How AWS is supporting customers, partners, and the community in Australia and New Zealand during the pandemic

Below is a list of regular updates on how we're responding to the crisis.

COVID-19 has driven a rapid increase in the deployment of remote healthcare solutions across Australia and New Zealand. Often referred to as telehealth, these new solutions are designed to reduce the risk of exposure, improve patient care, manage the burden on healthcare workers, and ultimately reduce future transmission of the virus.

At the centre of these new telehealth solutions is cloud technology, which is proving critical both for its ability to support the development of new applications, and to handle increasing workloads. Read more here.

At AWS, we’ve seen our customers step up to help, using cloud technology to quickly create innovative and engaging online education solutions. And we’re heartened to see many are making these new services available free of charge for educators during the pandemic.

There are a variety of online education services built using cloud technology, ranging from eLearning platforms and teaching resources, through to tools that monitor the wellbeing of students. But the reasons for their rapid uptake are consistent, as teachers strive to support their students’ education needs and overall wellbeing when teaching them though distance learning. Read more here.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and teachers across Australia and New Zealand can access free computer science learning experiences through an Amazon sponsored virtual robotics and coding training program, which is designed to open up access to computer science, so students can build their best futures. The program will be free of charge for one month per user in an effort to increase access to computer science education and help to keep students engaged during school closures.

We are also pleased to share teachers and students in around the world can now access a series of online workshops and webinars through AWS Educate at no cost. For students and educators, we are offering AWS Workshops from Home led by technical specialists for educators and students providing access to online classes for cloud skills, computer science, robotics, and machine learning. Read more here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the way people live and work. And, while it has been very disruptive for almost everyone, the crisis has also sparked new waves of innovation, as retailers, restaurants, software developers, and more have adapted.

We’re inspired by the rapid rate of innovation as Australian customers of all sizes use cloud to create new business models, and work to reduce the impact on our communities, now and into the future. Read more here.

To help communities most vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, and the health workers on the front lines, we're working with organisations such as The Smith Family, KidsCan, Foodbank, the Australian Red Cross, and the Starlight Children’s Foundation to get much needed products, services, and educational support to the people who need them most.

From scaling telehealth solutions to expanding online education offerings, AWS is powering global efforts to address the COVID‑19 crisis and related challenges.

Vice President of AWS Sales and Marketing, Matt Garman shares some of the many global efforts from AWS customers and partners to aid in a time of crisis.

AWS has created a public source for critical COVID-19 data to aid ongoing research. The data lake, which compiles datasets from multiple sources, will help healthcare workers, medical researchers, scientists, and public health officials working to understand and fight the novel coronavirus and COVID-19

We are launching the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative—a program to support customers working on better, more accurate diagnostic solutions and promote better collaboration across organizations solving similar problems.

As part of this, we are committing an initial investment of $20 million to accelerate diagnostic research, innovation, and development to speed our collective understanding and detection of COVID-19. The AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative begins with participation from 35 global research institutions, startups, and businesses focused on tackling this challenge.