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Insights for AWS
end users

Insights for AWS end users

Insights for AWS end users

Attraction and retention

What factors actually matter to candidates? Understanding what perks encourage candidates to accept a role and what pain points push them elsewhere is imperative to successfully attracting talent, lowering attrition, and enticing professionals to make the move from other areas of the community.

But in wide-ranging and fast-changing communities like AWS, this rarely stays the same year to year—and so it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse should you want to build long-lasting pipelines and appeal to new generations of AWS talent in an ever-evolving job market.

So, we’ve asked AWS professionals to tell us what appeals to them most when considering the next step in their careers, including the perks and benefits most likely to win them over and convince them to accept a role. We’ll deep dive into our findings in this section to get a better idea of how AWS customers can optimize their hiring strategies by making offers candidates can’t refuse.

What encourages a candidate to take a role?

We asked permanent employees what attracted them to their current role, with responses aligning under the following themes:

“The position provided opportunities for career development and the chance to learn new skills.”

Cloud Lead, United States

The significance that permanent employees place on workplace benefits has slightly declined, with 87% of these respondents telling us that benefits play an important role in the decision-making process for accepting a role, compared to 92% in our previous study.

“The position provided opportunities for career development and the chance to learn new skills.”

Cloud Lead, United States

The significance that permanent employees place on workplace benefits has slightly declined, with 87% of these respondents telling us that benefits play an important role in the decision-making process for accepting a role, compared to 92% in our previous study.

What perks entice a candidate to accept a role?

We asked respondents to choose the top three perks that would influence their decision to accept a job offer. The most valued perks relate to a positive work environment that supports employee work-life balance and compensates them for a job well done, with a generous amount of annual leave, the option for remote working and a performance-based bonus being the top perks likely to encourage a candidate to embrace a new role. The other benefits that were prized include:

0 %
Four weeks or more paid time off
0 %
Home working
0 %
Bonus

(monthly/biannual/year-end bonus)*

0 %
Flexible working hours
Health/medical insurance
23%
Retirement savings plan/401(k) match/pension contributions
16%
Accommodation/housing allowance
12%
Training and development opportunities
11%
Shares in the company/reduced priced shares in the company
9%
Not sure
Certification exam vouchers 7%

What perks entice a candidate to accept a role?

We asked respondents to choose the top three perks that would influence their decision to accept a job offer. The most valued perks relate to a positive work environment that supports employee work-life balance and compensates them for a job well done, with a generous amount of annual leave, the option for remote working and a performance-based bonus being the top perks likely to encourage a candidate to embrace a new role. The other benefits that were prized include:

Four weeks or more paid time off
42%
Home working
33%
Bonus (monthly/biannual/year-end bonus)*
27%
Flexible working hours
24%
Health/medical insurance
23%
Retirement savings plan/401(k) match/pension contributions
16%
Accommodation/housing allowance
12%
Training and development opportunities
11%
Shares in the company/reduced priced shares in the company
9%
Not sure
Certification exam vouchers 7%
* Bonus structures within the AWS community can vary, including variations in payout amounts and timing differences. Entry-level positions usually have more modest bonuses compared to senior roles–with established positions offering more generous financial incentives. Permanent employees of end users typically receive annual or bi-annual bonuses. In contrast, AWS partners or ISV (independent software vendor) employees may benefit from more frequent bonuses and stronger incentives linked to billable hours.

LinkedIn poll

We asked AWS professionals which of these perks they’d most like to see implemented in their current workplace. Use these insights to boost your attraction and retention by understanding how to make your workplace more appealing not just to prospective employees, but to your current staff too.

Choosing my own work hours
43%
Unlimited paid time off
28%
Home office budget
21%
Gym membership
9%

*Data taken from a poll conducted on Jefferson Frank’s LinkedIn in September 2023.

Are employees looking to change employer?

A little over half (52%) of respondents in permanent roles expect to work for their current employer in the coming year, while 23% are actively looking for a new role. A further 10% expect to leave but aren’t currently job hunting, and the remaining 16% are unsure if they will stay or go.

When we consider those unsatisfied with their role, this raises to 52% looking to move, 23% with some intention to switch employers but they’ve made no steps to do so, while only 19% are happy to stay.

Dissatisfaction with salary is also a motivator for seeking a new role, with 49% of respondents unhappy with their pay actively looking for a new job and 17% considering a move.

What motivates an employee to consider a new role?

The top 10 reasons are:

1. Salary increase/earnings increase 64%
2. Lack of career and promotional prospects 41%
3. Need new challenges 36%
4. I'm underutilized in my current role 34%
5. I want to work remotely 25%
6. Lack of leadership and vision 23%
7. I'm underappreciated in my current company 41%
8. I wanted to pursue more interesting/valuable work 21%
9. Lack of exposure to latest AWS products 20%
10. I wanted a career change 18%

On average, those wanting to change roles for a pay increase would expect a 25% increase.

Over two-fifths (41%) of those looking to leave their employer within 12 months said they would be unlikely to accept a role that involved working in an office five days a week.

Are employees looking to change employer?

A little over half (52%) of respondents in permanent roles expect to work for their current employer in the coming year, while 23% are actively looking for a new role. A further 10% expect to leave but aren’t currently job hunting, and the remaining 16% are unsure if they will stay or go.

When we consider those unsatisfied with their role, this raises to 52% looking to move, 23% with some intention to switch employers but they’ve made no steps to do so, while only 19% are happy to stay.

Dissatisfaction with salary is also a motivator for seeking a new role, with 49% of respondents unhappy with their pay actively looking for a new job and 17% considering a move.

What motivates an employee to consider a new role?

The top 10 reasons are:

1. Salary increase/earnings increase 64%
2. Lack of career and promotional prospects 41%
3. Need new challenges 36%
4. I'm underutilized in my current role 34%
5. I want to work remotely 25%
6. Lack of leadership and vision 23%
7. I'm underappreciated in my current company 41%
8. I wanted to pursue more interesting/valuable work 21%
9. Lack of exposure to latest AWS products 20%
10. I wanted a career change 18%

On average, those wanting to change roles for a pay increase would expect a 25% increase.

Over two-fifths (41%) of those looking to leave their employer within 12 months said they would be unlikely to accept a role that involved working in an office five days a week.

LinkedIn poll

We asked AWS professionals which of these perks they’d most like to see implemented in their current workplace. Use these insights to boost your attraction and retention by understanding how to make your workplace more appealing not just to prospective employees, but to your current staff too.

Choosing my own work hours
43%
Unlimited paid time off
28%
Home office budget
21%
Gym membership
9%

*Data taken from a poll conducted on Jefferson Frank’s LinkedIn in September 2023.

LinkedIn poll

We asked AWS professionals which of these perks they’d most like to see implemented in their current workplace. Use these insights to boost your attraction and retention by understanding how to make your workplace more appealing not just to prospective employees, but to your current staff too.

Choosing my own work hours
43%
Unlimited paid time off
28%
Home office budget
21%
Gym membership
9%

*Data taken from a poll conducted on Jefferson Frank’s LinkedIn in September 2023.

Are employees looking to change employer?

A little over half (52%) of respondents in permanent roles expect to work for their current employer in the coming year, while 23% are actively looking for a new role. A further 10% expect to leave but aren’t currently job hunting, and the remaining 16% are unsure if they will stay or go.

When we consider those unsatisfied with their role, this raises to 52% looking to move, 23% with some intention to switch employers but they’ve made no steps to do so, while only 19% are happy to stay.

Dissatisfaction with salary is also a motivator for seeking a new role, with 49% of respondents unhappy with their pay actively looking for a new job and 17% considering a move.

What motivates an employee to consider a new role?

The top 10 reasons are:

1. Salary increase/earnings increase 64%
2. Lack of career and promotional prospects 41%
3. Need new challenges 36%
4. I'm underutilized in my current role 34%
5. I want to work remotely 25%
6. Lack of leadership and vision 23%
7. I'm underappreciated in my current company 41%
8. I wanted to pursue more interesting/valuable work 21%
9. Lack of exposure to latest AWS products 20%
10. I wanted a career change 18%

On average, those wanting to change roles for a pay increase would expect a 25% increase.

Over two-fifths (41%) of those looking to leave their employer within 12 months said they would be unlikely to accept a role that involved working in an office five days a week.

Takeaways for AWS users

With a third of respondents already looking for a new role or expecting to leave their position this year, there’s plenty of opportunity for AWS customers hiring this year. To capitalize on this end users must look to boost their power of attraction, and our findings show that the most effective way to do this is by creating a supportive work environment, both in the flexibility offered to employees and in the compensation they receive.

While the top three perks that entice candidates to accept an offer have remained the same year on year, it’s interesting to note the rise in popularity of PTO (42%, up from 33%). This is representative of the added value end user employees are placing on a positive work-life balance—and the continued desire for homeworking is further proof of this.

That’s not to diminish the importance of financial incentives, especially this year. While 27% of respondents report that bonuses entice them to accept an offer, a greater eye-opener is the whopping 64% of employees who report being motivated to consider a new role by the prospect of a salary increase. It’s clear that AWS end users must do what they can to financially support their teams through the current cost of living crisis to protect their assets and retain key talent. If this isn’t possible in the current climate, providing clear progression routes and engaging employees in new challenges is non-negotiable if you want to keep them on board.

Motivation to move from a partner to an end user

Over two-thirds (69%, up from 67% in our previous study) of partner employees would consider working for an end user and cited the following factors that would encourage them to make this move:

49%

Ability to work remotely

44%

Better benefits

35%

Better work-life balance

34%

Ownership over a project/system

More stability 33%
Better career progression opportunities 33%
Consistency 31%
Better training and learning opportunities 29%
Less stress 22%
Possibility to develop skills across different AWS products 20%
Less travel 11%
Other 1%

With the ability to work remotely topping the list of reasons why professionals currently employed by a partner would consider making a move across the AWS community, end users should consider remote working the golden ticket to getting ahead in the hiring market this year. Remember that this doesn’t necessarily mean full-time remote working; ensure you can facilitate hybrid working arrangements for those professionals that enjoy the option.

It’s interesting to note the significant rise in partner employees who would be motivated by better benefits to make a move to an end user (44%, up from 23% in 2023), perhaps indicating that end user employers are doing a better job at compiling benefit packages that appeal to today’s AWS professionals. Always keep this in mind when making an offer, remembering that financial incentive alone is rarely enough to entice top talent in today’s market.

Elsewhere, it’s unsurprising to see a better work-life balance once again rank highly on partner employees’ list of motivations to leave, with partner work entailing a diverse mix of tasks and client interactions in a fast-paced setting. Sure, this often comes with greater compensation as a result, but our findings demonstrate that today’s talent place just as much importance on their freedom, flexibility, and overall satisfaction.

We also asked the 12% (down from 14%) of respondents who could not see themselves making the move to an end user why they wouldn’t consider it, and their reasons were:

Lack of variety in the work 26%
I'm happy in my current role 43%
I've no interest in working for someone else 30%
I prefer consultancy work 22%
A drop in earnings 22%
A lack of flexibility with working hours 17%
I like working with different clients 9%

With 69% of partner respondents reporting that they could see themselves making the move to an end user, there’s clear opportunity in the hiring markets for end users—and the increase in partner employees considering a move year-on-year is further evidence of this. While factors like a lack of variety in the work are somewhat unavoidable in an end user environment, these employers should look to hone-in on the perks that set them apart from partners in order to attract candidates from across the AWS community. Emphasize the advantages of remote working compared to being on site, for example, and create appealing benefit packages that champion a better work-life balance to widen your available talent pool and keep hold of top talent.  

What do employers need to prioritize to maximize employee happiness and retention?

How satisfied are employees?

We asked our survey participants to rate their job satisfaction across a number of different areas:

Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Colleagues 76% 19% 5%
Working hours 74% 15% 11%
Work-life balance 71% 18% 11%
Benefits 71% 17% 12%
Company culture 68% 19% 13%
Career progression 59% 26% 16%
Training and development 57% 25% 18%

How do employees rate their job satisfaction year over year?

Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
2024 64% 26% 10%
2023 69% 19% 13%
2022 64% 22% 14%
2021 62% 23% 15%
2020 63% 25% 12%

What do employers need to prioritize to maximize employee happiness and retention?

How satisfied are employees?

We asked our survey participants to rate their job satisfaction across a number of different areas:

Question Satisfied
Colleagues 76%
Working hours 74%
Work-life balance 71%
Benefits 71%
Company culture 68%
Career progression 59%
Training and development 57%
Question Neutral
Colleagues 19%
Working hours 15%
Work-life balance 18%
Benefits 17%
Company culture 19%
Career progression 26%
Training and development 25%
Question Dissatisfied
Colleagues 5%
Working hours 11%
Work-life balance 11%
Benefits 12%
Company culture 13%
Career progression 16%
Training and development 18%

How do employees rate their job satisfaction year over year?

Satisfied
2024 64%
2023 69%
2022 64%
2021 62%
2020 63%
Neutral
2024 26%
2023 19%
2022 22%
2021 23%
2020 25%
Dissatisfied
2024 10%
2023 13%
2022 14%
2021 15%
2020 12%
While it’s disappointing to note a drop in overall satisfaction following a spike last year, it’s nonetheless encouraging to see a decline in dissatisfied employees in this year’s survey. The good news is this neutrality suggests that these newfound employee gripes aren’t necessarily a cause for major concern, but rather opportunities that, if addressed, can elevate employee satisfaction to the benefit of your attraction and retention power.

Our findings show that, for yet another year, candidates are least satisfied and most dissatisfied with the training and development offered to them. Not only does this emphasize the value AWS professionals place on their own learning and development, but it also highlights a quick and easy way for employers to boost satisfaction. From allocating time and resources for internal upskilling to providing financial support for certification, investing in training and development optimizes your attraction and retention strategies while boosting internal expertise, making this a real no-brainer for any employer.

Elsewhere, there was a notable drop in satisfaction around career progression opportunities compared to 2023 (down from 66% satisfaction). It’s possible that this stagnation is reflective of wider economic instability and a lack of market growth, but with 64% of unemployed candidates reporting career progression as a top factor motivating them to accept an offer, this is an area employers can’t afford to ignore.

How can you boost employee satisfaction?

As the responses from our respondents show, there are some common factors that influence how satisfied employees feel in their roles. Here are some ways employers can address the most critical areas:

Promote a healthy work-life balance. Reimagined attitudes towards a better work-life balance have remained since the pandemic, with professionals championing the positive impacts it can have—be that reducing burnout or contributing to positive mental health. While a good work-life balance might look different for everyone, reducing scope creep and providing greater flexibility will ensure harmony between your employees’ work and lifestyle.

Offer more training and development opportunities. Year after year respondents tell us just how much they value their professional training and development. AWS is an ever-evolving technology, and the best professionals want to ensure they remain at the forefront of its applications and innovation. Of course, this is great news for any employer, providing that you offer the right support. Investing heavily in your team’s learning, development, and upskilling by providing time, resources, and funding ensures that you’re empowering your talent to keep honing their craft successfully.

Map out clear routes for progression. It’s important that each member of your team has something to work towards in order to remain motivated and engaged, so ensure that opportunities for career progression are achievable and well-communicated. Fail to provide your employees with the right support to achieve their career goals and their work satisfaction will dip, increasing the likelihood of taking their next career steps elsewhere.

How can you boost employee satisfaction?

As the responses from our respondents show, there are some common factors that influence how satisfied employees feel in their roles. Here are some ways employers can address the most critical areas:

Promote a healthy work-life balance. Reimagined attitudes towards a better work-life balance have remained since the pandemic, with professionals championing the positive impacts it can have—be that reducing burnout or contributing to positive mental health. While a good work-life balance might look different for everyone, reducing scope creep and providing greater flexibility will ensure harmony between your employees’ work and lifestyle.

Offer more training and development opportunities. Year after year respondents tell us just how much they value their professional training and development. AWS is an ever-evolving technology, and the best professionals want to ensure they remain at the forefront of its applications and innovation. Of course, this is great news for any employer, providing that you offer the right support. Investing heavily in your team’s learning, development, and upskilling by providing time, resources, and funding ensures that you’re empowering your talent to keep honing their craft successfully.

