In December 2024, generative artificial intelligence took center stage at AWS re:Invent. AHEAD, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, was thrilled to participate in the conversation and to be recognized for our transformative work with clients across healthcare and beyond.

Specifically, AWS named AHEAD an Industry Partner of the Year for Healthcare and Life Sciences, an important validation of our contributions to the sector. This award recognizes our efforts to address critical challenges for our healthcare customers, including modernizing IT infrastructure, managing and analyzing vast amounts of data, supporting agility in research and innovation, and using AI to address important needs like reducing physician burnout and improving patient care. The award also underscores the strength of our collaboration with AWS and positions AHEAD to serve even more customer needs across the public and private sectors.

While this recognition was a proud moment for AHEAD, AWS re:Invent provided a chance to explore cutting-edge advancements shaping the future of cloud technology and how they can drive meaningful outcomes for our customers.

Here are some key moments from AWS re:Invent that stood out as pivotal for AHEAD and our customers.

New Generative AI Models to make Solutions More Accessible

At re:Invent, AWS announced Amazon Nova, a new generation of foundation models available through Amazon Bedrock. Amazon Nova offers a range of models with varying capabilities and price points, aiming to make generative AI implementation more accessible and cost-effective. These models can be customized for specific use cases across various industries, allowing organizations to leverage pre-trained foundation models and adapt them to their unique needs, rather than building models from scratch. For example, a healthcare organization could use Amazon Nova models as a starting point, then fine-tune or customize them for specific applications, like improving patient engagement or streamlining administrative workflows, without having to develop a generative AI model from the ground up.

These models are a game-changer for many of our clients who have struggled with the high costs and technical demands of traditional generative AI models. Many healthcare and life sciences organizations need to resolve technical debt and modernize their IT infrastructure; but they don’t have the resources to develop a generative AI solution across their institution. However, these models provide an opportunity to address specific needs, like clinician burnout or limited patient access to new services, at a lower cost. AHEAD looks forward to using these and other new technologies to help customers innovate and meet business needs faster.

Launching the AHEAD Cloud Rapid Assess Solution

One of the common hurdles in IT modernization and cloud migration is the lengthy and often cumbersome discovery and assessment process of an organization’s current IT landscape. At AWS re:Invent, we introduced AHEAD Cloud Rapid Assess, a solution designed to accelerate discovery and decision-making. By focusing on smaller, cloud-viable subsets of applications, Cloud Rapid Assess allows clients to achieve “quick wins” without the frustration of a three-to-four-month evaluation and analysis phase.

This agile, sprint-based approach speeds return on investment for cloud modernization, building confidence and momentum for further modernization efforts while minimizing upfront costs. This methodology is particularly impactful for healthcare clients when addressing mission-critical systems like Epic and its ecosystem.

Spotlighting Security & Collaboration

At AWS re:Invent, Tim Frank, our Chief Revenue Officer, joined Greg Pearson, AWS Vice President of Global Sales, and others in a moderated discussion from the main stage about the Cloud Security Accelerator we built with our trusted partner, Wiz. This innovative solution provides complete visibility into cloud attack paths and responds to threats with swift remediation at scale across an organization. The Cloud Security Accelerator demonstrates our commitment to helping clients enhance and increase efficiency in their cloud security efforts – a critical priority as organizations face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Watch the fireside chat here.

We also showcased a new “shift-left” security pipeline solution at the Wiz booth on the re:Invent Expo Hall floor. Integrating Harness’s AI-native software delivery templates and Wiz’s comprehensive security expertise, this solution embeds security best practices early in the software lifecycle to reduce vulnerabilities, enhance operational efficiency, and accelerate time-to-market.

These efforts reinforce AHEAD’s role as a trusted partner in cloud security, delivering tailored solutions that meet our clients’ unique needs.

Looking AHEAD

Before AWS re:Invent, AHEAD participated in the Chime24 Fall Forum, a premier event for healthcare IT leaders. During the event, we hosted a focus group on generative AI, gathering insights from healthcare professionals about their biggest challenges and priorities. The focus group revealed that many healthcare organizations lack the resources to use generative AI effectively. However, AWS’s announcements at re:Invent—including lighter-weight AI models, no-code solutions, and tools for easier operationalization—directly address some of these challenges. By reducing dependency on specialized technical resources, these innovations make AI adoption more feasible and impactful for organizations.

The innovations we saw at re:Invent show that an emerging “both-and” world is possible. Many organizations have an “either-or” mentality about IT management: they have to choose between keeping the lights on in the data center or implementing an innovative generative AI solution.

But new, accessible cloud solutions empower clients to tackle technical debt and adopt transformative tools simultaneously. A digital innovation project no longer has to be a time-intensive and resource-draining undertaking. Companies can complete routine, necessary work and innovative work simultaneously, and AHEAD has the expertise to be their partner at every step of the journey.

Don’t let the future of healthcare innovation pass you by. The groundbreaking announcements at AWS re:Invent 2024 have set the stage for a transformative 2025 in cloud technology and AI. AHEAD is uniquely positioned to guide your organization through this exciting new landscape.

Contact AHEAD today, or learn more about AHEAD healthcare solutions.