Aussie AWS partner wins global honour in Las Vegas

Amazon Web Services has named ITOC Australia as one of its global 'customer obsessed' partners of the year in Las Vegas this morning, Australian time.

In a keynote speech in front of thousands of channel partners at the AWS Global Partner Summit, the vendor's channel and alliances vice president Terry Wise named the Brisbane service provider as one of eleven winners of the 'customer obsessed' category.

The award categories are based on Amazon's internal 'leadership principles'. The other categories were 'invent and simplify', 'think big' and 'learn & be curious'.

An Amazon Web Services spokesperson confirmed that ITOC was the only Australian firm among the 44 partners honoured this year.

"It's been a whirlwind couple of years," ITOC Australia business director Richard Steven told CRN.

"Customer obsession for us is about being that trusted partner and not an organisation that blows smoke... It's getting in the trenches with the customer and helping them realise the benefits."

ITOC Australia provides consulting, technical services and managed services out of its office in the Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley. It is one of only six Australian companies badged as an AWS Managed Services Provider.

While ITOC won the local version of the AWS 'customer obsessed' award earlier this year, Steven told CRN that today's international honour was granted off the back of a fresh nomination with new case studies. He declined to name the customers whose projects contributed to their global recognition.

Wise told CRN that Amazon's 'customer obsession' is exemplified by partners who only build products that the customer needs. "It's a bit different to some of the other companies I've worked in – building a product because you think the market needs it. And you put a whole bunch of stuff in it because you think they need it, and you can charge a lot more for it."

Today's AWS partner recognition was based on "general track record", plus two or three specific case studies, according to Wise.

The one-day AWS Global Partner Summit was held today as a part of the larger AWS re:Invent conference held throughout this week in Las Vegas.

The journalist travelled to AWS re:Invent as a guest of Amazon Web Services.