What is Amazon Web Services Good For?

Here’s the thing – you have probably interacted with AWS, without even realizing it. Amazon’s leading cloud platform takes 41.5% of the cloud computing market. You’ll find names like Netflix, Airbnb, Pinterest, NASA, and Disney among its biggest clients. 

Quite a diverse crowd!

As you’ve probably figured out, AWS can come in handy for many types of businesses. Today, we’ll discuss how exactly you can utilize this cloud platform and why it is the right choice for your company.

What Is Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the most popular cloud platform worldwide. It offers 200+ fully featured services and a wide variety of databases, built with specific applications in mind. AWS holds numerous benefits, including:

• enhanced security
• top speeds
• unmatched expertise
• the newest technologies
• advanced functionalities

AWS has data centers across 87 availability zones (AZs) globally. The platform supports a vast network of customers and partners of all sizes, from startups to huge enterprises. They each get services that are tailored to fit their specific needs. 

Amazon Web Services are flexible, secure, and cost-effective. Users only pay for what they utilize, with the option to scale up or down every month.

What Is Amazon Web Services Good For

AWS can be utilized in a lot of different scenarios. Those include, but are not limited to:

• Storage and backup
• Games
• Social Media Apps
• Big Data Management and Analytics
• Messages and Notifications
• SaaS
• Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
• Internet of Things
• CLIs
• CRM System
• Digital Commerce Solutions
• REST API Services
• Video Streaming
• Mobile Apps

Storage and Backup

AWS Backup is a fully managed, centralized, end-to-end solution that allows you to store key data across the cloud. Users are in charge of configuring their backup policies, called backup plans. Those define the customers’ requirements, for example how often to back data up and how long to keep the archive on the server. 

AWS Backup also offers the following features:

• Centralized backup management
• Policy-based backup
• Tag-based backup policies
• Lifecycle management policies
• Cross-Region backup
• Incremental backups
• Full AWS Backup management
• AWS Backup Audit Manager
• Backup activity monitoring
• Backup vaults
• Support for compliance obligations

Games

AWS Games covers six solutions areas for game developers:

• Cloud Game Development – provides game development pipelines for teams around the globe, allowing your employees to create, build, and test content, regardless of their location. 
• Game Servers – еnabling users to run multiplayer games in the cloud at scale with secure compute capacity, backed by AWS’ global infrastructure.
• Game Security – AWS provides tools that protect users against DDoS attacks and solutions to monitor the health and utilization of the infrastructure. 
• LiveOps – allows you to extend player lifetime value and update the content, while building on a fully managed backend service. 
• Game Analytics  – users can track operational resources, optimize marketing tactics, retain and grow their fanbase, all based on data-driven reports. 
• AI & ML – generate player predictions for LTV, enable translations, improve accessibility, personalize discovery, and much more. 

Amazon also offers access to its leading industry technology partners, among which Epic Games, NVIDIA, and AMD. Some of the leading companies, utilizing AWS, include WB Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Gameloft.

Social Media Apps

In a world that’s been taken over by social media, you have no choice but to jump on the bandwagon. AWS is the solution to turn to, especially if you’re interested in conquering Facebook. Actually, 70% of the top 50 Facebook apps are powered by AWS.  

There are numerous benefits for that 

To start off, using AWS is cost-efficient. You only pay for the resources you use. It can also grow alongside your user base, as you can add 1000s of virtual machines in a matter of minutes. 
In addition, users get to choose the development platform and programming model, meaning AWS gives them a lot of freedom to tailor the service. Applications get deployed as fast as possible, even before the hardware has arrived.  And you don’t need to worry about data security – all apps powered by AWS benefit from its security practices.

Big Data Management and Analytics

If you need help with data analytics, AWS has solutions for businesses of all sizes. You can rely on Amazon for:

• data movement 
• data storage 
• data lakes 
• big data analytics 
• log analytics
• streaming analytics 
• business intelligence
• machine learning

Users get unified data access and are free to tailor and manage the security, governance, and auditing policies. 

Thanks to the numerous serverless options for data analytics in the cloud and AWS managing the underlying structure, users can fully focus on developing their apps. 

Messages and Notifications

Amazon offers a fully managed Simple Notification Service (SNS), which can send notifications in two ways: A2A and A2P. 

Thanks to A2A, users get push-based notifications and many-to-many messages about microservices, distributed systems, and event-driven serverless apps. On the other hand, A2P enables you to send info to your customers via SMS, email, and push notifications.

Messages can be published and batched, filtered, and fanned out. All data is encrypted via VPC Endpoints (VPCE). Users can also set their own data protection policies and audit messages to determine how sensitive is the information they contain. 

Internet of Things

AWS’ Internet of Things (IoT) solutions enable users to connect and manage numerous devices. The tools also allow you to gather, store, and analyze IoT data for various purposes.

You can choose from the following services:

• Device software – FreeRTOS, AWS IoT Greengrass, AWS IoT ExpressLink
• Connectivity and control – AWS IoT Core, AWS IoT Device Defender, AWS IoT Device Management, AWS IoT Fleet Wise
• Analytics – AWS IoT SiteWise, AWS IoT Events, AWS IoT Analytics, AWS IoT TwinMaker

Those solutions will help you optimize various industrial, consumer, commercial, and mobility processes. 

SaaS

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a type of software hosted on the cloud and accessed via subscription, rather than downloaded and installed on individual devices. 

AWS provides several resources and tools for organizations, no matter their stage of SaaS adoption. The official website also features trainings, tutorials, and blog articles, suitable for both beginners and more advanced users. 
If you’re an AWS Partner, you can make use of the SaaS Factory Program. It will grant you direct access to tech and business content and tools, such as reference architectures and AWS Quick Starts. In addition, you’ll get the chance to talk to SaaS experts and connect with solution architects.

Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

If you’re looking to adopt machine learning and AI, AWS offers a rich selection of tools, services, infrastructure, and implementation resources.

Amazon offers app developers the chance to use popular foundation models or choose options with built-in generative AI. Everything is hosted on the cloud and users only pay for the resources they utilize. 
For those just getting started, AWS has different types of support. There are trainings and tutorials, plus Amazon also has more than 80 competency partners available to help. In addition, users can check the Machine Learning Solutions lab where they can find experts to collaborate with.

CLIs

The Command Line Interface (CLI) is a tool that enables you to control all your AWS services from a centralized point. It is easy to configure and in no time you’ll be able to start running commands from your terminal program:

• Linux shells – for Linux or macOS, you can use shell programs like bash, zsh, and tcsh.
• Windows command line – you have the options to use Windows command prompt or PowerShell.
• Remotely – to run commands, you can rely on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud via a remote terminal program (like PuTTY or SSH), or with AWS Systems Manager.

Thanks to the AWS CLI, users get direct access to the public APIs of various Amazon services. You can explore their capabilities and develop shell scripts for managing your own resources. Some of the AWS services even offer CLI customizations, allowing for higher-level commands.

CRM system

AWS offers a CRM solution for small to medium-sized companies. The software can be tailored specifically to fit different business niches. 

To achieve that, Amazon will:

• identify your business needs
• define the requirements for your service
• meet with you to discuss needs and changes
• monitor your satisfaction levels
• give performance reports
• frequently review the service with you

That makes the CRM cost-effective as well – the pricing models are pretty flexible, and the monthly meetings allow for budget changes.

Users can create a centralized platform to connect with their customers via live chat, email, social media, and more. They can also streamline their compliance and policy management.

Digital Commerce Solutions

For all online store owners, AWS offers various digital commerce solutions. Amazon enables its clients to build agile platforms with flexible pricing, meaning you only pay for the resources you use. 

The AWS solutions promise to increase your conversion rates by offering compelling features. A good example is the order fulfillment system, consisting of omnichannel, last mile, and reverse logistics. You can also make the user experience better by recommending products, offering discounts, and providing multiple payment methods. 

Amazon will help you move your ecommerce business to the cloud. AWS will then automatically minimize application downtime and latency. That means that your online shop will load faster, which in turn will lower your bounce rate. 

Pomelo, BigBasket, and SHOPLINE are just a few of the big ecommerce businesses that have trusted AWS. 

