Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive cloud computing platform that offers the three main cloud computing services which include Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Let’s break down each cloud computing service, why they are important, and the benefits of using AWS with some frequently asked questions.
What are the differences between IaaS, SaaS and PaaS?
The differences between the main cloud computing platforms are what the cloud provider is handling. When utilizing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), the cloud provider takes care of managing the IT infrastructure including storage, server, and networking resources, then delivers them to their subscriber organizations online through the internet. When utilizing Software as a Service (SaaS), the cloud provider hosts actual applications and then makes them available to their subscribers or end-users over the internet. Many times this is on a licensing basis. Some common examples include email, office tools like G-Suite, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and much more. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is when the cloud provider delivers hardware and software tools over the internet to its end users. This is useful so businesses can have the flexibility to develop, run and manage software applications without needing to build and maintain the underlying infrastructure themselves.
What are the Benefits of Using AWS?
AWS has many benefits depending on various business needs. Overall, AWS promotes reliability, scalability, flexibility, availability, security, and cost-effectiveness for a more streamlined workflow.
Ease Of Use
Getting started in AWS is simple and each service offers comprehensive documentation in the form of AWS whitepapers.
Flexibility
AWS allows you to use your operating system, coding language, and software in their virtual environments.
Cost-Effectiveness
The AWS pricing model is a pay-for-what-you-use system. You are only billed for the computing power, storage, and resources you use. Why is this good? Instead of purchasing infrastructure, software, and space to house the resources 24/7, you only need to pay for part of those resources when you use them, making it a cost-effective solution for many businesses.
Reliability
AWS promises reliability in their services so that the resources you are using on their platform are always available to you. AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) guarantees 99.99% availability on their standard storage class, where it copies the data you store to multiple Availability Zones.
Scalability
When traffic to your website is expected to spike or be above your business’s average, you can quickly scale up and out to a higher tier of computing power to handle the incoming load without experiencing performance issues. For example, scaling your resources up and out will help keep things running smoothly during a Black Friday sale, and after the sale, you can quickly back scale down and in. This is a huge benefit because experiencing performance issues can cause a dramatic loss of revenue.
Security
AWS uses a shared responsibility model where AWS manages the security of the cloud while you manage the security in the cloud. The shared responsibility model means the software security that manages the storage, networking, computing, and databases are managed by AWS and the hardware is in their datacenters. Security on the virtual machines you deploy, access to the cloud network, installed applications, customer data, server, and client-side encryption is managed by the customer.
What Amazon Services Can I Use to Help with Marketing?
AWS has several services utilizing machine learning to help with marketing.
Amazon Pinpoint
Amazon Pinpoint is a flexible and scalable option for marketing services. It can be used to deploy targeted campaign communications. With Amazon Pinpoint you can reach your customer base across different communication channels such as email, SMS, in-app messaging, and push notifications. Amazon Pinpoint is the tool to not only reach customers but to get comprehensive analytics on the messages sent and responses received. Amazon Pinpoint makes it easy to send and measure marketing campaigns.
Amazon Personalize
Amazon Personalize; is a machine learning platform that can take your customers’ behavior data and create personalized recommendations to help your advertising resonate. With the data, you can send out more relevant ads, and social media posts and match people to products they will most likely buy. Amazon Personalize is a fully managed service, so you do not need to know a lot about machine learning to start using it.
Amazon Rekognition
Amazon Rekognition is a split into two services Rekognition Image and Rekognition Video. Rekognition Image extracts faces, objects, scenes, and text and lets you compare images or provide an image search. Rekognition Video allows you to track faces and movements, even when the person is not on screen. You can use this to offer a video search or personalize an ad based on user preference.
Nova A.I.
Nova A.I. is an online video and editing platform, created by PromoMii that boasts one-click editing. Nova A.I. makes it easy to cut, add subtitles, translate, and more all with one click. One of the most useful features however is the ability to search, making it easy to find any scene you need to edit. It does this by taking objects and faces from your uploaded videos using Amazon Rekognition and categorizing them, so it’s easier to find the exact scene you need.
What Kind of Customer Support is Offered?
AWS offers support on how to use their services via the whitepapers and some video tutorials. They also have an AWS customer support system that can help troubleshoot issues with your services if whitepapers are not comprehensive enough for more complex needs. For instance, if you require complicated designs, integration between services, or assistance from experienced professionals in their fields, then AWS IQ Experts will be able to help. AWS IQ is a team of certified professionals who can help architect solutions and advise businesses on AWS cloud design best practices.
Is AWS Right for Your Business?
AWS has a focus on machine learning platforms to help reduce overhead and get to know your customer base better. Knowing your customers better can make all the difference in effectively marketing to them and expanding your brand. AWS helps reduce the overhead and allows businesses to scale rapidly. At CTRL+ALT Digital, we are experts with AWS. If you need custom cloud-based technology solutions, please reach out to us today.