The company said two availability zones — clusters of data centres — in the UAE region were without power. On Sunday, AWS disclosed that one zone had been affected after “objects” struck the facility, causing sparks and a fire that led to a shutdown of power as a precaution.

“We can confirm that a localized power issue has affected another availability zone” in the UAE region, AWS said on its status page.

The outages also impacted AWS’s Bahrain region, with the company citing localized power issues affecting services in both locations. AWS initially reported partial recovery in the UAE on Monday but later advised customers to rely on services in other regions while restoration efforts continued.

The company said full recovery in both the UAE and Bahrain regions was expected to take “many hours.”

AWS did not confirm whether the incident was linked to ongoing regional tensions following Iranian strikes on Gulf states, including the UAE and Bahrain, in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Separately, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank said technical issues were affecting some of its platforms and mobile app users on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the bank’s disruptions were related to the AWS outage.

The incident underscores the vulnerability of critical cloud infrastructure in geopolitically sensitive regions, particularly as businesses and governments increasingly rely on centralized data centre networks for essential services.

The post AWS Data Centers in UAE, Bahrain Suffer Outages After Iran Strikes Hit Region appeared first on Tech Digest News.

By Abbas Badmus,

By 2026, the rules of the technology labour market will have quietly but decisively changed. Degrees and certificates will still matter, but they will no longer be the primary currency of employability. Instead, hands-on ability, adaptability and the capacity to learn continuously are emerging as the most valuable assets in a fast-evolving digital economy.

As automation accelerates, cloud computing becomes the default infrastructure, and agile methods reshape how products are built, organisations are rethinking what they really need from their tech workforce. The result is a gradual shift away from rigid job titles and formal credentials towards practical competence and real-world problem-solving.

According to Cloud Engineer Rajarshi Ghosh, the pace of technological change has made many once-popular skills obsolete, but a few have demonstrated remarkable staying power.

“The landscape is changing year on year, so what was a trend in 2019 may not be relevant in 2025, but there are some skills that will have a bright future,” he said.

At the top of that list is cloud computing. As organisations seek to cut costs, scale quickly and improve resilience, more of their systems are moving away from on-premise servers to cloud platforms. Industry giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google continue to invest heavily in cloud infrastructure, reinforcing its central role in modern IT.

By 2026, professionals with practical experience in platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are expected to be in high demand, particularly those who understand cloud security, automation and cost optimisation. For many employers, proof of real deployment experience now outweighs theoretical knowledge.

Data science

Data science and analytics remain critical, but the field is becoming more focused and specialised. Ghosh described data science as one of the most widely applied digital skills, touching everything from fraud detection and market analysis to politics, consumer behaviour and healthcare.

“Applications are huge. Data science is applied everywhere,” he said.

However, as tools become more advanced and automated, companies are hiring fewer data scientists, while expecting stronger, more measurable impact from those they retain. The emphasis is shifting from abstract modelling to practical insights that directly inform business decisions.

Big data and the rise of NoSQL

Another enduring trend is the move away from traditional relational databases. With organisations now ingesting massive volumes of unstructured and semi-structured data from social media, mobile applications, Internet of Things devices and financial markets, conventional database systems are struggling to keep up.

“Nobody wants to keep only normalised, structured data anymore,” Ghosh explained.

NoSQL technologies such as MongoDB and Cassandra are increasingly preferred for their ability to handle scale and speed. While not new, expertise in big data architecture continues to be relevant as data volumes grow and diversify.

Web Development

Despite periodic predictions of its decline, web development remains a core digital skill. Its resilience, Ghosh noted, lies in constant reinvention.

“Web development is an old skill but always required. The technology landscape has evolved a lot, but it is still a hot skill,” he said.

The barrier to entry may be relatively low, but long-term relevance demands continuous learning, from new frameworks to evolving security standards. For those willing to stay current, web development continues to offer steady opportunities.

Mobile App Development

As mobile devices continue to dominate global internet usage, mobile app development is also evolving. Rather than maintaining separate teams for iOS and Android, many companies are adopting cross-platform approaches to reduce costs and speed up development.

“Companies don’t want to spend money on hiring separate developers for iOS and Android,” Ghosh said, pointing to the growing demand for hybrid developers skilled in tools such as React Native, Flutter and NativeScript.

With no sign of slowing mobile adoption, these skills are expected to remain valuable well beyond 2026.

Digital literacy

While advanced technical roles attract most attention, digital marketer Sarang Bakshi stressed that basic digital literacy is becoming non-negotiable across all professions.

“Every student should learn at least these basic IT skills. It doesn’t matter which field or profession they choose later,” he said.

Core competencies such as using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, managing files, practising proper email etiquette and understanding basic hardware and software operations now form the foundation of workplace effectiveness. Bakshi warned learners against poor-quality training, urging consistent practice or proper guidance instead.

Not all technology jobs are benefiting equally from these changes. Startup Chief Technology Officer Alex Rogachevsky argued that many traditional corporate IT roles are under threat, largely due to automation and cloud adoption.

“Any technology manager needs to have technical skills,” he said, criticising management structures where decision-makers lack hands-on understanding.

According to Rogachevsky, roles such as desktop support staff, system and network administrators, database administrators, DevOps specialists and traditional project managers are increasingly being absorbed into broader engineering responsibilities.

“Cloud hosting, automation, and microservices are replacing many of these roles,” he said.

Looking ahead, he believes the future tech workforce will revolve around three core functions: engineers, designers and managers, working in small, product-focused teams with full ownership rather than rigid functional divisions.

