“Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and our customers need attention to detail, so why not create customized services for every need?”

Speaking is Ariel Kelman, vice president of global marketing at Amazon Web Services. In glitzy Las Vegas, the curtain has fallen on re:Invent 2018, during which AWS, the cloud computing giant, announced numerous innovations in robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud storage. An event sure to send shivers down the spines of… its competitors, of course!

The variety of services and features that Amazon offers on its platform is staggering. “Amazon Web Services has announced so many new services that it will take years to try them all,” joke technicians and industry insiders.
One of the most important services relates to hardware: AWS Outpost, which allows companies to have a piece of Amazon’s cloud on-premises, complete with hardware identical to that used in its databases, thanks to a partnership with VMware.

Then there’s Managed Blockchain, the service that simplifies the creation and management of scalable blockchain networks through the use of the open-source platforms Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. “We weren’t quite ready yet, but this was the right time,” said AWS CEO Andy Jassy during the presentation. This will allow users to create networks across multiple AWS accounts to support thousands of applications and millions of transactions per day. Also related to blockchain is the Quantum Ledger Database, a self-managed, immutable, and cryptographically verifiable database for ledgers.

As for artificial intelligence, however, the tool that so many had been dreaming of was announced: Amazon Textract. This feature allows you to extract text and data from any scanned document, recognizing columns, tables, and images.
And what about machine learning? The spotlight was on Amazon SageMaker, which enables companies to implement machine learning models without significant barriers to entry, with over 150 different algorithms ready to use thanks to the AWS Marketplace.

Finally, we want to tell you about a little gem that’s made headlines around the world: DeepRacer, the smart, autonomous 1:18-scale car available on Amazon.com for about $400, complete with a world championship open to developers and others. When Andy Jassy was asked if he thinks AWS will produce more and more physical objects rather than intangible ones in the future, the CEO replied firmly: “I certainly don’t think the cloud is something intangible.” So, let’s get ready for what’s to come.

Well, so far we’ve taken you (at least in your imagination) to Nevada, but now it’s time to return to the shadow of Vesuvius and share some good news with you.

We’d like to invite you to AWS re:Invent.local.The event in Naples will take place on February 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Città della Scienza, where, together with Danilo Poccia, Principal Serverless Evangelist at Amazon Web Services EMEA, we’ll focus on the latest announcements from AWS in Las Vegas.

This is very important to us for various reasons. First of all, because it is the first event in many years organized by theAWS User Group in Naples. And second, because the Naples AWS User Group (one of the first to be founded in Europe—Ed.) is the brainchild of our own Fabio Cecaro, CEO of VMEngine, who has never stopped learning and believing in a better future.