

AWS Podcast
Amazon Web Services
The Official AWS Podcast is a podcast for developers and IT professionals looking for the latest news and trends in storage, security, infrastructure, serverless, and more. Join Simon Elisha and Hawn Nguyen-Loughren for regular updates, deep dives, launches, and interviews. Whether you’re training machine learning models, developing open source projects, or building cloud solutions, the Official AWS Podcast has something for you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 26, 2018 • 29min
#251: [Security and Compliance: GDPR Special#2] - Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty can be turned on with a single click and it doesn’t require deployment of software or security infrastructure. The service uses machine learning to monitor metadata for access activity, such as unusual API calls. GuardDuty also has threat detections that could be helpful to customers concerned with data privacy or facing regulations such as the EU’s General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR). Listen to the podcast with Senior Product Manager Michael Fuller to learn how Amazon GuardDuty could be leveraged to meet your compliance considerations.
https://aws.amazon.com/guardduty/
https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/gdpr-center/

Jun 24, 2018 • 17min
#250: Making the Best Use of AWS Regions, Availability Zones and More
This week Simon takes you into the world of AWS Infrastructure. Regions. Availability Zones, Edge locations and more! Great for a refresher or to pick up new tips!
Shownotes:
AWS Infrastructure Map: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/
Insight into AWS Datacentres: https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/data-center/data-centers/
Easier way to control access to AWS regions using IAM policies: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/security/easier-way-to-control-access-to-aws-regions-using-iam-policies/

Jun 17, 2018 • 12min
#249: Diving into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Simon is joined by Chris Checco (Business Development Manager, AI/ML, AWS) to talk about how customers can best start their AI/ML journey. Including key tips and pitfalls to avoid.
Shownotes:
Machine Learning on AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/
ML Labs: https://aws.amazon.com/ml-solutions-lab/

Jun 12, 2018 • 20min
#248: [Security and Compliance: GDPR Special#1] - AWS Key Management Service
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) makes it easy to create and control encryption keys, which could be used to meet encryption and deletion requirements like those associated with GDPR. Cryptographic deletion is the idea is that you can delete a relatively small number of keys to make a large amount of encrypted data irretrievable. Hear from Ken, general manager of AWS KMS, about best practices related to encryption, key management and cryptographic deletion.
https://aws.amazon.com/kms/
https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/gdpr-center/

Jun 10, 2018 • 18min
#247: Diving Into AWS AppSync
Simon speaks with Ed Lima (AWS Solutions Architect) about AWS AppSync. What you can do with it, how it works and how to get started. Do you write mobile apps? Do you want data syncing? Do you need to integrate with a complex back-end? This is the episode for you!
Shownotes:
AWS AppSync: https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/
Ed's Blog Post: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/mobile/building-a-serverless-real-time-chat-application-with-aws-appsync/
AWS Online Tech Talks: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/events/monthlywebinarseries/
AWS re:Invent 2018: https://reinvent.awsevents.com/