Map out clear routes for progression. It’s important that each member of your team has something to work towards in order to remain motivated and engaged, so ensure that opportunities for career progression are achievable and well-communicated. Fail to provide your employees with the right support to achieve their career goals and their work satisfaction will dip, increasing the likelihood of taking their next career steps elsewhere.

How satisfied are employees with their salary?

Almost two-thirds (64%), compared to 61% from our previous survey, of professionals are satisfied with their salary. The 16% of respondents who are dissatisfied cited the following reasons:

What training and development do AWS professionals feel they lack?

Training and development isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—for it to be effective, employers must take the time to properly map out what upskilling and progression look like for each member of their team. For example, despite 18% knowing that they’re dissatisfied with the training they’re receiving, 35% of respondents could not name what L&D they were missing, demonstrating the importance of giving each employee the guidance they need.

This being said, the common knowledge gaps mentioned by the majority of respondents that you could look to develop in your staff include the following:

Are organizations integrating AWS with non-AWS products?

Results show that 69% of AWS customers we surveyed have integrated their AWS product with a non-AWS product.

LinkedIn poll

AWS professionals were asked which of these methods is their favorite way to learn new AWS skills. Consider how you can incorporate these approaches into your L&D offerings to boost employee satisfaction and the success of your upskill initiatives.

Video tutorials
42%
Certifications
42%
Blogs or product guides
14%
Conferences and events
3%

*Data taken from a poll conducted on Jefferson Frank’s LinkedIn in August 2023.

What training and development do AWS professionals feel they lack?

Training and development isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—for it to be effective, employers must take the time to properly map out what upskilling and progression look like for each member of their team. For example, despite 18% knowing that they’re dissatisfied with the training they’re receiving, 35% of respondents could not name what L&D they were missing, demonstrating the importance of giving each employee the guidance they need.

This being said, the common knowledge gaps mentioned by the majority of respondents that you could look to develop in your staff include the following:

LinkedIn poll

AWS professionals were asked which of these methods is their favorite way to learn new AWS skills. Consider how you can incorporate these approaches into your L&D offerings to boost employee satisfaction and the success of your upskill initiatives.

Video tutorials
42%
Certifications
42%
Blogs or product guides
14%
Conferences and events
3%

*Data taken from a poll conducted on Jefferson Frank’s LinkedIn in August 2023.

Are organizations integrating AWS with non-AWS products?

Results show that 69% of AWS customers we surveyed have integrated their AWS product with a non-AWS product.

What non-AWS products are customers integrating AWS with?

49%

GitHub

45%

Microsoft Azure

36%

Google Cloud

19%

SnowFlake

13%

WMware

14%

Other

What non-AWS products are customers integrating AWS with?

49%

GitHub

45%

Microsoft Azure

36%

Google Cloud

19%

SnowFlake

13%

WMware

14%

Other

‘Other’ responses include Gitlab and Databricks.

Some respondents also noted that their on-premise AWS product has custom-built applications attached.

Has your organization migrated to AWS in the last year?

29%

19%

43%

9%

Who supported the organization through the migration?

In-house employee(s)/internal resources 59%
AWS Consulting Partner 45%
Independent contractor 22%
AWS ISV (Independent Software Vendor) 21%
Not sure 5%
Other 4%

Of those organizations that used in-house employees, 39% (which matches the percentage from our last study) also enlisted the help of an AWS Consulting Partner. Additionally, 26% sought help from an independent contractor to support their internal staff, showing a slight rise from 24%. This indicates a continued trend of organizations using external resources to assist with AWS integration projects.

Has your organization migrated to AWS in the last year?

Yes, moved from an on-premise environment
29%
Yes, moved from another cloud product/service
19%
No
43%
Not sure
9%

Who supported the organization through the migration?

In-house employee(s)/internal resources 59%
AWS Consulting Partner 45%
Independent contractor 22%
AWS ISV (Independent Software Vendor) 21%
Not sure 5%
Other 4%

Of those organizations that used in-house employees, 39% (which matches the percentage from our last study) also enlisted the help of an AWS Consulting Partner. Additionally, 26% sought help from an independent contractor to support their internal staff, showing a slight rise from 24%. This indicates a continued trend of organizations using external resources to assist with AWS integration projects.

