AWS Public Sector Blog
Ohio Region Launch Accelerating Sustainability, Economy, and Citizen Services
AWS announced the launch of a new region in Ohio, bringing technology opportunities, sustainability efforts, and a new way to meet compliance and data residency requirements to public sector customers.
At AWS, our customers’ requirements and feedback help us make key decisions when building new regions. The launch of a region in Ohio will allow more of our public sector customers to realize the benefits of the AWS Cloud. Our government, education, and nonprofit customers are helping to make the world a better place, and we are committed to helping these organizations innovate and achieve their missions using cloud technology.
“We are excited to know that Amazon Web Services’ new Columbus-area region is now live. The presence of one of the world’s leading cloud computing companies speaks volumes about how the City of Columbus and the surrounding area are focused on the future and to improving the lives of our residents in a sustainable manner,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther of the City of Columbus. “We welcome the activation of the new Amazon Web Services region, and we look forward to working with Amazon Web Services and our other Smart City Challenge partners on planning and implementing our vision for SmartColumbus.”
Region Launch Highlights for the Public Sector
- Customers using this new Ohio region will retain complete control and ownership of where their data is physically located, making it easy to meet regional compliance and data residency requirements.
- In addition to the environmental benefits customers inherently receive when running applications in the cloud, AWS has a long-term commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy usage for our global infrastructure footprint. In doing so, we hope to do our part to help tip the scales in the environment’s favor.
- Customers and area citizens alike will benefit from new technology opportunities in state and local government organizations, and within the growing startup and developer community in Ohio. AWS looks forward to working closely with area businesses and public sector organizations to grow a cloud ecosystem.
- AWS will also work with area students and teachers to help build the next generation of cloud computing workers.
Our work with cities and universities in Ohio is already underway. AWS has signed on to be a founding sponsor of HACKOHI/O, an event being hosted by Ohio State University (OSU) on November 19 (learn more information about the event and register here). Over 700 students will gather for a weekend to solve civic-minded challenges in the areas of health, agriculture, smart cities, and more. AWS will submit challenges based on our experience in the public sector and provide technical resources and credits through our AWS Educate program.
Watch this video of Michael V. Drake, President of The Ohio State University, welcoming AWS to Ohio.
This summer, the City of Columbus was announced as the winner of the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Smart Cities Challenge. AWS worked with with US DOT during the competition and provided the City of Columbus with a total of $1M in AWS credits and professional services to help make their smart transportation initiatives a reality. We look forward to working with the city over the course of their implementation and helping them become a true smart city.
In addition, AWS recently worked with OSU by sponsoring the OSU Agriculture Analysis Day in tandem with the 2016 Farm Science Review and in support of Ohio State’s Discovery Themes, including data analytics and food and agriculture transformation.
Finally, AWS has also formed a partnership with JobsOhio and we look forward to seeing the impact this new region has on Ohio and the surrounding areas!
“With the launch of Amazon Web Services’ newest data centers, the global leader in cloud computing now has an Ohio home,” said JobsOhio President and Chief Investment Officer John Minor. “Along with our partners at Columbus 2020, we look forward to working closely with AWS as it grows its worldwide digital capacity here in Ohio.”
Learn more about the new region and hear about what it means to AWS and our customers: