Xero and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Australia and New Zealand through digital transformation. With SMBs representing about 97% of businesses in these economies, the partnership seeks to empower them with digital capabilities using cloud technology, potentially unlocking economic opportunities. Recent research by Xero and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research indicates that fully adopting digital technology could significantly boost Australia’s GDP by up to A$181 billion annually and New Zealand’s by NZ$7.8 billion.
To facilitate this, Xero plans to offer AWS Lift through its App Store, a program launched in February 2021 to propel SMBs on their digital transformation journey. AWS Lift provides a starter pack of AWS credits (up to US$83,500) for 12 months, granting access to over 240 AWS technology services, including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). This collaboration aims to modernize operations by transitioning from traditional on-premises data stores to a fully managed cloud platform, offering enhanced security, resilience, and scalability.
Jeremy Butteriss, EGM Ecosystem and Partnerships at Xero, emphasized the support for small businesses in their digital transformation, leveraging AWS’s extensive set of services through the AWS Lift program available via the Xero App Store.
Numerous Australian and New Zealand SMBs are already benefiting from AWS’s scalable offerings. PaySauce, a Wellington-based software company, experienced significant benefits from AWS Lift in supporting business expansion and innovation. The alliance between AWS and Xero is expected to create substantial opportunities for SMBs, contributing to the growth and resilience of the digital economies in both countries.Pip Gilbert, Head of Strategy and Operations, AWS New Zealand, highlighted the growth, innovation, and cost-optimization opportunities for business leaders accelerating their digitization journey through AWS and Xero. Xero, a customer and partner of AWS since migrating to the platform in 2016, has grown to over 3.95 million global subscribers. The collaboration underscores their commitment to advancing digital technologies and supporting SMBs in their transformation efforts