Yet high demand does not automatically translate into good pay or job satisfaction. Digital marketer Blake Senftner warned that many entry-level technology roles remain undervalued.

“The highest demand is always for professionally naïve people who do not know their worth,” he said.

He argued that low wages and high turnover in junior roles are driven less by artificial intelligence and more by economic structures and workplace practices.

“This is not caused by AI. This is human nature doing capitalism,” he said.

By 2026, the message is clear: employability in tech will be defined less by what is written on a certificate and more by what a person can actually build, fix or improve. As roles evolve and boundaries blur, those who combine solid fundamentals with adaptability and real-world experience will be best positioned to thrive in the next phase of the digital economy.

The post Beyond Certificates: Why Practical Tech Skills Will Define Careers in 2026 appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The incident began around 3 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time and was traced to a DNS failure—a critical system that translates web addresses into IP addresses. Although Amazon said the issue was “fully mitigated” later in the day, many services experienced prolonged downtime.

The outage affected major apps including Coinbase, Fortnite, Signal, and Zoom, as well as Amazon’s own Ring video surveillance service.

AWS hosts websites and applications for millions of businesses worldwide and holds roughly 30% of the global cloud market. While Amazon has not disclosed the exact cause of the DNS malfunction, similar disruptions in recent years have had widespread impacts, including the 2024 CrowdStrike incident that crippled computers globally and the 2021 Akamai DNS failure that took major sites offline.

The post Massive AWS Outage Knocks Out Major Websites and Services appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The new initiative, under the AWS ‘Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance’, will deliver practical training in cloud infrastructure, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, all at zero cost to learners in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the partnership aligns with the Federal Government’s plan to build a pipeline of three million technical talents (3MTT) by 2027.

“This collaboration with AWS is critical for preparing our young people for the jobs of the future. It will help us close the digital skills gap and position Nigeria as a leading hub for tech talent in Africa,” Tijani said.

The programme is already running in 43 federal institutions and will soon expand to private and state-owned schools through nominated campus coordinators. Students will have access to hands-on labs, industry-recognised certifications, and real-world projects that bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and workplace demands.

Uwem Ukpong, Vice President of Global Services at AWS, highlighted that the training is part of AWS’s global commitment to equip 29 million people worldwide with cloud skills by 2025.

Stakeholders say the collaboration will strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to produce highly skilled graduates who can thrive in AI, big data, cloud services, and related emerging sectors. It also builds local opportunities that could help curb the brain drain affecting the country’s digital workforce.

The training initiative complements other government-led programmes, including the 3MTT scheme and the National AI Strategy, aimed at transforming Nigeria into an innovation-driven, knowledge-based economy.

The post FG & AWS Launch Free AI and Cloud Training for Nigerian Tertiary Students appeared first on Tech Digest News.

In a significant move to bolster Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the Technical Working Group (TWG) on National Cloud Infrastructure.

This initiative aims to enhance local cloud capabilities, attract hyper-scale investments, and position Nigeria as a leading technology hub in Africa.

Speaking at the inauguration, NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, emphasised the need for accurate data and regulatory frameworks to support these initiatives, necessary for Nigeria to control its digital infrastructure, data, and technological future noting that, “Without this foundation, we cannot achieve true digital sovereignty. Our goal is to build an ecosystem where both local data centre providers can scale, and global hyper-scalers see Nigeria as a viable investment destination.”

While identifying lack of accurate data on Nigeria’s IT infrastructure as significant challenge, Inuwa noted that while Africa comprises nearly 19% of the world’s population, it hosts less than 1% of global data centres. “This disparity, coupled with limited insights into Nigeria’s existing IT capacity, hampers investment efforts and without clear data on our infrastructure, attracting investment becomes challenging,” he said.

The NITDA boss maintained that, to address this, NITDA commissioned comprehensive research to assess Nigeria’s digital landscape which findings have highlighted the need for improved regulatory frameworks, clearer investment incentives, and stronger public-private collaboration. He added that subsequently upon this, NITDA has engaged global consultants to redefine strategies for cloud development.

As the TWG embarks on its mission, NITDA urges industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to contribute their expertise and resources. “With collective effort, Nigeria can emerge as the premier digital hub for West and Central Africa,” Inuwa concluded.

While corroborating the Director General’s point of views, Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Barrister Emmanuel Edet, underscored the importance of regulatory intervention in fostering a robust digital economy.

“Our objective is to establish policies and legal frameworks that support cloud development, enabling us to securely host and manage our data. This is crucial for the growth of our digital economy, he said.”

He also highlights the necessity of capacity building, stating that, “Equipping ourselves with top-tier training and expertise is essential to fully leverage digital technologies.” Barrister Edet called on all stakeholders to actively participate in shaping Nigeria’s digital future.

“Collaboratively, we must develop a framework that reflects our national interests, and it should be widely accepted. This effort will define Nigeria’s role in the global digital arena, he observed.

The TWG will help in the drive to attract hyperscale investments and enhance local cloud capabilities by proffering measures to encourage the use of accurate data, recommend the enactment and compliance to enabling policies.

Members of the TWG which includes Google, AWS, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HUAWEI Cloud, Equinix, Kasi, Rack Centre, Africa Data Centres, several other data centre operators and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission expressed support and readiness to volunteer and contribute resources.

The post NITDA Inaugurates Technical Working Group To Drive Nigeria’s Sovereignty appeared first on Tech Digest News.