As a business owner, CTO, or even just someone who cares about their data, you may be looking for a more convenient and reliable way to keep your AWS resources online and safe.
You may be wondering if there’s a way to outsource this responsibility to someone else so you can focus on what’s important to you. After all, who knows your data better than you do? Delegating to a managed service the responsibility of keeping your AWS environment up and running can free up more time for you to focus on the areas of your business that provide the greatest value.
But what is a managed AWS service? And which one should you choose? Let’s have a look.
Matched To Your Needs
When it comes to AWS environments, every business and organization is different. Some may want to keep all of their environments private and secure, while others may want to make them available for public audiences. Some may want to keep a minimal number of environments up and running, while others may want to keep a fuller provisioned set.
Choosing a managed AWS service that matches your needs means they’ll have the expertise and experience necessary to keep your AWS environment up and running regardless of the scale and nature of your operations. For example, if you want to keep your environments private and secure but don’t have the resources to manage a bigger team, a smaller, more personal sized team may be the solution you’re looking for.
What To Look For
When searching for a managed AWS service, you’ll want to look for a few key items. First, make sure the service you’re considering offers both on-premises data centers and the option to remotely store your data in their cloud. This is important because you may want to keep some of your data on-premises and secure, while other data may be stored in the cloud. In this case, you may want to consider whether or not to use their managed data centers or public AWS environments. Second, make sure the service offers a money-back guarantee if you experience downtime.
Additionally, you’ll want to assess the service’s reliability and stability. After all, what would you do if your AWS environment went offline for an extended period of time? Would you be able to continue operating your business? How would you even react if there were a natural disaster that caused a power outage?
A reliable, stable managed AWS service will give you peace of mind in knowing your data is always protected and available when you need it. When choosing a managed AWS service, you also want to make sure they offer both traditional and advanced levels of data recovery and business continuity. Traditional backup and recovery solutions usually include local data backups as well as the ability to restore from those backups in the case of a disaster. More advanced solutions include the ability to replicate your AWS environment to another data center or even another country if necessary.
Features
Apart from the items mentioned above, you’ll want to make sure the managed AWS service you choose offers a wide range of features that are important to you. Some of the things you may want to consider include:
- Monitoring and analysis tools
- Alerts and notifications
- Cost optimization tools
- Dedicated support
- Additional resources like backup technicians and/or specialists in other areas
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance
- Free trials or money-back guarantees
- Reporting tools
- Geo-redundancy options
- Multiple data center options
Security & Privacy
Last but not least, you’ll want to make sure the managed AWS service you choose is secure and private. After all, AWS is a platform that is often targeted by cybercriminals and hackers looking to steal your organization’s sensitive information. While there are a number of steps you can take to secure your AWS environment, the best way to keep your data safe is by keeping it off of public networks and only using secured (SSL/TLS) connections when necessary.
Compliance
As a business owner, CTO, or even just someone who cares about their data, you may be required to comply with a variety of regulations when it comes to the security and privacy of your AWS environment. The regulations may include EU data protection law, export and import controls, or even a legal requirement to notify government officials of some sort in the case of a major disaster.
If you’re ever asked to provide evidence of how you’ve implemented security and privacy measures to ensure data is protected and only used for permitted purposes, a managed AWS service that has already been verified to be in compliance with data protection and security regulations may be the ideal solution for you.
Hopefully, this article will help you understand what elements to look for in a managed AWS service so you can choose the best one for your needs. If you found this article valuable, take a look at our guide to AWS security which includes more in-depth information on everything from security planning to designing a better firewall. And if you’re still wondering what a managed AWS service is and which one to choose, head over to our comparison of the best managed AWS services to learn more.