Jeff Barr, Doug Kaye

Amazon Web Services, GigaVox Media

Technometria: Amazon Web Services
61 minutes, 28mb, recorded 2007-02-07
Jeff Barr, Doug Kaye

Most people are very familiar with Amazon's retail business, but the company also has a popular technology arm, Amazon Web Services, which provides developers with direct access to Amazon's robust technology platform. Phil, Matt, and Scott discuss this program with Jeff Barr, Senior Manager, Web Services Evangelism at Amazon.com. Doug Kaye, CTO of GigaVox Media also joins them to review how GigaVox is using the Amazon services.

Jeff first reviews the components of Amazon Web Services, describing how the four parts work together. Doug then illustrates how GigaVox’s new GigaVox Audio Lite (currently in alpha testing) was built around the parts. Below is Doug’s diagram. His full description can be found in the Resources links.

 

As interesting as this discussion is, the group also assesses Amazon’s business model, including the low costs to the user, coupled with the lack of firm terms of service. It is clear that it is a useful approach for both and is an example of how cooperation can lead to a successful business affiliation.


Jeff Barr has been in the software business since he was 16, starting out at one of the first retail computer stores in the world. He worked at startups, at big companies, and had his own consulting practice. He still write code, but currently focuses on technical evangelism, coupling his software development background with speaking and writing skills to get developers excited about new techologies. He is still a geek at heart and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. He's not afraid to dig into kernel level source code, but is just as comfortable traveling around the world and presenting high-level business and technical concepts to a professional audience.

Doug Kaye is IT Conversations' original host, producer, developer, writer, interviewer and engineer. He launched IT Conversations in June 2003 and still produces many of the site's programs. Doug is now CTO of GigaVox Media and Executive Director of the Conversations Network.

In what seems to him like a previous lifetime, Doug was a recording engineer and sound editor in film and television. After mixing one too many TV commercials and English dubs of Lina Wertmuller films he made a break to the software industry. After another 18 years as an IT entrepreneur/CEO, he successfully worked his way down the corporate ladder and served as CTO/VP Engineering of four dot-com startups: one successful IPO, two shutdowns, one still on life support.

Resources:

This free podcast is from our Technometria with Phil Windley series.

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