Andy Jassy (AWS)
As Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Andy Jassy prepares to take the helm of parent company Amazon as CEO, AWS partners are turning their attention towards the type of leadership the cloud provider will adopt in the future.
The AWS cloud unit has been a pivotal element of the broader Amazon group, representing 52 per cent of Amazon’s quarterly operating profit and 12 per cent of total sales, according to GlobalData Thematic team principal analyst David Bicknell.
“Amazon’s decision to hand Andy Jassy, head of the Amazon Web Services' (AWS) cloud computing business, the job of replacing Jeff Bezos as Amazon’s chief executive completes Amazon’s shift from being a retailer to a technology company,” Bicknell said.
“AWS will continue to be the engine of Amazon’s growth and its most important unit for years to come.”
From the perspective of James Lewis, CEO of local cloud cloud and IT consultancy Cevo, Jassy is the best placed candidate to fill Bezos’ shoes.
Credit: Cevo Lewis remains hopeful that whoever takes on the AWS leadership task will continue to push partners as a growth engine for their joint success.
“AWS has made huge inroads to partnering over the past five or so years, and it’s never been a better time to be an AWS partner,” Lewis said.
“With Jassy at the Amazon helm it's clear that innovation and pushing boundaries to 'think big' will still be centre to their vision, and every day will continue to be 'Day 1'. Cevo are very much looking forward to building our future with AWS, and both continuing to be customer obsessed.”
At the same time, James Khan, CEO of AWS advanced consulting partner Idea 11, which has offices in Sydney and Melbourne, is confident that the focus on AWS and its partners will continue to grow.
“Andy Jassy has been an amazing leader for AWS, building the largest public cloud business globally. Being chosen to run Amazon is a testament to his success running AWS. AWS is already a key part of Amazon -- having Andy lead the entire business will only increase the emphasis,” Khan said.
CMD Solutions CEO Andre Morgan, meanwhile, added that he was pleased to see Jassy getting the opportunity of the top role, given his deep understanding of the Amazon Web Services cloud business.
“I’m confident that he will ensure the AWS business remains a key focus within the wider Amazon business. We have seen significant growth and interest from our clients to use AWS to drive transformation initiatives that underpin their business strategy,” Morgan said.
Credit: Versent Versent CEO and founder Thor Essman added that Jassy taking over from Bezos was most welcome and indicative of the capability and leadership that has grown inside of Amazon for more than 20 years.
"Culture takes time to create and moments to lose, so seeing someone like Jassy, who is so deeply representative of the Amazon culture, take the reins is a strong symbol," Essman said.
"With regards to impact, we don't believe there will be a direct and obvious impact other than to continue to support and accelerate the modernisation of the enterprise and the public sector.
"With AWS being the earnings engine room of the group, and Jassy at the helm, you can rest assured that it will be full steam ahead."
Stax managing director Mike Middaugh said Jassy's appointment signalled an exciting time for Stax.
“The move to get Andy Jassy at the helm of the company highlights the focus for Amazon to double down its cloud business whilst increasing income from its retail division," Middaugh said.
"AWS’ model is heavily based on partners and points of distribution and I expect we will continue to see the company relying even more on its partner community so as to maintain its current pace and success.
"We’re seeing an increasing demand for cloud services and expect to see AWS continue to play an important role in this ecosystem.”
Credit: Stax ARQ Group CEO Tristan Sternson said that he admired Jassy’s work in evolving AWS into a globally dominant cloud product under his watch.
"Andy is undoubtedly an incredible leader and as a long-standing and proud partner of AWS, we look forward to continuing this relationship under the new leadership,” Sternson said.
"These are exciting times for the Australian tech industry and ARQ Group, with the help of its partners like AWS, we will continue to make a positive impact for our customers."
Gartner research vice president and distinguished analyst Ed Anderson said the leadership shift at Amazon probably won’t have much of an impact in the near term and hinted that Jassy’s successor will likely be chosen from among his AWS leadership team.
“Over time, whoever assumes the role of AWS CEO is likely to implement some strategy changes, which could eventually trickle down to the APN [AWS Partner Network] program,” Anderson said. “However, partners have had an important role in the AWS strategy and likely to continue to be important to AWS in the future.”
With additional reporting by Sasha Karen.
