provides the RWA with actionable recommendations to move our organization forward.”

AAC and IEC are excited to report the successful completion of this first project undertaken by the Alliance team. The client-expressed value of the strategy developed for the RWA is a testament to the need for such a consolidated resource to help utilities navigate the ever-changing areas of technology and cybersecurity.

“In the exponential world of paradigm change in most of our life processes, alliance with AAC is timely, as the market is calling for the unique combination of expertise, we collectively offer in the utility cloud and cybersecurity space. We are looking forward to taking advantage of the IEC-AAC alliance to serve utility companies across the globe,” stated Yosi Shneck, Head of Cyber Entrepreneurship and Business Development, Israel Electric Corp.

Spearheading this service offering for AAC, Lyndal Haddox, Vice President, Innovative Solutions commented, “We are extremely excited about our alliance with IEC to offer utilities a unique approach to strategically assess their combined systems of IT and OT operations, with a focused view of ensuring cyber safety across all platforms – Cloud/Hybrid/On-Premise.”

Regional Water Authority supplies on average nearly 43 million gallons of water a day to a population of approximately 430,000 people in 15 South Central Connecticut municipalities. It runs four state-of-the-art surface water treatment plants, maintains over 1,700 miles of underground pipes, manages more than 27,000 acres of watershed land, conducts approximately 110,000 drinking water tests per year, and safely operates a myriad of equipment with a team of dedicated, skilled employees that work 24/7 to produce and deliver reliable, affordable, high-quality drinking water.

AAC Utility Partners, LLC provides consulting services exclusively to utilities for the transformation of mission-critical systems. AAC is a vendor-independent consulting firm providing services for CIS and other mission-critical systems in the areas of Strategy, Selection, Cloud Adoption, and Project Implementation Leadership Services (utility-side only). AAC is the leading independent Cloud consulting firm focused on utility industry-specific applications and business process services.

NavigateOne™ is a foundational methodology pioneered by AAC Utility Partners that includes an industry-leading set of proprietary processes, tools, templates, and software completely scalable and customizable to the unique needs of utilities’ software initiatives.

SOPHIC™ – Israel Electric Company’s 25 years of battle-proven cyber experience, insights, practices, and tools formulate a unique game-changing cyber defense and resilience SUITE. This cyber entrepreneurship and business development unit in IEC provides a sophisticated portfolio of cyber solutions based on vast, real-life experience gained in a challenging geopolitical environment facing 24/7/365 Cyber challenges, with the sole purpose of protecting critical infrastructure.