AWS for DevOps: Benefits and Drawbacks

AWS, or Amazon Web Services, launched in 2006 and has since become one of the top cloud companies in the world. AWS provides a wide array of tools and services that allow businesses to quickly and reliably develop products using AWS cloud and DevOps practices.

 

These services simplify provisioning and managing infrastructure, automating software release processes, deploying application code, and monitoring application, as well as infrastructure performance. Since DevOps practices focus on increasing the speed at which organizations deliver applications and services, AWS services can help organizations remain competitive and better serve their customers.

 

If you are wondering whether AWS DevOps is the right choice for your company, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of pros and cons to help you make an informed decision. 

 

What Does AWS Offer?

 

Amazon Web Services offers a range of cloud products and services for small and medium-sized businesses and corporations. These include storage, servers, remote computing, networking, email services, mobile development, and cloud security. 

 

AWS controls approximately a third of all cloud market share, which is almost twice the market share of its closest competitor – Microsoft Azure. Some of the world’s leading companies rely on AWS for their cloud needs. 

 

AWS DevOps

 

In addition to cloud services, AWS also offers AWS DevOps, which is a set of DevOps tools and services that help companies build and deploy products with AWS and DevOps practices. AWS DevOps facilitates automating software release processes, implementing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), and deploying application code.

 

Some of the AWS DevOps services include:

 

• AWS CodePipeline: AWS CodePipeline is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) service. It assists with code configuration, testing, and subsequently deployment. With AWS CodePipeline, an AWS DevOps engineer can update applications and infrastructure quickly and reliably. 
• AWS CodeBuild: AWS CodeBuild service compiles the organization’s source code. It also collects, tests, and develops software packages, preparing them for deployment. 
• AWS CodeCommit: AWS CodeCommit stores and controls source code and helps with version management. 
• AWS CloudFormation: An orchestration tool, AWS CloudFormation helps automate infrastructure and allows you to build and rebuild infrastructure without needing to write code. With AWS CloudFormation, you can also employ infrastructure stacks in different AWS regions with just a single template. 
• AWS CodeDeploy: AWS CodeDeploy allows you to deploy applications with reduced downtime. It also integrates with the continuous delivery process.
• AWS CodeStar: A unified user interface, AWS CodeStar enables you to manage all software activities in a single place. 

 

Benefits of Using AWS for DevOps Projects

 

1. Cost Efficiency 

 

One of the primary benefits of using AWS is its cost-effectiveness. The AWS platform allows organizations of all sizes, from start-ups to global corporations, to leverage the AWS services they need. AWS offers competitive pricing that is significantly more economical than building and maintaining your own in-house servers. 

 

Instead, you can take advantage of the various AWS DevOps tools and services and tools and the platform’s pay-as-you-go pricing model. Just like it would work with an electricity bill, you only pay for tools and services you have used over a specific time period.

 

Moreover, AWS does not require a long-term commitment, nor does it have termination penalties or any upfront fees. Therefore, you stop and start using any of the platform’s tools and services whenever your business requires them. And finally, the AWS Free Tier plan allows you to get started with the AWS platform and explore its offerings before making a commitment. 

 

2. Easy Scaling 

 

AWS offers flexible services and unlimited capacity that make it easy for organizations to scale their projects up and down based on their requirements. 

 

First, its Application Auto Scaling service continuously monitors your applications and adjusts capacity automatically. This ensures predictable AWS service performance at the lowest cost. With AWS Auto Scaling, your applications will always have the exact resources they need at any given time, and you will only pay for what you use. 

 

Additionally, you’ll receive recommendations on how to optimize performance and costs, as well as how to balance between them.  

 

3. Vast Array of Tools

 

AWS identifies it as the world’s most comprehensive cloud platform. It offers its clients more than 200 services from over 125 data centers globally. According to the AWS platform, it provides more services, as well as more features, within said services than other cloud providers.

