AWS enables companies to do away with their own IT infrastructure and just connect every workstation to the internet. The platform includes virtualization, so none of the workstations that an AWS-connect business deploys needs to have its own processing power or storage space. The local device is just a console that gives access to an account on the AWS cloud platform. As no data is stored locally, workers can switch devices at will. This enables concepts such as hot-desking, “bring your own device,” and telecommuting.
AWS history
Simple Queue Service
This is a B2B service that, like all AWS products is charged for by usage. The inclusion of cloud processing and storage helped SQS become more widely used by rival systems, such as Microsoft Message Queueing and IBM WebShere MQ. This combination of storage, CPU, and applications is typical of the winning formula that has made AQWS an industry leader.
Simple Storage Service
S3 is the bedrock of the AWS platform. The service is charged per Gigabyte of storage space and the first 5GB is free. The price per Gigabyte falls with an increase in space usage. This pricing structure is very scalable. So, even though the customer feels that he has a privately rented server, in reality, the boundaries between each customer’s server are not clearly defined, allowing each to expand incrementally across multiple servers.
The majority of S3’s users do not pay directly to AWS. The storage service is mostly deployed by other businesses offering storage as an add on to some other application. For example, Dropbox, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Netflix all use S3 storage.
The S3 servers are also able to host websites. Many hosting services that offer web servers to the general public and business communities don’t actually run their own servers. Instead, they rent S3 space and present a corporate interface to the world that makes it seem as though they actually own the server space that they charge for as part of their web hosting package.
Elastic Compute Cloud
Essentially, the EC3 system offers CPU time to other businesses. Again, the charge structure is scalable and invoiced in arrears. This is a great benefit to startups and small enterprises because it removes the entry barrier of equipment cost and enables any new business to offer unlimited processing power without the need for capital investment.
Other AWS services
As already mentioned, database software is made available on AWS for a fee. Other AWS services include web servers, a game platform, called Lumberyard, a text-to-speech tool, called Polly, a computer vision system, called Rekognition, a machine learning tool, called SageMaker, and CloudFront, which is a content delivery network.
AWS keeps expanding its collection of services all the time. Quite often new services are added through acquisition.
Each service can be accessed through APIs, which make it easy for other digital entrepreneurs to launch new services that rely on AWS behind the scenes.
AWS is well placed to continue its domination of Cloud services over the near future. The platform removes the infrastructure costs of other businesses. However, the cost of trying to compete with AWS and win customers away by offering the same service is very steep. AWS is well established and is reaping the benefits of a lot of investment capital. Few other enterprises have the budget that would enable them to knock AWS off its Cloud throne.
See also: The Best AWS Monitoring Tools
