Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Realizing value with hybrid by design at USAA (HYB103)

Summary

• Varun Bijlani of IBM Consulting discusses the partnership with AWS and the importance of certifications and competencies in cloud services.
• Jeff Kalosinski, CTO of USAA, shares the company's history, digital-only business model, and focus on serving military members and their families.
• USAA's technology priorities are centered on modernization, data management, and delivering consistent, reliable services.
• USAA's hybrid multi-cloud strategy is based on four principles: open standards, fit for purpose, hybrid by design, and multi-cloud.
• The company has a unified fabric for cloud governance, risk management, and a product-centric operating model.
• USAA's approach to cloud includes refactoring, rewriting, or replacing applications, with a preference for AWS for custom development and OpenShift for private cloud.
• IBM Consulting has been instrumental in USAA's cloud journey, providing expertise and accelerating adoption.
• Best practices from USAA's experience include setting up a cloud center of excellence, a unified cloud risk framework, opinionated architectures, and a focus on resiliency and financial management.
• Varun Bijlani outlines IBM's hybrid by design value framework, emphasizing product-native design and the impact of generative AI on cloud transformation.
• Jeff Kalosinski discusses USAA's integration and security strategies, the importance of a hybrid approach, and the benefits of generative AI in accelerating experimentation and decision-making.
• The session concludes with a discussion on the value of hybrid by design in driving infrastructure cost optimization, developer productivity, and business acceleration.

Insights

• USAA's commitment to a digital-only model necessitates a strong focus on innovation and technology to serve its members effectively.
• The company's hybrid multi-cloud strategy is a deliberate choice to ensure flexibility, interoperability, and alignment with business needs.
• USAA's approach to cloud transformation is methodical, avoiding a simple lift-and-shift in favor of a more strategic refactoring, rewriting, or replacing of applications.
• The partnership with IBM Consulting highlights the importance of leveraging external expertise to accelerate cloud adoption and manage complex transitions.
• The emphasis on opinionated architectures and a unified cloud risk framework demonstrates USAA's commitment to maintaining consistency, compliance, and security in the cloud.
• IBM's hybrid by design value framework and the integration of generative AI into cloud strategies suggest a trend towards more intelligent and adaptive cloud environments.
• The discussion on generative AI underscores its potential to enhance real-time decision-making and operational agility, which are critical for organizations like USAA that operate in dynamic and demanding sectors.