In the year 2025, we find ourselves amidst a whirlwind of technological advancements and announcements that emerged from re:Invent last year. Many individuals are still acclimating to these developments, and to aid this, numerous re:Invent recap events have been hosted globally since the onset of the year. These events have varied in nature, encompassing both in-person, all-day official AWS events featuring multiple tracks, as well as community gatherings and virtual sessions. These platforms are designed to facilitate a deeper understanding of the new releases that participants are most interested in.
Last month, I had the privilege of co-hosting the AWS EMEA re:Invent re:Cap – an extensive livestream event that spanned nearly four hours. This session was enriched with expert demonstrations, whiteboard discussions, and an interactive Q&A segment. The exciting news is that this event can now be accessed on-demand. The virtual experience was well-received, attracting thousands of participants who relished the learning opportunity. I urge you to explore this resource or share it with colleagues who were unable to attend any of the re:Invent re:Cap events.
Similarly, the Korean team executed an exceptional job by hosting their own virtual re:Invent re:Cap event, which is also available on-demand. If you are proficient in Korean, I highly recommend giving it a look.
For those who prefer reading, we have a special offering. You can download the comprehensive official re:Invent re:Cap deck, which encompasses slides detailing releases across all domains, by visiting the AWS community website. Additionally, this platform provides information about upcoming in-person re:Invent re:Cap community events scheduled to take place worldwide, offering a chance to attend one in a city near you.
However, it’s important to note that the flow of new releases, announcements, and updates does not halt with re:Invent. There are continuous developments every week, which is why we have initiated a Weekly Roundup series. This series is released every Monday, providing a summary of the AWS news highlights from the preceding week.
Last Week’s AWS Launches
If you are utilizing AWS Step Functions, you’ll find these updates noteworthy:
AWS Step Functions have been enhanced, offering a more robust platform for orchestrating different AWS services. This service allows developers to design workflows that automate various tasks and processes, thus enhancing efficiency.
Moreover, Amazon Q Developer has seen a couple of updates, enhancing its capabilities and expanding its use cases. This tool is integral for developers who are building and deploying applications on AWS, providing essential features that streamline the development process.
Notable Releases from Other AWS Services
AWS CloudFormation has introduced a new feature – stack refactoring. This functionality allows users to split CloudFormation stacks, reallocate resources from one stack to another, and modify the logical name of resources within a stack. This enhancement provides increased flexibility, enabling users to adapt to organizational changes and architectural transformations, such as optimizing resource lifecycle management for existing stacks and adjusting to naming convention changes. Users can refactor their stacks utilizing the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) or AWS Software Development Kit (SDK).
AWS Config now supports four new resource types. AWS Config is an invaluable tool for monitoring resources across your AWS environment, ensuring alignment with company policies, security protocols, and compliance requirements. The addition of these new resource types enables users to monitor Amazon VPC block public access settings, track exceptions within those settings, and oversee S3 Express One Zone bucket policies and directory bucket settings.
A new feature has been unveiled for the automated recovery of Microsoft SQL Server on EC2 instances with Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS). This feature allows users to back up SQL Server databases to Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) snapshots while the database is operational. Utilizing AWS Systems Manager Automation Runbook, users can specify a preferred recovery point in time, and the database will be automatically restored from the VSS-based EBS snapshot without any downtime.
Additional Updates
Changes are forthcoming for the AWS Security Token Service (AWS STS) global endpoint. To enhance application resiliency and performance, AWS is modifying the AWS STS global endpoint, with no action required from customers. Beginning early 2025, requests to the STS global endpoint will be served in the same Region as your deployed AWS workloads. For instance, if your application calls sts.amazonaws.com from the US West (Oregon) Region, the calls will be serviced locally in the same Region, rather than being routed to the US East (N. Virginia) Region. This rollout will commence in the coming weeks and is expected to cover all default enabled AWS Regions by mid-2025.
Upcoming AWS and Community Events
AWS Public Sector Day London is slated for February 27. This event will bring together public sector leaders and innovators to explore how AWS is driving digital transformation in sectors such as government, education, and healthcare.
AWS Innovate GenAI + Data Edition is a free online conference focusing on generative AI and data innovations. It will be accessible in multiple Regions: APJC and EMEA on March 6, North America on March 13, Greater China Region on March 14, and Latin America on April 8.
For more information about upcoming AWS-led in-person and virtual developer-focused events, you can explore the AWS events page.
If you are in search of reading recommendations, Dr. Werner Vogles, VP and CTO of Amazon, publishes a list of recommended books at the beginning of each year. This year’s selection is particularly impressive and is worth exploring.
That concludes this week’s roundup! To stay updated with all AWS announcements, make sure to regularly check the What’s New with AWS page.
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