Sidhartha Chauhan, Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Sid works with enterprise customers to design highly-scalable cloud architectures. He has a special inclination toward computer networking technologies and holds a master’s degree in computer networking from North Carolina State University, along with various leading industry certifications. Before joining Amazon, Sid worked with a large telecommunications organization designing large-scale Local Area Network (LAN)/Wide Area Network (WAN) networks. In his free time, Sid plays guitar for an award-winning New York City-based Indian band called “Rhythm Tolee.” He also enjoys photography and fitness.

James Devine, Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Using AWS to help design solutions for nonprofit customers who are making a difference in the world is what keeps James motivated. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Allegheny College and a master’s degree in computer science from the Stevens Institute of Technology. Prior to joining AWS, James was a senior infrastructure engineer at MITRE Corporation, a nonprofit government contractor, where he used his skills in infrastructure to help various government organizations solve some of their toughest problems and realize the value of cloud computing.

Alan Halachmi, Senior Manager, Solutions Architecture, Amazon Web Services

Alan leads a team of specialist solutions architects supporting public sector customers. These specialists provide deep expertise in domains such as Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), High Performance Computing (HPC), and machine learning. Alan supports public sector organizations across the globe in the areas of networking and security. He holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) certification as well as a half-dozen AWS certifications. He participated in the development of the Solutions Architect – Associate, Solutions Architect – Professional, and Advanced Networking – Specialty exams. Additionally, Alan has authored multiple AWS whitepapers that focus on the intersection of networking and security. Prior to joining Amazon, he worked in various leadership positions focused on homeland protection and identity systems at both established and startup companies in the private sector. Alan holds a bachelor’s degree in network communication and information security from Duke University. In his free time, Alan enjoys family and tinkering with new toys.

Matt Lehwess, Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Matt has spent many years working as a network engineer in the network service provider space, building large-scale WAN networks in the Asia Pacific region and North America, as well as deploying data center technologies and their related network infrastructure. As a result, he is most at home working with Amazon VPC, AWS Direct Connect, and Amazon’s other infrastructure-focused products and services. Matt is also a public speaker for AWS, and he enjoys spending time helping customers solve large-scale problems using the AWS Cloud platform. Outside of work, Matt is an avid rock climber, both indoor and outdoor, and a keen surfer. When he misses the waves of his hometown back in Australia, a trip to Santa Cruz, California from his home in San Francisco soon alleviates any homesick feelings.

Nick Matthews, Senior Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Nick Matthews leads the networking segment of AWS partner support organization. He helps AWS partners create new networking solutions and make traditional networking products work on AWS. He enjoys assisting AWS customers to architect their networks for scalability and security. Nick also speaks at industry events on networking and security best practices. Before joining Amazon, Nick spent 10 years at Cisco working on Voice over IP (VoIP), Software-Defined Networking (SDN), and routing (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert [CCIE] #23560). He founded the Network Programmability Users Group (npug.net) to help users with SDN and programming network equipment. In his free time, he enjoys eating, drinking, and playing beach volleyball.

Steve Morad, Senior Manager, Solutions Builders, Amazon Web Services

Steve Morad holds a BA in computer science from Wheaton College (IL), and an MBA from Virginia Tech. He started his career by graduating from college and running off to join the circus. Since then, he gained systems administration, development, and architecture experience in the entertainment, financial services, and technology industries. Steve spent five years as a principal solutions architect supporting customers of all sizes and maturity levels, with a sub-specialty in AWS networking and security. He helped develop the Solutions Architect Associate, Developer Associate, SysOps Associate, Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Professional, and Network Specialty exams. Steve is also an AWS public speaker and has developed network-related technical articles, whitepapers, and reference implementations. Steve is currently a senior manager of solutions builders at AWS. Outside of work, Steve enjoys helping coach soccer goalies and watching his kids perform in various musical ensembles.

Steve Seymour, Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Steve is a principal solutions architect and networking specialist within the AWS team covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He uses his networking expertise to help customers of all sizes—from fast growing startups to the world’s largest enterprises—use AWS networking technologies to meet and exceed their business requirements. Steve has more than 15 years of experience working with enterprise infrastructure, data center implementations, and migration projects with complex IP communications requirements. He is passionate about applying this experience to a broad range of industries to support customer success on AWS. Steve enjoys the outdoors, regularly coaches canoeing, and goes geocaching whenever traveling.