How Netflix and global brands scale fast with AWS modernization

It's 2 AM on a Saturday, and your infrastructure team is scrambling to manually scale servers because traffic spiked during a product launch. Meanwhile, Netflix is serving 190 countries without anyone losing sleep over server capacity. 

The difference? They solved the infrastructure equation years ago with AWS modernization.

Why AWS for business modernization?

AWS enables enterprises to:

• Modernize technology stacks through scalable, cloud-native services
  
  
• Increase development velocity with CI/CD, serverless, and managed services
  
  
• Improve reliability and performance through global infrastructure and automation
  
  
• Reduce infrastructure costs with pay-as-you-go pricing and intelligent scaling
  
  
• Drive innovation with AI, machine learning, and data-driven capabilities
  
  
• Strengthen security and compliance with built-in controls and governance
  
  
• Develop internal cloud skills and shift team focus from maintenance to value creation

Enterprise clients achieve the fastest transformation by focusing on key AWS services that directly address their business challenges. Rather than taking a technology-first approach, successful companies align services with specific business outcomes.

AWS in action: Results from Netflix and other global brands

When you think about AWS modernization, it's not just about moving your servers to the cloud and calling it a day. The companies that really win with AWS use it to completely transform how they do business. 

They're not just cutting costs – they're reinventing their entire approach to innovation, scaling faster than ever, and building the kind of agile organizations that can pivot on a dime when markets shift. 

Here’s how some industry leaders made this transformation work for them, turning what could have been routine IT upgrades into game-changing business advantages.

Netflix: Global content delivery with AWS

Netflix runs over 100,000 server instances on AWS, enabling instant global deployments while focusing on content instead of infrastructure.

• Runs hundreds of functions on AWS using more than 100,000 server instances
• Instantly deploys to customers in over 190 countries with consistent performance
• Focuses on content creation and viewer experience by offloading infrastructure management 

"AWS is now the basic layer of compute services." Netflix Chief Product Officer, Neil Hunt

Capital One: From financial institution to technology company

Capital One closed their data centers, cut application setup time by 99%, and transformed from a traditional bank into a technology company.

• Closed data centers, saving 10 megawatts of power annually (equal to powering ~7,500 homes)
• Cut application infrastructure setup time by 99%
• Evolved from a traditional bank to a technology company with cloud-first strategy 

"We are truly all in on the cloud, and AWS has been instrumental in enabling us to take full advantage of the benefits of being in the cloud. Going all in on the cloud has enabled both instant provisioning of infrastructure and rapid innovation." – Chris Nims, SVP of Cloud and Productivity Engineering, Capital One

Airbnb: Cost-effective growth with AWS

Airbnb scaled during hypergrowth without constraints, reducing storage costs by 27% while accelerating feature development.

• Reduced storage costs by approximately 27% using Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering
• Scaled during hypergrowth without minimum usage commitments
• Accelerated feature development with instant environment provisioning 

"Using Savings Plans has been a significant improvement to Airbnb's cloud management process. It's helped reduce our operational workload while also driving meaningful cost savings for our business." – Ari Siegel, Senior Finance Manager, Airbnb

Nasdaq: Financial data processing with AWS

Nasdaq transformed financial data processing at massive scale, ingesting 70 billion records daily while cutting processing time by up to 90%.

• Ingests 70 billion records daily and loads financial market data 5 hours faster than before
• Improved query performance by 60-70% across all processes
• Processes data from multiple sources simultaneously with AWS lakehouse architecture 

"We have one billing process that went from taking about 40 minutes to now running at 4 minutes – a 90% improvement in that one process. But across all of the processes, we're seeing 60–70% improvement across the board." – Robert Hunt, Vice President of Software Engineering, NASDAQ

The common thread? Business transformation

While each company's journey is unique, these success stories share common elements that illustrate the true value of AWS:

• From CapEx to OpEx: Organizations consistently shift from capital-intensive infrastructure investments to flexible, consumption-based models aligned with business activity.
• Acceleration of innovation: Development cycles that once took months now take days or hours, allowing faster response to market opportunities.
• Infrastructure as code: Automation of provisioning and scaling eliminates manual processes, freeing technical teams to focus on value creation.
• Global reach without global investment: Companies can expand internationally without the traditional infrastructure investments in new regions.
• Talent transformation: Cloud migration catalyzes cultural shifts that help attract and retain technical talent seeking modern environments.

But here's the challenge every CTO faces: Netflix didn't achieve these results by accident, and Capital One didn't transform overnight. These companies had something most organizations lack during modernization – the right expertise at the right time. 

While you're evaluating your next move, the question isn't whether AWS modernization works (the results speak for themselves), but how to execute it without derailing your current operations or waiting months to find the perfect hire.

Why partner with AWS specialists instead of going it alone

When companies try AWS modernization with their existing team, they get stuck. Your developers are smart, but they'd be busy managing legacy systems while learning AWS. Your modernization gets pushed to "after we hire."

Traditional consultancies can't help either. They take months to ramp up, charge premium rates, and lack specialized AWS expertise. Their business model makes it impossible to deliver the speed you need.

AWS services partners solve this differently:

• Immediate expertise: AWS-certified architects who've led enterprise transformations start delivering value in weeks, not months
• Business-aligned approach: They prioritize your outcomes over billable hours, focusing on metrics that matter to your business
• Proven migration methodologies: Refined through hundreds of successful projects, they know exactly which AWS services solve your specific bottlenecks
• Knowledge transfer built-in: Your team learns by doing, preparing for when new hires arrive while delivering immediate value
• Transparent pricing: No surprise costs or change orders – you know exactly what you're investing

The companies that partner with specialists ship faster, control costs, and capture opportunities while building their permanent teams. While your competitors wait for the perfect hire, you're already modernizing.

Add speed to your strategy with AWS modernization 

AWS modernization isn't about keeping up – it's about pulling ahead. While competitors manage quarterly releases, you'll ship weekly. While they fight infrastructure fires, you'll capture market opportunities. And you can do it all with the team and headcount budget you already have.

Ready to ship faster? Here's your next step:

1. Identify your top 3 infrastructure bottlenecks
2. Calculate the cost of delayed features
3. Schedule a consultation on how to solve them with AWS

Let's talk about how you can speed up delivery with AWS modernization and stick to your current headcount plan. No generic pitches – just a straightforward discussion about your specific delivery bottlenecks and how to solve them with AWS modernization.