Jun 3, 2018 • 40min
#246: Service Update Mega-Show!
This week Simon takes you though an extensive set of things new and interesting - hopefully something for everyone!
Shownotes:
Amazon Aurora Backtrack – Turn Back Time - AWS News Blog | https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-aurora-backtrack-turn-back-time/
Amazon Aurora Publishes General, Slow Query and Error Logs to Amazon CloudWatch | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-aurora-publishes-general-slow-query-and-error-logs-to-amazon-cloudwatch/
Amazon RDS for Oracle Supports New X1 and X1e Instance Types | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-rds-for-oracle-supports-new-x1-and-x1e-instance-types/
Amazon RDS Supports Outbound Network Access from PostgreSQL Read Replicas for Commercial Regions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-rds-supports-outbound-network-access-from-postgresql-read-replicas/
Amazon RDS Database Preview Environment is now available | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-rds-database-preview-environment-now-available/
Modifiable sqlnet.ora Parameters for RDS Oracle | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/modifiable-sqlnet-ora-parameters-for-rds-oracle/
AWS Database Migration Service Supports IBM Db2 as a Source | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/04/aws-dms-supports-ibm-db2-as-a-source/
AWS Database Migration Service Supports R4 Instance Types | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-database-migration-service-supports-r4-instance-types/
Amazon Redshift Adds New CloudWatch Metrics for Easy Visualization of Cluster Performance | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-redshift-adds-new-cloudwatch-metrics-for-easy-visualization-of-cluster-performance/
AWS Storage Gateway VTL Expands Backup Application Support with NovaStor DataCenter | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-storage-gateway-vtl-adds-support-for-novastor-datacenter/
Amazon Macie Adds New Dashboard Making It Easier to Identify Publicly Accessible Amazon Simple Storage Service Objects | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-macie-adds-new-dashboard-to-identify-publicly-accessible-amazon-simple-storage-service-objects/
Introducing Optimize CPUs for Amazon EC2 Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/introducing-optimize-cpus-for-amazon-ec2-instances/
Announcing General Availability of Amazon EC2 Bare Metal Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/announcing-general-availability-of-amazon-ec2-bare-metal-instances/
Introducing Amazon EC2 Fleet | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/04/introducing-amazon-ec2-fleet/
Introducing Amazon EC2 C5d Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/
introducing-amazon-ec2-c5d-instances/
Amazon EC2 Spot Instances now Support Red Hat BYOL | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/04/amazon-ec2-spot-instances-now-support-red-hat-byol/
Get Latest Console Output on EC2 Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/get-latest-console-output-on-ec2-instances/
Amazon ECS Service Discovery Supports Bridge and Host Container Networking Modes | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-ecs-service-discovery-supports-bridge-and-host-container-/
Amazon ECS Adds SSM Parameter for Launching ECS-Optimized EC2 Instances using AWS CloudFormation | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/ecs-adds-ssm-parameter-for-launching-ecs-optimized-ec2-amis/
AWS Elastic Beanstalk Supports Apache Tomcat v8.5 and Apache HTTP Server v2.4 | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/elastic-beanstalk-supports-apache-tomcat-v8_5-and-apache-http-server-v2_4/
AWS Elastic Beanstalk Adds Support for Health Events in Amazon CloudWatch Logs | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/AWS-elastic-beanstalk-adds-support-for-health-events-in-amazon-cloudWatch-logs/
Application Load Balancer Announces Slow Start Support for its Load Balancing Algorithm | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/application-load-balancer-announces-slow-start-support/
Application Load Balancer and Network Load Balancer now Support Resource- and Tag-based Permissions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/alb-and-nlb-now-support-resource--and-tag-based-permissions/
Amazon Simple Queue Service Server-Side Encryption is Now Available in 13 Additional Regions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-sqs-server-side-encryption-is-now-available-in-16-aws-regions/
AWS CloudFormation now Supports AWS Budgets as a Resource for CloudFormation Templates, Stacks, and StackSets | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-cloudformation-supports-aws-budgets-resource/
AWS CloudFormation Supports FIPS 140-2 Validated API Endpoints in US Regions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-cloudformation-supports-fips-140-2-validated-api-endpoints-i/
AWS Auto Scaling Scaling Plans Can Now be Created Using AWS CloudFormation | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-auto-scaling-scaling-plans-can-now-be-created-using-aws-cloudformation/
Amazon Translate is now supported in AWS Mobile SDK for Android and iOS | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-translate-is-now-supported-in-aws-mobile-sdk-for-android-and-ios/
Amazon AppStream 2.0 Now Supports Administrative Controls for Limiting File Movement, Clipboard, and Printing | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/appstream2-now-supports-administrative-controls-for-limiting-file-movement-cipboard-printing/
Amazon Inspector Adds Ability to Run Security Assessments on Amazon EC2 Instances Without Adding Tags | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-inspector-adds-ability-to-run-security-assessments-on-amazon-ec2-instances-without-adding-tags/
The AWS Organizations Console is Now Available in Eight New Languages | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-organizations-console-now-available-eight-new-languages/
Amazon Cognito Now Supports the Capability to Add Custom OIDC-providers | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-cognito-now-supports-the-capability-to-add-custom-oidc-providers/
Alexa now lets you schedule 1:1 meetings and move meetings in your calendar | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/alexa-now-lets-you-schedule-1-1-meetings-and-move-meetings-in-yo/
Amazon Chime brings Meetings and Chat to Your Browser with a New Web Application | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/Amazon_Chime_brings_Meetings_and_Chat_to_Your_Browser_with_a_New_Web_Application/
The AWS Secrets Manager Console Is Now Available in Italian and Traditional Chinese | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/new-aws-secrets-manager-console-language-support-italian-traditional-chinese/
Amazon Inspector Now Supports Amazon Linux 2018.03 and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-inspector-now-supports-amazon-linux-2018-03-and-ubuntu-18-04/
Higher Throughput Workflows for AWS Step Functions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/higher-throughput-workflows-for-aws-step-functions/
New Developer Preview: Use Amazon Polly Voices in Alexa Skills | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/new-developer-preview-use-amazon-polly-voices-in-alexa-skills/
AWS CodeCommit Supports Branch-Level Permissions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-codecommit-supports-branch-level-permissions/
AWS CodeBuild Adds Support for Windows Builds | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-codebuild-adds-support-for-windows-builds/
AWS CodeBuild Supports VPC Endpoints | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-codebuild-supports-vpc-endpoints/
AWS CodeBuild Now Supports Local Testing and Debugging | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-codebuild-now-supports-local-testing-and-debugging/
AWS CodePipeline Supports Push Events from GitHub via Webhooks | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-codepipeline-supports-push-events-from-github-via-webhooks/
AWS SAM CLI Simplifies Building Serverless Apps with the SAM init Command | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/04/aws-sam-cli-releases-new-init-command/
Optimized TensorFlow 1.8 Now Available in the AWS Deep Learning AMIs to Accelerate Training on Amazon EC2 C5 and P3 Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-deep-learning-amis-optimized-tensorflow-18/
AWS Systems Manager Helps You Collect Inventory on All Managed Instances in a Single Click | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/systems-manager-adds-1-click-experience-to-enable-inventory/
Amazon WorkSpaces Introduces Mouse Support on iPad Devices | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/Amazon-WorkSpaces-Introduces-Mouse-Support-on-iPad-Devices/
Lambda@Edge Adds Support for Node.js v8.10 | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/lambda-at-edge-adds-support-for-node-js-v8-10/
Major Updates Come to Script Canvas with Lumberyard Beta 1.14 – Available Now | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/major-updates-come-to-script-canvas-with-lumberyard-beta-114-available-now/
Introducing Real-Time IoT Device Monitoring with Kinesis Data Analytics | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/introducing-real-time-iot-device-monitoring-with-kinesis-data-analytics/
Introducing the IoT Device Simulator | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/introducing-the-iot-device-simulator/
What's New with Amazon FreeRTOS - Amazon Web Services | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/esp32-qualified-for-amazon-freertos/
Introducing Amazon GameLift Target Tracking for Autoscaling | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/introducing-amazon-gamelift-target-tracking-for-autoscaling/
Copying Encrypted Amazon EBS Snapshots Under Custom CMK now Completes Faster With Less Storage | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/copying-encrypted-amazon-ebs-snapshots-under-custom-cmk-now-completes-faster-with-less-storage/
Amazon GuardDuty Adds Capability to Automatically Archive Findings | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-guardduty-adds-capability-to-automatically-archive-findings1/
Monitor your Reserved Instance coverage by receiving alerts via AWS Budgets | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/reserved-instance-coverage-alerts-via-aws-budgets/
Stream Real-Time Data in Apache Parquet or ORC Format Using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/stream_real_time_data_in_apache_parquet_or_orc_format_using_firehose/
Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics Application Monitoring using Amazon CloudWatch | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/kinesis_data_analytics_application_monitoring_using_cloudwatch/
Amazon EMR now supports M5 and C5 instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-emr-now-supports-m5-and-c5-instances/
Thinkbox Deadline Supports 3ds Max 2019 and Vue 2016 | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/thinkbox-deadline-supports-3ds-max-2019-and-vue-2016/
Amazon Elasticsearch Service Offers Additional Cost Savings with Reserved Instances | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-elasticsearch-service-offers-additional-cost-savings-with-reserved-instances/
Announcing Amazon EC2 H1 Instances Price Reduction | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-ec2-h1-pricing-reduction/
AWS Service Catalog Launches Ability to Copy Products Across Regions | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-service-catalog-launches-ability-to-copy-products-across-regions/
AWS Service Catalog Introduces the Ability to Chain the Launch of Multiple Products | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-service-catalog-introduces-the-ability-to-chain-the-launch-of-multiple-products/
Amazon DynamoDB Encryption Client Is Now Available in Python | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-dynamodb-encryption-client-available-in-python/
AWS Config Adds Support for AWS X-Ray | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-config-adds-support-for-aws-x-ray/
AWS Config Adds Support for AWS Lambda | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/04/aws-config-adds-support-for-aws-lambda/
AWS Amplify Introduces Service Worker Capabilities to Enable High-Quality Progressive Web Apps. | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/aws-amplify-service-worker-capabilities/
Amazon Sumerian is Generally Available | https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/05/amazon-sumerian-is-generally-available/

