In the fast-evolving world of cloud technology, staying ahead is about more than just knowing your way around a console. It’s about embracing the next big thing, continuously learning, and sometimes putting your brain through a certification boot camp that makes traditional boot camps look like beach holidays. At Inde, we’re proud to have a team that’s not only certified, but truly passionate about building solutions that matter for our customers.
Andre Bezuidenhout is the new Technical Director of AWS Cloud at Inde, who comes highly accredited with an AWS Golden Jacket – rumoured to be one of 100 around the globe! We caught up with Andre to find out what this shiny jacket meant and how it will help Inde’s customers!
What certification really means (and why it matters for our customers)
I come with a fair amount of certification (including AWS’s Golden Jacket, which means I’m sporting all of the certs, and yes, I’m still getting the new ones!). But I’m not here to put the Golden Jacket on a pedestal. Rather, I want to share why certification—though not the be-all, end-all—represents something crucial in our approach to cloud services. It’s about curiosity, skill refinement, and, let’s face it, the guts to take on hours of exam prep just to prove you know your stuff.
At Inde, we believe that certification reflects a hunger for knowledge, a dedication to learning, and a willingness to tackle tough challenges—qualities that go far beyond any printed credential. Sure, a piece of paper doesn’t always show you how someone will perform under real-world pressures, but more often than not, certifications are a solid sign that someone is committed to mastery, detail, and growth. For Inde, this commitment aligns perfectly with our values:
- Outcome Focused
Certifications empower us to stay laser-focused on the outcomes that matter most to our customers. By mastering AWS and cloud solutions, we can better understand our customers' environments and deliver solutions tailored to their specific needs. We can assess each situation with knowledge and design outcomes that lead to success, ensuring every project achieves real, measurable results. - Specialists
Certification reflects our commitment to being the best in our fields. At Inde, we are a team of specialists dedicated to expanding our knowledge and skill sets, staying ahead of the curve to provide unparalleled expertise. AWS certifications across various domains—from security to advanced networking—enable us to bring a deep, collective knowledge to each project, ensuring we’re ready to solve even the most complex challenges our customers face. - There for Each Other
Certification isn’t just a solo achievement; it’s a journey we share together. At Inde, we foster a culture where team members willingly support each other, sharing knowledge and expertise. Whether helping a colleague or tackling a complex customer challenge, our certifications enhance our ability to work together well – we share the workload and can step in when someone else needs support. By learning and growing together, we create a team that’s stronger and more capable. This is also mirrored in our partnership with our customers as we share that knowledge and expertise to help upskill our customers. - Willing to Learn
We value learning and are committed to it, which is why certification is integral to our culture. At Inde, every certification journey is a testament to our willingness to learn, evolve, and share our knowledge. Our team’s continuous drive to achieve and apply new skills enables us to adapt and grow without limitations, ensuring we’re always ready to meet new challenges for our customers. Our drive for certifications reinforces a learning culture where growth and knowledge are limitless. - Taking Ownership
Certification encourages personal responsibility and initiative—key to taking ownership of our work. When our team members earn certifications, they’re demonstrating a commitment to understanding their craft deeply and taking full responsibility for their expertise. This drive translates directly into customer success. We own our solutions from start to finish, using our certification-acquired knowledge to troubleshoot, innovate, and see each project through to the highest standards.
One thing we’re particularly proud of here at Inde is that learning is encouraged, not enforced. Our engineers and architects are free to explore, build, and fail (and then build again) without anyone applying pressure about certification timelines. This organic drive to learn makes a world of difference, allowing our team to innovate in ways that genuinely benefit our customers, as well as providing them with the freedom and opportunity to seek out and learn in areas that they are passionate about.
We’re lucky enough to have some of the brightest minds on our team, so those just starting their certification journey have access to a wealth of knowledge. At Inde’s HQ, we’ve got experts who have conquered some of the most challenging domains, acting as mentors, guides, and occasional exam pep-talkers. They’re here to help fast-track learning, support skill-building, and ensure our team is always up to speed on the latest industry advancements.
How Certification Translates to Real-World Benefits for Our Customers
Let’s face it, you’re here because you want reliable, efficient, and scalable solutions—not just because we can flash some fancy credentials. Our technically-led and skills-focused approach helps us deliver just that:
- Custom solutions, not cookie-cutter fixes: Certified expertise means we’re able to get specific—really specific—about your needs. Whether it’s a high-performance data pipeline, a secure cloud environment, or optimising costs without sacrificing speed, we can tailor solutions that fit you, not just a generic checklist.
- Efficiency and cost-effectiveness: The cloud can get pricey if you’re not careful, and nobody wants to break the bank on surprise AWS charges. Certification in cost optimisation, storage, and architecture helps us make sure your AWS bill stays in line with your expectations and budget.
- Future-proofed and resilient infrastructure: One of the perks of certified expertise is knowing how to build cloud systems that stand the test of time. By staying updated on best practices our team is equipped to offer solutions that will grow with your business, rather than requiring an overhaul every time AWS releases a new feature.
The Kiwi Spirit: Rising to the Challenge in IT
New Zealand is known for its achievements across many fields—whether it’s dominating on the sports pitch, leading in agriculture and sustainability, or setting benchmarks in healthcare, Kiwis have a knack for performing well on the global stage. But here’s a fun fact that might surprise you: New Zealand’s IT talent is gaining serious momentum in the cloud space too. Did you know that in just the past two years, our small but mighty nation has produced around 10 AWS Golden Jacket holders? That’s right on the heels of our neighbours across the ditch. As we continue to build on this momentum, it’s safe to say New Zealand is well on its way to becoming a major hub for cloud expertise in the APJ region.
Personally, I was recognised in NZ as Bee Gee number one, minus the hair and musical talent, when I got my jacket, but truth be told, several others across NZ had technically earned theirs first— either not being counted at some arbitrary timestamp, or only needing to conquer the latest AWS certs, to bring a little extra sparkle to their wardrobes.
New Zealand may be small, but our potential is mighty. Here at Inde, I’m inspired to raise the standard for professional IT services across NZ and the APJ region—not only by guiding our team, but by actively supporting the broader tech community. We’re all in this together, after all. Certification isn’t a competition, it’s a collective journey to build better, smarter, and more resilient cloud solutions.
And, most importantly, that includes our customers. We recognise and appreciate the talent within our customers’ teams, and in fact, we attribute many of our shared successes to a mutual culture of learning. Whether you’re just starting with AWS or have years of experience under your belt, but haven’t made it to certification yet, we’re here to support your journey. Let’s work together to create a pathway for certification that enriches both your internal expertise and our collaborative success. Connect with us today!
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