Simon and Jillian keep you up to date with all the latest releases and capabilities!

In this episode, we will dive deep into Innovation Sandbox on AWS, a new AWS solution offering that transforms the management of temporary sandbox environments, by offering a ready-made solution that enables customers to reduce sandbox setup time from weeks to hours while automating spend controls, security policies, and usage monitoring. Learn how AWS customers – from Universities to Enterprises – are using the Innovation Sandbox on AWS to empower their teams to learn, experiment, and innovate faster on AWS.

Product page: https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/innovation-sandbox-on-aws/

Implementation Guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/solutions/latest/innovation-sandbox-on-aws/solution-overview.html

Source code on GitHub: https://github.com/aws-solutions/innovation-sandbox-on-aws

Simon takes you through a big list of cool new things - something for everyone.

Frugality wasn't something Craig Link learned on the job, it was passed down from his father, who would calculate the cost-benefit of driving for cheaper gas and meticulously track every tank's miles per gallon in a worn notebook tucked into the glove box. He would also pack sandwiches, toss them in a cooler, and store them in the back seat. These were early lessons in trade-offs. Stopping less, spending less, meant more time doing the fun things, like being on vacation. This mindset proved invaluable throughout Craig's career, from optimizing every little bit for dial-up gamers to architecting Zillow's massive cloud transformation. It's a reminder that innovation doesn't come out of thin air, it often comes from paying attention to the little details, relentlessly questioning assumptions and giving teams the tools they need to optimize at every level of the business. In an era of explosive cloud growth, a frugal mindset might be your most valuable architecture tool.

Read Craig’s full story here: https://www.thefrugalarchitect.com/architects/craig-link-zillow.html

A bumper crop of new and improved things for you to take advantage of.

In this episode of the AWS Podcast, we explore the evolving world of contact centers and Amazon Connect. The discussion covers why contact centers remain critical to both business and public sector operations, and how they're transforming from traditional cost centers into valuable sources of business intelligence. Key highlights include Amazon Connect's integration capabilities with AWS services, particularly through AWS Lambda functions, and the recent implementation of generative AI features including contact summarisation, agent evaluations, and Amazon Q in Connect. The conversation emphasizes how modern technology is helping organizations better understand customer needs, improve agent performance, and maintain human empathy in customer service while leveraging automation. The episode also touches on practical aspects of system integration and data management, demonstrating how Amazon Connect helps organizations overcome traditional barriers in contact center operations.

https://aws.amazon.com/connect/

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/contact-center/introducing-the-next-generation-of-amazon-connect/

In this episode, we'll explore how the new Amazon EKS Dashboard solves key challenges in managing Kubernetes at scale across multiple AWS accounts and regions. We'll discuss how it provides centralized visibility into cluster health, versions, and costs - enabling teams to improve governance, streamline operations, and optimize their Kubernetes infrastructure. Listeners will learn about key use cases like version lifecycle management, upgrade planning, add-on governance, and cost forecasting. We'll provide both a high-level overview for architects and managers, as well as dive into some of the technical details that will interest Kubernetes practitioners.

1) Whats New Post: https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2025/05/eks-dashboard-multi-cluster-view-kubernetes-infrastructure-aws-regions-organizations/

2) EKS Dashboard User Guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/cluster-dashboard.html

3) Deep Dive blog: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/containers/deep-dive-amazon-eks-dashboard-for-visibility-into-multi-cluster-operations-and-governance/

4) YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1I1H2wA1Sk

Simon and Jillian take you on a fast paced update of all things new on AWS!

In the fifth episode of "The Frugal Architect" podcast, Werner and co-host Simon Elisha welcome Morten Keldebaek (CTO) and Robert Hjertmann from Too Good To Go. Too Good To Go is the world's largest marketplace for surplus food, connecting consumers with restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. The discussion will start with their journey from Endomondo (a sports tracking app) to Too Good To Go, exploring how they applied frugal engineering principles across both startups. They'll dive deep into the technical challenges of scaling a global platform with limited resources, the architectural decisions that enabled their growth, and how their frugal mindset aligns perfectly with Too Good To Go's mission of reducing waste. The conversation will highlight how constraints breed creativity and how asking "why" before building has helped them create sustainable, scalable systems while keeping costs under control.

Learn More:

• https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/sustainability-pillar/: Explore the Sustainability Pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework

• https://www.allthingsdistributed.com/the-frugal-architect/: Read more about The Frugal Architect series by Werner Vogels

• https://toogoodtogo.com/en-us/movement: Learn about Too Good To Go's mission and impact

There are over 60 new updates that your hosts Simon, Jillian and Shruthi take you through this week!