May 27, 2018 • 12min
#245: Cost Optimization For EC2
How do you approach cost optimisation for EC2? Peter Shi and Spencer Marley (Commercial Architects) speak with Simon about some of the most common techniques customers can use.
Cost Optimisation: https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/cost-optimization/

May 20, 2018 • 15min
#244: Building Your Own Q & A Bot
Building Your Own Q & A Bot
Do your customers have questions they need answered 24/7? Ever wanted to build your own Q & A Bot? John Calhoun, AWS Solutions Architect, joins Simon to show you how!
Shownotes:
Q & A Bot Building Blog: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/machine-learning/creating-a-question-and-answer-bot-with-amazon-lex-and-amazon-alexa/
Amazon Lex: https://aws.amazon.com/lex/
Amazon Elasticsearch Service: https://aws.amazon.com/elasticsearch-service/

May 13, 2018 • 12min
#243: Have You Heard of the Essential 8?
Customers around the world strive to maintain a high security posture. But how is this best achieved? The Australian Signals Directorate recommends the “Essential 8” mitigation strategies that organisations should apply. Simon is joined by John Hildebrandt, AWS Principal Solutions Architect, to discuss his recent blog post that shows you how you can implement these mitigations using AWS in new and efficient ways.
Shownotes:
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/aws-and-the-australian-signals-directorate-essential-eight
https://aws.amazon.com/security/

May 6, 2018 • 19min
#242: Using Built-in Algos with Amazon SageMaker
Did you know there are more than 10 built-in ML algos you can use when doing Machine Learning with Amazon SageMaker? Simon is joined by Julien Simon (Principal AI//ML Evangelist, AWS EMEA) to discuss how to use them best!
Shownotes:
Amazon SageMaker: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/
Built-in Algorithms: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/latest/dg/algos.html
Amazon SageMaker Examples on GitHub: https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-sagemaker-examples


