on Wednesday, Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud computing company, emphasised the importance of leveraging technology for effective customer service and business success.
AWS’s Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Dr Werner Vogels, made this known at a fireside chat at the First Tech Connect Series hosted by FirstBank in Lagos.
Vogels said that there is a growing trend of organisations, including banks, adopting cloud computing solutions to optimise their operations and digital infrastructure.
He emphasised the importance of allowing teams to experiment and take calculated risks, saying, “Some of the best bets that we make do not work out.”
According to him, Amazon’s approach to innovation involves experimentation and learning from failures.
“AWS has applied this approach to various areas, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). Amazon has been working on AI for years, and the technology can potentially benefit customers,’’ he said.
However, the AWS Global CTO warned against letting media hype dictate technology choices, advising companies to educate themselves and experiment with different solutions.
“By staying focused on customers and embracing innovation, Amazon has been able to stay ahead of the curve and deliver value to its customers,’’ Vogels added.
Also, the Chief Technology Officer of First Bank, Mrs. Rachel Adeshina, said that First Bank, with over 30 years of experience, was committed to its ongoing digital journey and commitment to reinvention.
Adeshina held that the AWS CTO’s experience in scaling an organisation from 50,000 to 1.6 million employees through technology was a significant learning point.
She highlighted the critical role of technology in reshaping products and services to meet evolving customer needs.
Adeshina said, “At the heart of all our activities is a quest to ensure that the customer is satisfied with our offerings.
“To do that, we constantly reshape our products and services to meet our customers’ needs.
“In this journey, we partner with leading technology firms, and AWS is one of them.”
Adeshina said that a potential partnership with AWS would involve moving workloads to AWS’ cloud computing platform.
“If we are to partner with them, we will be hosting some of our workloads with AWS now or shortly.
“This event was to tap into the wisdom of the CTO to learn from them how they do some of these things,’’ she said.
According to the FirstBank official, the event has been an eye-opening session for the technology team. It has taught the team to rethink some of its actions.
Also, the Solution Development Provider, FirstBank, Mr Sakiru Dosumu, said the discussion provided valuable insights into innovation, experimentation, and customer obsession.
Dosumu said that Vogels emphasised that not all innovations succeed, and management must understand that experimentation involves risks.
He said the discussion also shed light on Artificial Intelligence (AI) ‘s workings and future pipeline. Dosumu, however, noted that challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries were essential for progress.