I’m an AWS Community Hero with a background in data storage and protection. 2022 will be my fifth in-person re:Invent, and sixth overall. re:Invent is a great opportunity to learn about all the new storage and backup service features, take a deep dive into new architecture patterns, and network with other cloud builders.
As you start to plan your session calendar, I recommend prioritizing sessions that won’t be available to stream after the conference. Typically, I prefer to attend chalk talks, hands-on labs, and builders' sessions. I leave the majority of breakout sessions to watch later.
This re:Invent guide provides a list of the storage and data protection-focused sessions I’m most looking forward to attending, as well as some tips to make the most out of your re:Invent experience!
Cloud filesystem in studio workflows: A Netflix Drive case study
Netflix is a major consumer of AWS services and is a great example of architecture at scale. I want to learn how they manage hundreds of petabytes of data in a global cloud presence.
Protect your assets: A data protection and cyber resiliency panel (sponsored by Cohesity)
This panel discussion is going to focus on protecting against cyber threats and ransomware attacks. If you’re managing data in the cloud, this session is a must-attend.
AWS Transfer Family: The future of managed file transfer
I have some upcoming projects that could benefit from services provided by AWS Transfer Family services. I’m looking to this session to learn more about the future of the AWS Transfer Family services.
Best practices for managing S3 data at scale, with Bridgewater Associates
I love hearing how others, with much larger environments and datasets than my own, are managing their cloud data footprint. I’m hoping to pick up some good automation and management tips for my own Amazon S3 environment.
Get the most out of your data with ML-powered search
I’ve done some hackathon-type experimentation with Amazon Kendra, and I want to learn more about how others use it for enterprise search.
Building on AWS with AWS tools, services, and SDKs
As an engineer, it’s important for me to stay on top of the latest features and capabilities of the AWS CLI and SDK tools. I attend this session (or a similar one) at every re:Invent to stay on top of how these tools are evolving.
Preserving and maximizing the value of digital media assets using Amazon S3
Modernize your data archive with Amazon S3, featuring Stripe
Accelerate compute workloads with Amazon File Cache
Data protection & application recovery strategies for ransomware events
I’m excited for this chalk talk, focused on ransomware protection and recovery, to dive deeper into architecture patterns for keeping cloud data safe.
Proactively protect critical applications
I’m attending this session to learn more about how others are building disaster recovery on AWS.
Architecting security and governance across your multi-account environment
AWS Control Tower is a tool set I’d like to learn more about — especially as my AWS environment continues to expand.
Extend your multi-account governance with automation
I’m attending this session to learn more about automating standards enforcement and governance in a multi-account environment. I feel like this will fit together well with some of the other ransomware and data protection sessions on this list.
Remove the challenge of managing tape infrastructure with AWS Tape Gateway
Migrate your on-premises Hadoop data lake to Amazon S3 using AWS DataSync
Protect AWS resources with AWS Backup
Multi-account architectures are becoming more and more common on AWS. I’m excited to attend this workshop to go deeper into best practices for extending AWS Backup into multi-account environments.
Managing cloud resources with AWS Cloud Control Terraform provider
I do a lot of work with Terraform, but not necessarily with AWS Cloud Control API. I’m hoping to learn something new in this workshop.
Backup for applications running on the AWS Cloud
Backups play a critical role in any environment subject to regulatory requirements or audits. I’m looking to this workshop to help me build better automation around maintaining audit compliance with AWS Backup.
AWS storage innovations at exabyte scale
You’ve probably heard others give advice on wearing the right shoes, being prepared to walk, and staying hydrated, so I’ll skip that type of advice here. Here are my tips for making the most out of your re:Invent experience:
1. Don’t overload your schedule. Build in some downtime to catch up on emails, grab a coffee with a colleague, or just catch your breath
2. Leave time in your schedule for sessions that haven’t yet been published. New products are often announced at the daily keynotes, and conference sessions open up shortly thereafter to discuss all that’s new.
3. Ask questions. Whether it’s a detail about an architecture from a talk, or a capability of an AWS service, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Every single person at re:Invent was, at one point, new to working in the cloud.
4. Try something new! Whether it’s forming a team for the chicken wing eating challenge, joining a community service project, or taking a certification exam, use this time to expand your horizons. Fun fact: I can trace my career path back to a single conference session I attended back in 2004!