Just one month after achieving Amazon Web Services Migration competency, Lancom Technology has followed up with competency certification in Microsoft Workloads. It’s remarkable pace from the managed services provider and software developer, but Group CEO Waruna Kirimetiyawa says it’s all in a day’s work.

“The reality is we’re pursuing these certifications at pace because it’s what our customers want from us, and this is the kind of work we’re doing for them every day,” he confirms. “Racking them up in quick succession is definitely a bit unusual, but on the other hand we already have the capabilities and the reference sites, so completing the other formal requirements required by Amazon Web Services is just that – a formality.”

As an AWS Microsoft Workloads Competency Partner, is recognised as qualified for deploying Microsoft workloads on AWS. The certification is awarded after demonstration and validation of technical capabilities and success in helping customers migrate, manage, or deploy Microsoft Workloads to AWS.

With Kirimetiyawa noting that 99% of Lancom’s customers run a Microsoft workload or application developed on the Microsoft stack, he says combining AWS Web Services Migration with Microsoft Workloads Competency is an obvious step forward.

“Our customers want choice on the two hyperclouds arriving in New Zealand this year; through 2023, we’ve worked on showcasing our readiness for both AWS and Microsoft, delivering exactly what existing and prospective clients expect from their managed services and software development partner.”

AWS has consent to build several centres with the goal of opening a new cloud region in New Zealand, also in 2024, as it creates an Asia Pacific (Auckland) Region. An AWS Region is a physical location featuring a cluster of data centres. Each cluster is known as an Availability Zone (AZ) and each AWS Region consists of multiple, isolated, and physically separate AZs.

Microsoft has received consent for the purchase of a 6.5-hectare Auckland site to be developed into a $180-million data centre in 2024.

“These developments have been warmly received by the many customers of both hyperclouds, as well as by partners such as Lancom Technology,” Kirimetiyawa observes. “Already, both AWS and Microsoft are technology staples for a wide swath of organisations from the biggest Kiwi companies right the way through to individual users. The in-country presence of data centres means better performance, reduced latency and wider services accessibility.

“And the presence of appropriately skilled and experienced partners with the certifications and qualifications from both AWS and Microsoft means dependable support and expertise to get the best value from these vendors is equally accessible.”

It was a busy 2023 for Lancom Technology. In February, it introduced an AWS Marketplace Concierge Service, helping local software vendors navigate their way into the AWS Marketplace and reach an international audience. In April, the company secured an AWS Cloud Innovation Healthcare Industry Award for modersing a key application for Australia’s Barwon Health, in the same month securing Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure certification.

By August, Lancom received Microsoft Solutions Partner status for Digital and App Innovation, and in November received AWS Migration Competency before rounding out 2023 with the latest AWS Certification.

“It has been a busy but good year where we started with clear ambitions and finished having achieved them. Now we look forward to the challenges that await in 2024 – and be sure that additional certifications will be part of that,” Kirimetiyawa concludes.