More government agencies are using Amazon.com, Inc.’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) to get more done while their budgets remain stagnant. Aaron Hughes, systems architect at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that his organization has been using AWS cloud for over three years to enable government scientists to “track different wildlife species and monitor ecosystems” without asking taxpayers to crack open their wallets, he noted.

The WA Department of Fish and Wildlife uses AWS cloud as a solution to amass “collected citizen science data,” Hughes explained. Folks around Washington state can take geo-tagged photographs and upload them anonymously to the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s cloud. While some of this data is shared publicly, some of the pictures are of endangered or sensitive species, and therefore that data must be protected. The WA Department of Fish and Wildlife uses AWS to ensure that data is shared only with the appropriate parties, including scientists and Washington State tribes.

This type of security functionally, said Hughes, is part of why his department chose the AWS Cloud. Although they still use Microsoft for a number of workloads, Hughes explained that the ability to use Trend Micro, Inc.’s Deep Security product in conjunction with AWS cloud functionality enabled his department to create and “secure and stable” environment. Especially in the government, where spending is carefully scrutinized, Hughes emphasized that getting “the best bang for [our] buck” was an important factor in choosing the AWS cloud.

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