What challenges might you expect when working with a partner?

Problems defining the scope of the project 37%
They struggled to understand our requirements/business processes 27%
They struggled to understand our industry 24%
Keeping the project on schedule/meeting agreed deadlines 24%
Keeping the project to budget 24%
Communication difficulties 22%
None 24%
Other 2%

According to partners, what challenges do end users face when migrating to AWS?

We asked those who work for a partner what challenges their clients commonly face during a migration to AWS. Difficulties mentioned include:

A Systems Administrator from Australia explains some clients’ issues: “Customers may face challenges in terms of complexity, security and privacy, cost, integration and skills as they migrate to AWS. They need to plan and manage carefully and take appropriate measures to ensure the success and efficiency of the migration”.

A Cloud Lead from the US offered some advice for dealing with data during a migration: “Migrating large amounts of data to AWS can be a complex and time-consuming process. During the migration process, clients may encounter challenges related to data integrity, network bandwidth limitations, and minimizing downtime. It is also crucial to ensure data consistency and maintain data security during transmission”.

Expert Insight

As winners of the Best AWS Partner to Work For (DACH) at the 2023 Digital Revolution Awards, we sat down with Rackspace Technology’s CTO Automotive, Nico Schilling, to discover what he’s learned about working with AWS partners across 15 years of strategy, planning, integration, implementation, and operations experience in large business cloud programs.

What are the main skills and expertise to look out for in an AWS partner?
Selecting an AWS partner hinges on specific expertise—key factors include proficiency in foundational AWS services and a robust understanding of on-prem IT infrastructures. Many new AWS partners struggle with classical IT, which can burden modernization projects. Select partners with hands-on experience across various functions that references can show. Teamwork and a comprehensive approach are essential for smooth integration too; you must be a part of your modernization.
How can organizations identify areas for modernization and optimization, and earn buy-in from stakeholders?
Cloud isn’t just a tool; it’s a driver for digital evolution. Stakeholders must support the whole digital journey rather than agreeing to the next tool. The 7Rs of migration show how migration and modernization can look. The aim should be to maximize the use of the cloud by choosing a platform or refactor approach. Areas that do not fit into this type of migration clearly indicate that a more significant change is needed, rather than changing the tool.
What are the most common project roadblocks, and how do you overcome them?
The organizational change in digital evolution is mostly underrated. It’s not realistic to change parts of an organization; this will collide with existing processes and interfaces. Changing people’s mindsets to overcome organizational burdens and work more integrated is a huge challenge that needs to be addressed with dedicated roles. Using existing IT staff to tackle the cloud journey is another roadblock—partners can help with bringing in ideas on how to kick-start projects.
What’s the relationship between AI and cloud modernization, and how do you see AI impacting future cloud strategies?
Cloud platforms democratize AI, negating extensive and expensive infrastructure requirements. Customers with a mature cloud footprint are often faster to adopt AI services. Data is available in modern data lakes; the quality is higher and available per standardized interfaces rather than sitting in a closed on-prem data center. This ease of integration reduces the efforts to use AI services and helps companies to try services faster without significant investments. Companies that are new in their cloud journey will see a strong demand from the business to push cloud and, with that, AI to retain leading positions in their domain.

Expert Insight

As winners of the Best AWS Partner to Work For (DACH) at the 2023 Digital Revolution Awards, we sat down with Rackspace Technology’s CTO Automotive, Nico Schilling, to discover what he’s learned about working with AWS partners across 15 years of strategy, planning, integration, implementation, and operations experience in large business cloud programs.

