AWS for Software Companies Podcast

Federico Torreti and Tom Sly of AWS discuss how application developers can leverage Generative AI to enhance cross-app experiences, minimize custom integrations and increase the value-add of enhanced communication features.Topics Include:Federico Torreti intro: What is AWS’ vision for applicationsFocus of Machine Learning & AIAbility to build rapid prototypes, experimentationCambrian explosion of SaaS applicationsThe challenge of toggling of multiple applicationsBringing the world of disconnected appsData and focusing on the primary value for customerGenerating more content will raise number of alerts and potential of burnoutTom Sly intro: Being delighted by businessesCustomers expect personalization from businessesMore than 150,000 customers leverage AWS for communications strategyLeveraging messaging to increase customer delight2 examples: restaurant and medical needSession wrap upParticipants:Federico Torreti – Head of Product – Amazon Q, Amazon Web ServicesTom Sly - Director, Special Projects, Amazon Web Services

Sara Yamase, Partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners, Head of Software, Internet and Media Practice shares guidance and industry examples on generative AI pricing and GTM strategies.Topics Include:What percentage of companies are developing Gen AI features for customersProjected returns on Gen AI investmentArticulating the value is 1st step in building pricing and monetization strategyAlmost half of VC funding in last 5 quarters were for AI solutionsGetting through the hype cycle and trough of disillusionmentEducation, Marketing, Food industry examples of companies clarifying value of generative AI to customersHaving strong data sets for identifying trendsPricing tenets for generative AIIndirect monetization – more usage, faster, greater productivity, etcStandalone Generative AI software with bespoke pricingAbility to scale pricing per customer usageSubscription selling for generative AI softwareChoosing pricing model for generative AI solutionsSummaries and session wrap up

Today Nicole Eagan, Chief Strategy and AI Officer and Michael Beck, Global CISO of Darktrace AI Research centre share experience, predictions and guidance on the future of AI and Cybersecurity.Topics Include:A brief history of DarktraceApplying AI to the challenge of cyber securityChanges and evolution of cyber security threatsWhat are the key security challenges business are facing?Generative AI provided a seismic shift with threat actorsBest practices for managing and scaling security teamsGuidance for leaders for baking AI into workflowsResponsible AI best practices for building trustTrends of Generative AI on the security landscapeLeveraging Generative AI to transform the customer experiencePredictions for emerging technology trends over the next 10 yearsRecommendations and parting wisdom for security and AIKeeping a workforce trained and relevant for technology trendsInterview wrap upParticipants:Nicole Eagan – Chief Strategy Officer and AI Officer, DarktraceMichael Beck – Global CISO, DarktracePhil Le-Brun – Director, Enterprise Strategy, Amazon Web Services

A panel discussion with executives from ActionIQ, FloQast and Wiz on experiences and best practices for working and selling to customer C-suites.Topics Include:Panel introductionsKeeping products and sellers focused on C-Suite outcomesCustomer C-suite focus, identifying internal championsKeeping sales motion concise for key C-SuiteConnecting value for enterprise spaceImpact of Generative AI and inventing on behalf of customersCustomer impressions of GenAI and going beyond the hypeHelping customers reimagine / hack their businessC-suite concerns about Generative AIFlipping objections into selling points for C-SuiteBuilding confidence for security, data and GenAI for ExecutivesFinal thoughts, Session wrap-upParticipants:Justin DeBrabant – Chief Product Officer, ActionIQStefan van Duyvendijk – Accounting Operations Evangelist, FloQastRick Kickert – Senior Vice President of Revenue Growth & Strategy, WizVeronica McCarthy – Senior Sales Manager, ISV, Amazon Web Services

We feature a conversation with Yuelin (李玥琳)Li, Chief Product Officer of Onfido and Phil Le-Brun - Enterprise Strategist, Amazon Web Services, about the pivotal role of AI, machine learning, and generative AI in fraud prevention and security in the identity verification industry.Topics Include:Yuelin Li career journeyOverview and mission of OnfidoUse of AI and Machine Learning at OnfidoSuccesses in reducing fraud with identity verificationChallenges faced and overcome with Machine LearningSecure rapid iteration and constant experimentationWorking with customers in highly regulated industriesHot topics and ethics with Generative AITraining, managing bias and maintaining accuracy of modelsStaying aligned with customersSkillets required, creating development paths for staffCreating a culture of learning in the organisationDeciding how to place bets on technology advancesWhat excites Yuelin Li most about Generative AIAdvice for other companies setting out on a similar journeySession wrap-up

Executive Leaders from Proofpoint, Sumo Logic and Zendesk share their experiences and best practices for collaboration with AWS to deliver transformative impact to their business using Generative AI.Panelists:Patrick Wheeler, Director, Product Management, ProofpointBashyam Anant, Senior Director, Product Management, Sumo LogicPatrick Copeland, Chief Engineering & Product Officer, ZendeskOlawale Oladehin, Director ISV Solutions Architecture, North America, AWSTopics Include:Introductions of PanelWhere each organization is doing with Generative AIDesigning data strategy around business outcomesMaking subject matter experts within the businessDefining what success metrics and value to focus onMetrics and KPIs and framework for experimentsThinking and leveraging partnerships for Generative AIDeveloping skillsets, retraining teams and managing resourcesLessons learned, what would you change, advice for othersSession wrap-up

Jimmy Hillis, Head of Engineering at Airtable, shares examples, guidance and major themes for how businesses can successfully build and leverage AI within their enterprise applications and workflows.Topics Include:Introductions and Airtable overviewChallenges businesses have articulating how AI will add valueCore insights: AI needs to leverage your own dataAI functionality needs to live within existing tools and workflowsHave workflow and business experts building prompts for the desired functionAI presents a new set of fears and restrictionsExamples for successful implementation of AIAirtable AI field examples and automations featureExample of leveraging technology to reduce manual activityData governance, training data for useNetwork governance and FlexibilityRecapping the themes, session wrap up

In this highly informative episode, we share strategies and best practices for driving growth for SaaS companies featuring Kulwinder Kalsi, head of UK and Ireland Enterprise Software and SaaS Architecture and Johan Broman, Head of Solutions Architecture for Independent Software Vendors for Europe, Middle East & Africa.Topics Include:Discover the main expectations end customers have of SaaS companies, including frictionless tenant onboarding, instrumentation/monitoring, pricing transparency, and focusing on core innovation.Explore key trends shaping the SaaS industry, such as the shift towards consumption-based pricing models, complex pricing strategies that align packaging with customer segments, and leveraging other software partners to remove undifferentiated heavy lifting.Learn how AWS can help SaaS companies with its global infrastructure, robust security measures, and rich ecosystem of services and partners to accelerate growth and innovation.Get insights into monetizing data strategies that SaaS companies can adopt to unlock additional revenue streams from their tenant data.Understand the different ways AWS partners, including systems integrators, professional services, and other software vendors, can support SaaS companies through their journey.Receive practical advice on approaching cloud migration and modernization, including aligning leadership, assessing growth vs. retention goals, and choosing the right mix of lift-and-shift or full modernization.Gain a nuanced perspective on developing AI solutions, covering use case identification, model selection, deployment techniques like prompt engineering and fine-tuning, and the importance of monitoring and management.Hear expert tips on navigating the rapidly evolving generative AI landscape, leveraging AWS services like SageMaker and Bedrock, and utilizing specialized AI chips like Trainium and Inferentia.

Business applications are catalyzing profound transformations across industries, streamlining operations, enhancing productivity, and fostering innovation. Leveraging advanced technologies such as generative AI, these applications are reshaping traditional business models, driving agility, and fueling competitive advantage in the global marketplace.Panelists:Neboysa Omcikus - Head of Strategy, https://www.linkedin.com/company/gleanwork/GleanSteve Antonakakis - Divisional COO, Enterprise Productivity, PDI TechnologiesShiv Sehgal - Executive Vice President, Audience Analytics, RSG Media, a Naviga Global companyKaren Hensley - Principal Data Strategist, AWSTopics Include:Panel IntroductionsHow did you decide where to focus with Generative AI?Quantifying the value of projects with customersDelivering the value and capability for customersDo customers care deeply about the technology or the experience?How did you move from “test and experiment” phase to productionHow did you reevaluate your data strategy when developing software?Working with customers on their data safety, security and ethicsDriving innovation within data regulatory and compliance requirementsLooking into the future – What’s the next wave of transformation for industry specific solutions?