Mobile Apps

Mobile app developers rejoice – AWS has it all:

• Scalable web and application servers 
• Storage
• Databases
• Content delivery 
• Cache
• And more

Amazon supports the making of native iOS/Android, React Native, and JavaScript-based apps. For example, AWS Amplify, a service aimed at frontend web and mobile developers, comes with purpose-built tools for creating apps with cloud functionality. 

In addition, Amazon provides an end-to-end solution that enables users to develop, test, deliver, and monitor the apps they’ve created. Everything built on AWS can rely on its infrastructure to deliver a secure, stable, and scalable experience.

REST API Services

A REST API in API Gateway is defined as a collection of resources and methods, integrated with AWS services. 

Amazon’s REST APIs include the following key features:

• Endpoint type – edge-optimized, regional, private
• Security – mutual TLS authentication, certificates for backend authentication, AWS WAF
• Authorization options – IAM, resource policies, Amazon Cognito, custom authorization with an AWS Lambda function
• API management – custom domains, API keys, per-client rate limiting, per-client usage throttling
• Development – CORS configuration, test invocations, caching, user-controlled deployments, custom gateway responses, and more
• Monitoring – Amazon CloudWatch metrics, CloudWatch Logs, Kinesis Data Firehose, еxecution logs, AWS X-Ray tracing
• Integrations – public HTTP endpoints, AWS services, AWS Lambda functions, private integrations with Network Load Balancers, mock integrations

Video Streaming

If you’re looking for a web-based video streaming platform, look no further than AWS’ Streaming Media solutions. 

You can choose from:

• Amazon Interactive Video Service
• Secure Media Delivery at the Edge on AWS
• Video on Demand on AWS
• Live Streaming on AWS

Users can also rely on AWS’ partners for software. SaaS, or managed services. Available companies include Brightcove Video Cloud, Amagi CLOUDPORT EXpress, and Kaltura Meeting Solutions and Video Management Platform. All of the offered tools are customizable and easy to deploy. 

In addition, AWS offers two live video streaming solutions. They feature options like:

• Customizations
• Inputs
• Outputs
• Support for content protection
• DVR-like features
• Build live-to-VOD workflows

ScalaHosting and AWS

Some time ago, ScalaHosting partnered with AWS. The goal was to expand the line of VPS Server Solutions and offer our customers more even options.

Thanks to this partnership, users get to enjoy four additional server choices, from 2GB to 16GB RAM in 13 new datacenter locations. Your website can now achieve optimal speeds regardless of your visitors’ location. 

All plants feature our SPanel web hosting management platform for free. It adds an additional security layer, thanks to SShield Security Guard – an AI-powered tool. It detects over 99.9% of attacks even before they reach your server. 

No matter what you’ve chosen to build with AWS and ScalaHosting – you’ll get the ultimate experience. Contact us now to learn more about our Managed AWS VPS hosting options! 

Wrap Up

So, what is Amazon Web Services good for?

Everything, basically.

AWS provides a comprehensive suite of services that enable businesses to develop, employ AI and machine learning, and manage all solutions from a centralized point. Amazon is also constantly working on expanding its list of available solutions and adding more and more features. If a scalable, cost-effective, and secure cloud environment is what you’re after – AWS is the one for you.

FAQ

Q: Why is AWS better than others?

A: AWS has been a cloud computing industry leader for over a decade, which makes the people behind it intimately familiar with the technology. As a result, the suite of services under AWS is constantly improved and more options are being added. 

Amazon also has a vast network of partners, which offer their expertise to all AWS users. And last but not least, the platform and its services are extremely cost-effective – you only pay for what you use.

Q: Does Netflix use AWS?

A: Netflix is one of the companies that use AWS’ services for direct-to-consumer (D2C) and streaming. Amazon provides the streaming giant with the computing power, storage, and infrastructure needed to operate effectively and securely.

Q: Can I learn AWS without experience?

A: Yes, you can learn to use AWS without any prior IT experience.  There are trainings and tutorials available for all its services on the official website. You can also connect with Amazon’s partners for extra assistance. In case you want to get certified – you can browse and choose from numerous AWS certification exams, again available via the official website.