Paul and Paul Podcast

If your organization is exploring or already using generative AI, this episode is a must-listen. Without proper governance, even the most promising AI initiatives can quickly lead to sensitive data leaks, surprise six-figure bills, compliance violations, or outputs that erode customer trust. Gartner predicts that up to 40% of agentic and advanced AI projects will be scrapped by 2027 due to governa...

We sat down with Juan-Carlos Gutierrez, Managing Director of Tech & Innovation for N. America at AWS, for a thoughtful conversation into what often gets overlooked amid all the AI buzz: the human element . We cover: - Why leadership virtues like humility, kindness, diligence, patience, and gratitude (not just technical skills) are essential for thriving in an AI-augmented world - Building an Agent...

Discover how Agentic AI is transforming the cloud migration and modernization journey. In this episode, Paul and Paul sit down with AWS leader Bob Kellogg to explore AWS Transform—a groundbreaking AI-driven service that automates assessments, accelerates VMware migrations, modernizes .NET apps, and even refactors mainframes. Learn how human-in-the-loop AI tools like Q Developer are reshaping devel...

In this episode, AWS leader Sachin Shetti reveals how the Product Innovation Framework helps companies envision, build, and scale breakthrough products. From executive visioning to GenAI accelerators and global success stories, discover how enterprises transform bold ideas into customer impact. Whether you’re driving digital transformation or chasing innovation velocity, this conversation offers p...

There's a lot of talk of AI replacing jobs in the future, but in reality, it's a new technological tool that people will need to know how to work with and ensure they have the right skills to do so, in order to be successful. AWS Director of North America CSMs, Blake Chism joined us to discuss skills and strategies for people to be successful in an AI augmented workforce, and things CSMs are doing...

Dive into the cutting-edge intersection of sustainability and custom silicon in cloud computing with the Paul & Paul Podcast. Join hosts Paul Papasavvas and Paul Varnedoe as they welcome Ron Hayman, a Senior Leader in AWS Customer Solutions. Discover how AWS's innovative chips like Graviton, Trainium, and Inferentia are revolutionizing energy efficiency and performance. Learn about sustainabil...

Dive into Amazon's innovation playbook with Amanda Henke, a senior AWS leader, as she reveals the four key pillars that drive Amazon's culture of invention: Culture, Mechanisms, Architecture, and Organization. Learn how Amazon transforms bold ideas into reality through customer obsession, calculated risk-taking, and the 'Working Backwards Framework.' Discover practical insights on fostering innova...

Hello Paul and Paul listeners and welcome to the first episode of 2025! Today we will dive into the world of data analytics with AWS expert Lesong Chang, a Principal Specialist in Data and Analytics, to discuss what it truly means to be data-driven and why it's crucial for business success. We uncover common analytics use cases, challenges in implementing data strategies, and insights on how Gen A...

We are joined by our colleague, Stephen Knox, to chat about Hackathons. You may think these are something for coders, engineers, or other deeply technical people. However, senior level managers and executives can benefit from them. And in this episode, we go over the value that a Hackathon can provide to your organization, what they’re about, and how to go about getting one set up. You can find St...

Today we have another AWS colleague, Tushar Srivastava, here to discuss how AWS customers running SAP are modernizing their environment by moving to the cloud. For companies running SAP to manage accounting, operations, purchasing, or HR systems, we help explain the advantages of modernizing their ERP environment. Some of the key benefits include ways to reduce cost, improve performance, increase...

Software as a Service on AWS offers companies an opportunity to expand their business to new avenues and revenue streams. In this episode, we were joined by Raj Menon, Sr. Leader of Customer Solutions for Enterprise Customers, to talk about ways customers can leverage the AWS Marketplace, AWS Partner Network, and programs like the AWS SaaS Factory, to accelerate developing their SaaS solution and...

AWS Migration Acceleration Program helps customers offset the cost of migrating to the cloud and accelerating their business outcomes. We cover some of the benefits, prerequisites, and common questions around how MAP works. While it’s not a fully comprehensive deep dive on the topic, we wanted to address some of the common questions we hear from customers and partners, as they explore MAP and how...

Our guest today is one of our AWS CSM leaders, Sree Ratnasinghe, and she joins us to share her experiences working with our customers. We discussed several themes that customers struggle with and how our teams leverage AWS Mechanisms to address these challenges. Sree also outlines some keys to a successful cloud journey and touches on the value of a diverse workforce as well as empowering women in...

Our guest today is one of our CSM colleagues, Rohit Chaudhari, and he joins us to discuss the Product Operating Model. If your company is struggling with bringing products to market faster and scaling more effectively, then incorporating a Product Operating Model could be the solution. We talked with Rohit about some of the key points including: 1/ Demystifying the Product Operating Model and the...

Hart Rossman, VP of Security and Infrastructure of AWS Global Services, joined us to share what he’s hearing from conversations he has with our customers’ CISOs and other security leaders. CISOs have an ever changing landscape to worry about in ensuring their enterprise’s security posture is sound, and Hart had some great insights about what is on top of their minds these days, along with how to a...

We had a terrific conversation with Chris Hennesey, who is an Enterprise Financial Strategist for AWS, talking about the challenges many enterprises face in managing their costs and structuring their operations to most effectively leverage what the Cloud has to offer. When people hear “Cloud Financial Management,” they may think of accounting or finance centric processes. However, with the cloud,...

Our episode today focuses on how AWS customers can accelerate their cloud migrations by leveraging the Experience Based Acceleration mechanism. Today’s esteemed guest is Mainu Kalita, AWS Global EBA Leader, and she shares her wealth of EBA experience in our conversation. We deep dive into: 1/Reasons why customers use EBAs, 2/What benefits get delivered, and 3/How to plan and execute an effective E...

We had a fun conversation with our colleague Sino Yousef, discussing what it means to be a cloud mature enterprise, and some of the key practices that these organizations follow in order to be successful. We dove in on 1/ Leadership Imperative - Senior leadership attention and advocacy 2/ Agile Execution - Avoiding Analysis Paralysis - Fail Fast 3/ IT Operations & Skills Enablement 4/ Measuring Su...

Today we have a special guest in the studio to help us talk about measuring success in the cloud! Nurani Parasuraman is a fellow CSM in our organization and is the author of the AWS blog post “Tracking the Effectiveness of Cloud Adoption”. We got a chance to speak with him about some challenges that organizations may have when measuring success with their cloud journey. These challenges include -...

Today we discuss things you should plan for in a cloud migration. What are some of the considerations you need to think about in order to meet your goals, and to avoid common pitfalls and challenges. The areas we focus on are: 1/ Meeting cost objectives 2/ Setting up your organization to successfully operate in the cloud more efficiently, and 3/ Properly plan for setting up your security posture T...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Paul and Paul podcast where we talk about all things AWS related! In this episode, we discuss the reasons for creating this show and our roles as Customer Solutions Managers. We also review the value of the CSM and highlight some of the Amazon Leadership Principles and Mechanisms we utilize to help our customers accelerate their cloud journey. We close out w...