Nicholas Marwell, Member of Technical Staff of Anthropic, shares predictions for Generative AI models as well as guidance on safely training and scaling them for the near future.Topics Include:Where are Generative AI Models headingAbout AnthropicClaude Opus, Claude 3 Sonnet & Claude 3 HaikuScaling laws impact on modelsTraining models for text, images and multimediaAI Safety, high stakes and stewarding through potential dangersConstitutional AI and interpretability researchBenefits of Features – combinations of neuronsFinal thoughts – high growth and pace for coming months and years

Daniele Di Mattia, Partner at McKinsey and Company and Miguel Alava, General Manager of AWS for software companies in EMEA, discuss strategic software industry insights and trends in Europe, Middle East, Africa and beyond that will shape the future of investment, product development as well as opportunities for regional and global expansion.Topics include:Macro environment challenges and focus on cost optimization for software companiesGenerative AI's massive impact and expanding total addressable marketThe need for increased R&D investment in Europe, Middle East and Africa regionLeveraging cloud elasticity and optimization for cost-conscious environmentsImpact of generative AI on product development and developer productivityEmbedding generative AI in sales, marketing and customer operationsImportance of data strategy and prioritizing high-value use casesBeing bold and courageous in investing during technological inflection pointsOpportunities for software companies to lead in their respective market segments

Frank Della Rosa, Research Vice President of SaaS, Business Platforms, and Industry Cloud at IDC, shares the recent trends of the software industry and how some successful software companies are adapting their strategies to best take advantage and create value.Topics Include:The worldwide forecast for SaaS and cloud softwareMajor growth stats for SaaS and Cloud softwareNorth America growth deep diveTop businesses investing in generative AICo-creation with individuals, teams and machinesCriticality of roadmap for generative AIMonetizing generative AI’s impact on demandData’s role in the “Year of the Platform”Purpose built platformsEnterprise generative AI use casesOpportunities and challenges of generative AIInforming ISV and SaaS partners on tech buyer focusImpact of software architecture from edge infrastructureGenerative AI and application modernization servicesEnhanced productivity, operational excellence, Hyper personalizationDomain specific models and vertical SaaS companiesWhere are we going? What’s ahead?Reiterating the final points

Mark Billige, CEO of global consultancy firm Simon Kucher and Miguel Alava, General Manager of AWS for software companies in EMEA, discuss strategic software industry insights and trends that will shape the future of data, generative AI and cost optimization.Topics Include:Shift from Growth-at-All-Costs to Profitable Growth ModelsMonetizing the Value of Generative AI OfferingsTreating Data as a Monetizable Asset for Software CompaniesStrategies for Expanding into the U.S. Software MarketRethinking Software Pricing and Revenue ModelsOrganizational Changes Required for AI-Driven InnovationAvoiding Undervaluing Software Offerings and Leaving Money on the TableBalancing Cost Optimization with Investing in GrowthLeveraging Partnerships/Acquisitions for New Market Entry

Ep035: Today's podcast features panel discussion from the "AWS for Software Companies Generative AI and Data Executive Forum" featuring leaders from Anyscale, Qlik and Rapid7 sharing insights on data models, policies and optimization for Generative AI applications.Panelists:Zhe Zang, Head of Open Source Engineering, AnyscaleBrendan Grady, EVP & GM, Analytics Business Unit, QlikLaura Ellis, VP - Data Engineering and Platform Analytics, Rapid7Sherry Marcus Ph.D., Director, Applied Science, AWSTopics Include:Introductions of the panelWhat big bets are you making with your companies and why?What have the learnings been with data preparation?Balancing present needs with the future of AI – growing data literacyCost optimization for AI and Data platformsConstraints of hardware and growing expenseWhat models and solutions have customers been asking for?High stakes risks for AI and DataHow customers are reacting to different compute modelsGuardrails, filters and risk-mitigation best practicesData and AI pain pointsNew global policies challenging data and AI developmentChallenges with data qualityHow has AI changed and evolved with digital natives?Open and closed models in the marketMetrics and selection for modelsBiggest lessons learned in the AI and data spaceSession conclusion

A panel discussion from the AWS for Software Companies Generative AI and Data Executive Forum featuring leaders from DatologyAI, Gretal.ai and Zscaler sharing insights on data analytics, AI/ML and cost optimization.Panelists:Ari Morcos - CEO and Co-founder at DatologyAIJohn Meyers - CTO and Co-Founder at Gretel.aiSanjay Kalra - Product Management at ZscalerAndy Perkins – General Manager, Data, Analytics, GenAI at Amazon Web ServicesTopics Include:Top 3 keys to success integrating insights, AI-ML, generative AIBig business opportunities for data curation, data analytics to reduce costsRecent ML innovations for solving problems with dataBalancing utility and accuracy with synthetic data for privacyWhat is the role synthetic data plays in AI/ML OpsBenefits of synthetic dataCost optimization existing data in AI/ML platformReinvesting cost savings into innovation with data and generative AIInsights and predictions for data, AI/ML, generative AI to transform user journeys

Phil Le-Brun of AWS speaks to Brad Porter, CEO of Orion Health about the exciting future healthcare, communities that have adopted a “Digital First” strategy and improving the healthcare experience through data and technology.Topics Include:The ambitious mission and vision for Orion HealthcareImproving the clinician and patient experience through dataThe role of data in healthcareOpportunities for digitization and innovation in healthcareAI and data for improving healthcare predictability & efficiency.Using technology to “join the dots” for health trends of the populationExamples and benefits of communities that have a “Digital First” strategy for healthcareThe patient experience with their healthcare dataBuilding trust with personal health informationLearning about digital opportunities from personal experiences with healthcare

In this podcast we’ll hear from Stephen Manley, CTO of Druva, about the problem of data sprawl, and how AWS customers like Druva have prepared, orchestrated, and unified petabytes of data to analyze and perform at scale. Topics Include:Generative AI has flipped a lot of legacy AI in last few monthsOverview of Druva / a SaaS backup companyHow do we use generative AI to help customers get more value?What problems did we not expect with generative AI?Curating data to feed into LLMsIntegrating security and privacy into the productMeasuring performance with generative AIAWS team helping solve the issuesBetting big on AWS BedrockIngesting data into S3 with 5x performance improvementUnified view of security, aggregating data for efficiencyWalking through an example querySummary recommendations

Today, in collaboration with Business Insider India, Raviteja Dodda, Founder and CEO of MoEngage shares the story of how MoEngage is shaping customer engagement and provides guidance for other software leaders wishing to make the same journey. Topics Include:Jeff Klaus and Raviteja Dotta IntroductionsHow has the Customer Engagement Space evolved in recent years?How has SaaS help automate AI-driven personalization?Maximizing existing customersSteps and best practices for growing to multiple marketsDeveloping GTM approach for Asia, Europe and North American marketsCreating a “flywheel effect” by leveraging customer communitiesInnovating to stay ahead of the curve in the software industryMoEngage implemented AI in 2016 – how had that AI strategy evolved through to generative AI?Recommendations and Lessons Learned

Today, a session from the AWS for Software Companies Executive Forum at re:Invent, Jeremy Schnieder, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, shares some mega trends of the software industry.Topics Include:Software is growing significantly.Total value of Enterprise software industry has doubled in the last 5 yearsIT spending rising, SaaS now over 50% of software revenueOpportunities & major growth drivers with GenAIShifts balance of internal development and commercial software due to GenAIGenAI influenced changes in various market segmentsTactics that product led sales are usingProductivity benefits from generative AI-assisted software developmentProductivity metrics for generative AI

Gabriele Lasauskaite, Head of Growth & Community Programs at AWS, speaks with Luke Anear, CEO and Founder of SafetyCulture as he shares the story of SafetyCulture, becoming a critical app for businesses, supporting 75,000 customer globally and the plans for 100x growth in the coming years.Topics Include:How did SafetyCulture begin? What problem were you trying to solve?Who are the customers of SafetyCulture?Australian Open using SafetyCulture for their eventsAirlines relying on SafetyCultureThe role of technology on SafetyCultureThe importance of User ExperienceGrowing the SafetyCulture business 100x by 2032Interview wrap up