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Varcoe: Amazon to set up cloud computing hub in Calgary, creating more than 900 jobs and $4B investment – Calgary Herald

Published

3 years ago

November 8, 2021

Harry Miller

Author of the article:

Chris Varcoe • Calgary Herald

Publishing date:

Nov 08, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 5 minute read • 20 Comments

Eric Gales, general manager, Amazon Web Services Canada, announces that the company is bringing a cloud computing hub to Calgary. The announcement was made at the Telus Convention Centre on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia

Amazon Web Services will be setting up a new cloud computing hub in Calgary, bringing more than $4 billion in investment with it over time — and creating more than 950 full-time jobs across Canada.

The tech giant, which provides customers with cloud-computing platforms and related services, announced Monday it will establish a major “infrastructure region” in the Calgary area.

It will be the second Amazon Web Services (AWS) regional hub in Canada, consisting of at least three data centres, and will add to the existing 25 geographic regions that the company has in the world.

Initial ground-breaking work has already begun on the local data centres. Senior AWS officials expect the new region in Western Canada to launch in late 2023 or early 2024.

“It’s a big infrastructure deployment in support of our customer base out here in the West,” Eric Gales, country manager for AWS Canada, said in an interview.

“We have broken ground on this launch. So it’s not something in the future. It has started now.”

The Seattle-based company said the hub, with separate locations for each data centre, will allow customers to access a variety of cloud-computing products in Canada. This also means companies with data residency requirements can store such information within the country.

Since 2016, AWS has operated a central Canadian region in Montreal.

Monday’s announcement will see a new region created in Western Canada, based in Calgary, where it already has major energy industry customers, such as TC Energy and Keyera, along with locally-based tech firms Neo Financial, Benevity and children’s streaming service Kidoodle.TV.

“These regions need to be connected to infrastructure that service the customers out here in the western provinces,” Gales added.

“This location was one that really satisfied all the requirements we had, so that’s why we chose to put it here in Calgary.”

Alberta Jobs and Economy Minister Doug Schweitzer called it a transformative investment, coming as start-up technology companies and larger “anchor” firms are expanding or moving into the region.

Premier Jason Kenney said the announcement should send a signal to Albertans that jobs are available in the expanding industry.

“This is the largest tech investment in Alberta history,” Kenney told reporters on Monday.

“For anybody who thought that all of the great news in the Alberta tech and innovation sector was just a temporary flash in the pan, this says no — that this is for real.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks during the announcement at the Telus Convention Centre on Monday. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia

Amazon, which has almost 40,000 employees in the country, also released a new economic impact study Monday on its AWS investments in Canada.

The report indicates the company expects to invest an estimated $21 billion in its two Canadian infrastructure regions by 2037, which will support more than 5,000 new jobs.

“We estimate the GDP of Canada will increase by $4.9 billion by 2037 because of the Calgary Region alone,” states the study, noting the investment will support 871 local jobs annually by 2037, as well as positions outside the area.

Local officials welcomed Monday’s news, which comes after a series of decisions by larger multinational tech firms to expand in Alberta.

“Everyone knows Amazon and what they bring with them,” said Calgary Chamber of Commerce president Deborah Yedlin.

“We are getting the critical mass we need to be noticed by other companies that are playing on the world stage and see the value of coming to Calgary.”

For Calgary, it’s another step in the sector’s evolution, with local companies such as Benevity, Parvus Therapeutics, Solium Capital (now Shareworks by Morgan Stanley) and RS Energy Group attaining the rare “unicorn” status with $1-billion valuations.

It’s not only home-grown firms gaining ground.

In June, Bangalore-based Mphasis unveiled plans to establish a Canadian headquarters in Calgary, creating up to 1,000 new jobs, while IT giant Infosys said in March it will bring 500 jobs to the city within three years as the company expands in Canada.

“It really is just a coming of age that is happening in Calgary today versus where we were just a year ago,” said James Lochrie, managing partner and co-founder of Thin Air Labs, which invests in start-up firms.

“We should continue to see this accelerate.”

By Calgary landing hundreds of new jobs with AWS, along with up to $4.3 billion in expected capital and operating investment in the region by 2037, it marks another major shift for the sector.

Amazon’s cloud computing unit recorded net sales of US$16 billion during the third quarter and posted operating income of US$4.9 billion.

Calgary Economic Development has pursued Amazon in the past, making an unsuccessful pitch in 2017 to become the second corporate headquarters for the tech giant. In October 2017, Amazon unveiled plans to set up a distribution centre outside city limits in Rocky View County.

Amazon, which is the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the world, has also made major investments in Alberta this year, agreeing to buy electricity from an 80-megawatt solar project in Newell County.

In June, the tech giant announced its second Alberta renewable project, a massive 375 MW solar farm in Vulcan.

While the recent announcements are adding to the local tech sector’s momentum, it has triggered concerns about the city’s ability to provide enough skilled workers, such as data scientists and software developers, to meet the needs of both local and international firms.

“Talent is just such a big issue,” said Bronte Valk of the Council of Canadian Innovators.

“When you have…foreign multinationals come in, they only exacerbate labour market issues.”

However, larger companies are also bringing their own training initiatives into Alberta.

Gales noted AWS will introduce a training component and it is collaborating with Mount Royal University. A Calgary training program, expected to begin in 2022, will help prepare displaced energy workers for entry-level cloud positions.

Both the province and city have also been investing heavily in recent years to ramp up digital training efforts, such as the creation of the SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology.

Jim Gibson, the school’s dean and a veteran of Calgary’s technology community, said local training initiatives are creating more skilled workers, although it will be a “fine balance” to have the talent pipeline meet demand.

“We have to work really closely with the bigger firms, which we are, but also with the start-ups,” Gibson said.

“We don’t have a lot of chances for making mistakes here on the talent side, so we have to be very much connected with each other.”

Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.

cvarcoe@postmedia.com

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What Difference Will You Make to an Employer?

Published

1 hour ago

October 21, 2024

Nick Kossovan

It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.

Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.

Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.

You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:

I’m a great communicator.
I’m detail oriented.
I’m a team player.

Tangible:

“At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
“For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
“While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”

These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.

Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.

When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.

Not impressive: Education

Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.

You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.

If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.

The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.

More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.

Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”

If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Business

Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

Published

4 days ago

October 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

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All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

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4 days ago

October 17, 2024

Sven Eggers

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