What are the main skills and expertise to look out for in an AWS partner?
Selecting an AWS partner hinges on specific expertise—key factors include proficiency in foundational AWS services and a robust understanding of on-prem IT infrastructures. Many new AWS partners struggle with classical IT, which can burden modernization projects. Select partners with hands-on experience across various functions that references can show. Teamwork and a comprehensive approach are essential for smooth integration too; you must be a part of your modernization.
How can organizations identify areas for modernization and optimization, and earn buy-in from stakeholders?
Cloud isn’t just a tool; it’s a driver for digital evolution. Stakeholders must support the whole digital journey rather than agreeing to the next tool. The 7Rs of migration show how migration and modernization can look. The aim should be to maximize the use of the cloud by choosing a platform or refactor approach. Areas that do not fit into this type of migration clearly indicate that a more significant change is needed, rather than changing the tool.
What are the most common project roadblocks, and how do you overcome them?
The organizational change in digital evolution is mostly underrated. It’s not realistic to change parts of an organization; this will collide with existing processes and interfaces. Changing people’s mindsets to overcome organizational burdens and work more integrated is a huge challenge that needs to be addressed with dedicated roles. Using existing IT staff to tackle the cloud journey is another roadblock—partners can help with bringing in ideas on how to kick-start projects.
What’s the relationship between AI and cloud modernization, and how do you see AI impacting future cloud strategies?
Cloud platforms democratize AI, negating extensive and expensive infrastructure requirements. Customers with a mature cloud footprint are often faster to adopt AI services. Data is available in modern data lakes; the quality is higher and available per standardized interfaces rather than sitting in a closed on-prem data center. This ease of integration reduces the efforts to use AI services and helps companies to try services faster without significant investments. Companies that are new in their cloud journey will see a strong demand from the business to push cloud and, with that, AI to retain leading positions in their domain.

Why are organizations choosing to implement AWS?

64%

The functionality of the product/services

52%

Desire to reduce costs

41%

Desire to move to the cloud

37%

Variety of products/services

36%

Need for global capabilities

Trusted products/services 35%
Need to increase business responsivenesss 34%
Ease of migration 32%
Ease of user adoption/user friendly 23%
Ability to integrate with third-party vendors 22%
Post-migration support offered 14%
Lack of confidence in previous cloud service provider 11%
Other 1%

Why are organizations choosing to implement AWS?

64%

The functionality of the product/services

52%

Desire to reduce costs

41%

Desire to move to the cloud

37%

Variety of products/services

36%

Need for global capabilities

Trusted products/services 35%
Need to increase business responsivenesss 34%
Ease of migration 32%
Ease of user adoption/user friendly 23%
Ability to integrate with third-party vendors 22%
Post-migration support offered 14%
Lack of confidence in previous cloud service provider 11%
Other 1%

Why are organizations choosing to implement AWS?

64%

The functionality of the product/services

52%

Desire to reduce costs

41%

Desire to move to the cloud

37%

Variety of products/services

36%

Need for global capabilities

Trusted products/services 35%
Need to increase business responsivenesss 34%
Ease of migration 32%
Ease of user adoption/user friendly 23%
Ability to integrate with third-party vendors 22%
Post-migration support offered 14%
Lack of confidence in previous cloud service provider 11%
Other 1%

How long do migrations to AWS take?

Our respondents tell us their migration took, on average, 10 months to complete.

Let’s see that broken down further:

0-3 months
25%
4-6 months
13%
7-9 months
6%
10-12 months
31%
13+ months
25%

Given that an AWS implementation can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a small to medium-sized organization or over six months for a larger enterprise with a more complex process, it’s essential to engage with an experienced AWS professional if you lack the skills internally. They can help assess your business needs and provide a more accurate timeline for the move based on your organization’s unique requirements.

How long do migrations to AWS take?

Our respondents tell us their migration took, on average, 10 months to complete.

Let’s see that broken down further:

0-3 months
25%
4-6 months
13%
7-9 months
6%
10-12 months
31%
13+ months
25%

Given that an AWS implementation can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a small to medium-sized organization or over six months for a larger enterprise with a more complex process, it’s essential to engage with an experienced AWS professional if you lack the skills internally. They can help assess your business needs and provide a more accurate timeline for the move based on your organization’s unique requirements.

AWS go-live delays

Under a third (31%) of organizations experienced a delay to their scheduled AWS go-live.

How long were these delays?

13%

40%

30%

13%

4%

0%

What factors caused the delay?

