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What Is AWS (Amazon Web Services): Introduction To Cloud Provider

‘What is AWS’ is trending as many enterprises are choosing Amazon as their cloud provider. AWS, also called Amazon Web Services, is a cost-effective cloud computing solution that allows companies to store, access, and manage their business data. While many big companies, like Unilever, Netflix, Xiaomi, etc., are leveraging its benefits, others are on the verge of it. 

Amazon Web Services has made accessing data easier for businesses. Instead of storing all the crucial information in a physical space, AWS offers secure cloud space. Whether you are looking to adopt AWS or want to switch from other platforms to AWS, this blog is for you. Here we cover everything related to what AWS is and cloud infrastructure in detail! 

What Is AWS?

Amazon Web Services (or AWS) is a comprehensive cloud computing platform offering scalable and cost-effective cloud computing services. The leading cloud platform is geographically diversified into regions to ensure system outages and robustness. You can find the central hubs of AWS in the USA, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.

The Forrester Wave report indicates AWS as the leader for its cloud contact center solution – Amazon Connect. In this report, Amazon Web Services is regarded as the leader for its faster pace of innovation than other vendor offerings. In addition, customers call AWS an excellent partner to work with, helping them transform customer experience using Amazon Connect. 

List Of AWS Services

Before you plan to move to a cloud like AWS, it’s vital to understand its services and components. 

Amazon Cluster 

Also called Amazon Compute, AWS allows users to use Elastic Load Balancing (ELB), AWS Lambda, and Amazon Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) as lead computing services. These instances help companies scale up or down according to their business requirements. 

Availability Zone 

An availability Zone (AZ) is an isolated area within a region. The secured AZ locations are far away from the populated areas. Depending on compliance and proximity to end customers, businesses can choose more than one AZ. 

Storage Options 

Amazon offers three storage choices to customers, including Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon CloudFront, and Elastic Block Storage (EBS). 

  • Amazon S3 provides scalable object storage for data and file backup, collection, and analytics. 
  • Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) offers block-level storage volumes for persistent data storage. 
  • Amazon Snowball helps companies to move data to the cloud using storage transport devices. The AWS Storage Gateway allows you to move on-premise apps to the cloud quickly. 

AWS Databases

Aside from data warehousing and in-memory caching facilities, Amazon Web Services also scales relational and NoSQL databases. 

  • DynamoDB is the NoSQL database that provides low-cost and high-scale storage. 
  • Using AWS EC2 and EBS, you can efficiently operate your own database in AWS. 
  • Amazon EC2 and Amazon RDS help you to manage and scale MySQL, SQLServer, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. 

Cloud Security and Administration 

AWS directory service links AWS clouds to the on-premise infrastructure. CloudWatch is another important AWS component that monitors cloud resources to improve cloud security and protect data. In addition, the AWS CloudTrail is responsible for recording API calls for user accounts without any charges. 

Networking 

The highly secure networking services of the cloud platform connect physical networks to private VN with high-speed transfer. Amazon VPC provides a private cloud and built-in security, making AWS a versatile networking cloud. Using AWS Direct Connect, you can directly connect to the cloud bypassing the Internet. 

Analytics 

AWS Analytics Services offers a wide range of solutions to customers, including Hadoop, real-time streaming, data warehousing, and orchestration. Many businesses use AWS’s EMR (Elastic MapReduce) to process large data chunks. 

Amazon currently offers more than 200 services, which makes it one of the most comprehensive cloud application platforms in the cloud market. Azure and Google Cloud Platform are two other leading cloud providers, helping people switch to the cloud. However, it’s best to compare AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP before choosing any cloud computing platform. 

Applications Of AWS Cloud Service

Companies using AWS resources include some of the most popular brands. Many businesses use Amazon Web Services to build and deploy web applications in the AWS environment. Some crucial applications include: 

  • AWS sets a new standard for cloud providers in the cloud market, making it suitable for storage and backups. 
  • Exclusive features of Amazon Web Services allow businesses to host websites on the AWS cloud. 
  • Amazon Web Services is an online cloud platform that offers extensive data management and analytics services. 
  • Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) enables companies to subscribe or publish messages to end users.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of AWS

More than 90% of Fortune 100 organizations use the APN (AWS Partner Network) to develop solutions and services for their customers. Many big brands have shifted to AWS due to its pay-as-you-go pricing model and other essential features. Below we cover the main advantages and disadvantages of Amazon Web Service so that you can make an informed decision. 

High Scalability and Adaptability 

Amazon Web Services is a cloud storage platform that provides businesses with all the essential tools to get started with the cloud. The low cost of migration and the flexibility to choose the services according to needs makes the AWS platform the first choice of users. 

High Security and Reliability 

When we compare AWS with GCP or Azure, Amazon Web Services comes out to be the most secure platform. The vigilant team of Amazon Web Services monitors dozens of data centers across the world. 

The addition of Amazon VPC Lattice to the AWS service list simplifies service-to-service connectivity, monitoring, and security. The application networking service connects, monitors, and secures communication among services. 

Some other advantages of AWS include ease of use, cost-effective nature, affordable AWS pricing, managed IT services, unlimited server capacity, etc. The only disadvantage of AWS is that it is highly priced for small businesses.

If these benefits convince you to use AWS services and applications, contact the data experts of Inferenz. The professional team will help you migrate on-premise data to the cloud without you having to worry about data loss. 

Switch To Amazon Cloud Computing Platform Today

As compared to AWS alternatives and competitors, Amazon Simple Storage Services stand as the top solution. It offers a 75% discount when the AWS instances are reserved in advance. The best part about the AWS cloud computing services is that you can use AWS free tier and pay for what you use. For instance, if you use a cloud server for one hour, you’ll have to pay only for the specific time. 

We hope this AWS tutorial has helped you learn about the cloud platform in detail. However, it’s worth noting that you have to select the suitable programming language, database, operating system, and other needed services depending on your needs. Feel free to schedule a call with Inferenz experts to learn more about what is AWS and how to migrate data seamlessly.

FAQs About Amazon Web Services

What type of cloud is AWS? 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a complete cloud computing solution provider that offers a mixture of Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service, and Platform as a Service. 

What are the differences between AWS and Google Cloud Platforms? 

GCP is a complete suite of public cloud computing services managed by Google. On the other hand, Amazon Web Service offers a secure cloud service developed and managed by Amazon. 

What is AWS used for? 

AWS provides more than 200 fully featured services. The infrastructure allows you to build, deploy, and manage applications, processes, and websites on AWS secure platforms.