Microsoft and AWS awarded Ukrainian peace prize for cloud efforts

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Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have been awarded Ukraine's peace prize for their efforts in helping keep the nation's digital infrastructure online during the Russian invasion.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, said in a tweet that "Microsoft stands for truth and for peace" and that it stand on the "light side of digital".

Fedorov also didn't mince words regarding AWS's contribution to the war effort, saying the company "literally saved our digital infrastructure - state registries and critical databases migrated to AWS cloud environment".

Why the praise?

Microsoft claims it recently helped stop seven domains utilized by Russian cybercriminals in recent attacks against Ukrainian targets. 

Several other firms has also jumped to the aid of Ukraine, including Vodafone, which donated 3,000 smartphones and SIM cards, as well as 1,000 portable chargers to charity Refugee Crisis, and has asked consumers and businesses to donate their unneeded technology to people impacted by the conflict.

Apple, Ericsson, and Nokia have all announced plans to scale back in Russia, while Cisco and Google have confirmed plans to permanently exit the region.

AWS certainly has the means to support humanitarian pursuits, as the cloud storage giant recently reported 36.5% year-over-year revenue growth in its first quarter 2022, surpassing analyst expectations to report $6.52 billion in operating income.

  • Warming up to Microsoft and AWS? Checkout our guide which covers their cloud hosting services 

Will McCurdy has been writing about technology for over five years. He has a wide range of specialities including cybersecurity, fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, cloud computing, payments, artificial intelligence, retail technology, and venture capital investment. He has previously written for AltFi, FStech, Retail Systems, and National Technology News and is an experienced podcast and webinar host, as well as an avid long-form feature writer.