61%

Lack of skills in-house to manage/work on the project

36%

Staff shortage

36%

Poor planning prior to migration

Rescoping of the project/changing needs of the project during implementation 29%
Data migration issues 25%
Delay in training staff 25%
Issues with testing 21%
Poor project management 21%
Budget shortage 18%
Issues dealing with partner/consultancy 18%

AWS go-live delays

Under a third (31%) of organizations experienced a delay to their scheduled AWS go-live.

How long were these delays?

13%

40%

30%

13%

4%

0%

What factors caused the delay?

61%

Lack of skills in-house to manage/work on the project

36%

Staff shortage

36%

Poor planning prior to migration

Rescoping of the project/changing needs of the project during implementation 29%
Data migration issues 25%
Delay in training staff 25%
Issues with testing 21%
Poor project management 21%
Budget shortage 18%
Issues dealing with partner/consultancy 18%

AWS go-live delays

Under a third (31%) of organizations experienced a delay to their scheduled AWS go-live.

How long were these delays?

Less than 1 month
13%
1-3 months
40%
4-6 months
30%
7-9 months
13%
10-12 months
4%
12+ months
0%

What factors caused the delay?

61%

Lack of skills in-house to manage/work on the project

36%

Staff shortage

36%

Poor planning prior to migration

Rescoping of the project/changing needs of the project during implementation 29%
Data migration issues 25%
Delay in training staff 25%
Issues with testing 21%
Poor project management 21%
Budget shortage 18%
Issues dealing with partner/consultancy 18%

Top 10 challenges that organizations faced during an implementation

0 %
1. Lack of appropriate skills internally
0 %
2. Difficulties migrating data from legacy environment to AWS
0 %
3. Lack of appropriate skills available in the market
0 %
4. Poor project management
5. User adoption challenges 24%
6. Customization challenges 20%
7. Difficulties dealing with partners 19%
8. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 19%
9. The business was not ready for the change 19%
10. Loss of productivity during the migration 18%
5. User adoption challenges 24%
6. Customization challenges 20%
7. Difficulties dealing with partners 19%
8. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 19%
9. The business was not ready for the change 19%
10. Loss of productivity during the migration 18%

Half (51%, down slightly from 53% in our previous survey) of organizations surveyed encountered implementation challenges stemming from a lack of internal skills, suggesting that there is still a lack of skills in the AWS universe.

Struggling to find mid-level AWS talent with the right skills and experience?

Revolent can help. By tapping into fresh talent pools, we can source, train, and deploy net-new AWS talent for all your project needs.

Top 10 challenges that organizations faced during an implementation

0 %
1. Lack of appropriate skills internally
0 %
2. Difficulties migrating data from legacy environment to AWS
0 %
3. Lack of appropriate skills available in the market
0 %
4. Poor project management
5. User adoption challenges 24%
6. Customization challenges 20%
7. Difficulties dealing with partners 19%
8. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 19%
9. The business was not ready for the change 19%
10. Loss of productivity during the migration 18%

Half (51%, down slightly from 53% in our previous survey) of organizations surveyed encountered implementation challenges stemming from a lack of internal skills, suggesting that there is still a lack of skills in the AWS universe.

Struggling to find mid-level AWS talent with the right skills and experience?

Revolent can help. By tapping into fresh talent pools, we can source, train, and deploy net-new AWS talent for all your project needs.

Top 10 challenges that organizations faced during an implementation

0 %
1. Lack of appropriate skills internally
0 %
2. Difficulties migrating data from legacy environment to AWS
0 %
3. Lack of appropriate skills available in the market
0 %
4. Poor project management
5. User adoption challenges 24%
6. Customization challenges 20%
7. Difficulties dealing with partners 19%
8. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 19%
9. The business was not ready for the change 19%
10. Loss of productivity during the migration 18%
5. User adoption challenges 24%
6. Customization challenges 20%
7. Difficulties dealing with partners 19%
8. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 19%
9. The business was not ready for the change 19%
10. Loss of productivity during the migration 18%

Half (51%, down slightly from 53% in our previous survey) of organizations surveyed encountered implementation challenges stemming from a lack of internal skills, suggesting that there is still a lack of skills in the AWS universe.

Struggling to find mid-level AWS talent with the right skills and experience?

Revolent can help. By tapping into fresh talent pools, we can source, train, and deploy net-new AWS talent for all your project needs.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.