What the AWS outage reveals about Canada’s digital sovereignty [4SwAtiZmtwv]
#aws #cloudcomputing #canada “We were sleepwalking our way into this new economy, and we’ve had a bit of a wake-up call.” You may have noticed the internet stopped working recently. A relatively minor AWS outage in the cloud provider’s US-EAST-1 Region hub was still able to bring down Fortnite, Snapchat, and a bunch of Canadian startups for a day, with some experts predicting hundreds of billions in lost productivity. Days later, a Microsoft Azure outage did similar damage. That’s not a good look for the sovereignty crowd, who are calling for Canada to build its own digital infrastructure to counter US dominance. But what if I told you that Canada already had a sovereign cloud? Many of them, in fact. Ian Rae, CEO of cloud computing service provider Aptum, has been building the infrastructure of the internet since 1994. He’s also on Minister Evan Solomon’s AI Task Force to help renew the nation’s AI strategy (including infrastructure and sovereignty). On this episode of The BetaKit Podcast, Rae explains why outages happen and what they reveal about the economics of the internet. He also makes the case that digital sovereignty is less about border control and more about control of our supply chain. For him, an ‘elbows up’ mentality of trying to rebuild everything in Canada is “naive.” So how do we rebuild Canada’s digital sovereignty, and what does it look like? Let’s dig in. -- This episode of The BetaKit Podcast is brought to you by The Cyber Challenge—your pathway to new sales, industry connections, and non-dilutive funding. The Cyber Challenge, powered by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and CCTX, helps Ontario-based tech startups tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges. You will gain direct access to major industry players, test your solutions in real-world settings, and unlock new market opportunities—all at no cost. That’s right, there is no equity required. If you're ready to scale, refine, and be a leader in cybersecurity innovation, apply today at www.thecyberchallenge.ca: -- The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Xero: the global small businesses platform, designed to make life easier for small businesses–anywhere, any time. Running a business is demanding enough without the burden of bookkeeping. Xero’s global platform is designed to take accounting off your plate, giving you the freedom to focus on what you do best. By unifying essential tools like accounting, payroll, and payments, Xero helps you automate tasks and gain the clarity you need to make smarter decisions. Join a global community of forward-thinking businesses. Discover what Xero can do for you at: