The Author Spotlight series highlights some of Amazon’s most influential voices. In this edition, we explore the journey of our own Michael Jennings in his own words.
I have been a Senior Partner Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS) for over two years now. Throughout this time, I’ve had the privilege of engaging in projects with various partners and clients worldwide, spanning multiple industries and employing a diverse range of technologies.
At AWS, our customer obsession is at the core of everything we do. I take great pleasure in delving deep into our partners’ motivations, as well as their technical and business challenges. My role involves working backward from their objectives to help them create innovative solutions using AWS services—solutions that they can confidently offer to their customers, achieving their desired business outcomes.
Before joining AWS, I spent many years in Brazil as a middleware engineer and later transitioned to a cloud migration architect. My travels to clients in North America and Europe were invaluable, teaching me about customer engagement and the importance of focusing on their needs.
Upon joining AWS, I was introduced to a plethora of new technologies and projects that I had never encountered before! This was exhilarating, offering numerous opportunities for deep learning. Two of my favorite places for acquiring new knowledge are our AWS Architecture Blog and the AWS Reference Architecture Diagrams library.
Another aspect I have come to appreciate during my time here is the opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals at AWS. I feel fortunate to work alongside a diverse group of intelligent and passionate problem-solvers. My colleagues are always eager to lend a hand and collaborate to deliver the best possible solutions for our partners. This teamwork is a significant factor in why AWS has been able to support partners and customers so effectively in their cloud journeys.
AWS encourages a deep dive into specific technology domains. My background as a middleware engineer has shaped my interests, particularly in application modernization and containerization. I have a keen interest in Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA) and IBM software integrations on AWS.
The collaboration with ISVs like Red Hat and IBM highlights our customer-centric approach at AWS. Regardless of whether clients are utilizing native AWS services or third-party solutions, we always prioritize what is right for their success.
I also enjoy conducting workshops, known as Immersion Days, for our customers. Recently, I co-authored an AWS modernization workshop with IBM, illustrating how clients can leverage IBM Cloud Pak for Data on AWS alongside AWS services to create dynamic Analytics and AI/ML workloads! You can find additional insights in this related blog post, which discusses the nuances of these integrations here.
In summary, my role as a Partner Solutions Architect at AWS has been an immensely gratifying experience. I collaborate with exceptional individuals across various industries and technologies, ultimately aiding our customers and partners in innovating and achieving success on AWS. If you’re contemplating a career at AWS, I wholeheartedly recommend it. The opportunities to engage in exciting projects are boundless!
Michael’s Favorite Blog Posts!
- Deploying IBM Cloud Pak for Data on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS
I admit a bit of bias here, but this was my inaugural blog at AWS! Many clients are eager to implement IBM Data and AI solutions on AWS, particularly regarding using ROSA for deploying IBM Cloud Pak for Data. I crafted a deployment guide demonstrating how customers can leverage ROSA without managing the lifecycle of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform clusters. - Unleash Mainframe Applications by Augmenting New Channels on AWS with IBM Z and Cloud Modernization Stack
Numerous AWS clients rely on IBM mainframes for core business applications. This blog post outlines how these customers can develop modern cloud-native applications on AWS that seamlessly integrate with their mainframe workloads, exposing them as industry-standard RESTful APIs. - Migrate and Modernize Db2 Databases to Amazon EKS Using IBM’s Click to Containerize Tool
This article illustrates how customers looking to modernize their IBM Db2 databases can quickly and easily transition to Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), ROSA, and IBM’s Cloud Pak for Data products on AWS. - Self-service AWS Native Service Adoption in OpenShift Using ACK
This blog elucidates how customers can utilize AWS Controllers for Kubernetes (ACK) to define and create AWS resources directly from within OpenShift, allowing them to harness AWS-managed services to complement their application workloads running in OpenShift.
For more engaging resources, feel free to check out this excellent Reddit discussion about the Amazon Flex onboarding process: here.
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