 

Your business can benefit from AWS’s flexible services designed to take care of all its cloud needs. You can leverage analytics, data lakes, the Internet of Things, cloud infrastructure technologies, such as databases, storage, and cloud computing, and novel technologies, like artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

 

As a result, businesses can move their existing applications to the cloud in an easy, quick, and cost-effective way. They can also build any applications or functionalities they desire without needing to seek other services.

 

4. Continuous Innovation 

 

According to many cloud experts, commitment to constant innovation is one of the key reasons why the AWS platform has amassed such a large number of global corporations as its clients. Even though the brand’s competitors include Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and IBM Cloud Services, to name a few, when it comes to innovation, AWS is hard to compete with. 

 

5. Extensive Knowledge Base

 

Since AWS is the most popular and widely used cloud platform, it has an extensive knowledge base that allows its users to find answers to common questions and issues. 

 

Moreover, users can also access helpful materials within AWS Documentation, a hub for technical documentation for AWS services that includes user and developer guides and tutorials, as well as AWS Prescriptive Guidance which offers resources from AWS partners and technology experts.  

 

Aside from the official documentation by the platform, you can also find helpful resources in AWS re:Post. It’s an AWS-managed cloud knowledge forum where experts address the questions of the AWS community. 

 

Together, these services provide users with extensive guidance and troubleshooting information. This allows AWS clients to proactively address operational efficiency issues and continuously innovate. 

 

6. User Friendliness

 

AWS is easy to use, with its flexible services designed for fast and straightforward access. Due to that, many businesses find AWS to be easier to get started with than the platforms by other cloud providers, especially Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. 

 

AWS offers its clients immense flexibility. Therefore, they can modify their data and services according to need and necessity. And lastly, AWS services are well-documented and have an extensive knowledge base of tutorials and troubleshooting instructions.   

 

7. Unlimited Server Capacity

 

One of the primary reasons why huge brands with highly trafficked websites choose AWS Cloud is its unlimited server capacity. This means that regardless of how extensive your IT needs are, AWS can handle them. Moreover, your business can continuously expand its server capacity and not worry about downtime or service disruptions. 

 

Besides that, it makes it easier for businesses to handle self-replicating viruses and other malware issues. That’s because a business doesn’t need to pause its operations due to limited storage issues. 

 

8. Managed IT Services

 

Another highly beneficial feature of AWS is its managed IT services, which can help you manage your organization’s IT infrastructure without needing to invest in hiring additional team members. This can help you proactively address any possible security issues, such as data breaches and other forms of cybercrime.

 

Since it can be challenging to find reputable and trustworthy managed IT services providers, this can help businesses avoid potential issues and focus on their operations and clients instead. 

 

Drawbacks of Using AWS for DevOps Projects

 

1. Confusing Billing 

 

AWS Cloud is flexible and convenient. However, one of the platform’s major flaws is its billing system. It can not only be majorly confusing, especially for less tech-savvy business leaders, but organizations can also easily rack up massive bills without being aware of it. 

 

To avoid this, Amazon’s CloudWatch service can help you keep an eye on your spending to prevent any unexpected surprises. It can also be beneficial to work with an AWS reseller or a skilled and knowledgeable dedicated development company. Their services simplify provisioning and managing infrastructure as well as invoicing and AWS billing. 

 

2. Security Limitations

 

Keep in mind that no cloud service out there is immune to security risks. However, if you opt for AWS DevOps, it’s beneficial to be aware of the top security concerns that AWS users tend to experience:

 

• Poor identity and access management (IAM): In short, IAM is the control of who can and who can’t access specific data. To do this, you must grant authorization and access to specific experts on your team. In contrast, poor identity and access management can lead to the wrong workers getting access to information that may be sensitive or classified. This can be especially problematic if former employees have access to important company information and intellectual property. Therefore, setting correct parameters via AWS Identity and Access Management is crucial.
• Shared responsibility model: AWS covers the security of the platform. Meanwhile, organizations must take responsibility for securing their applications and data. It’s essential to understand and prepare for this with adequate measures, such as access control and login monitoring. This can prevent data breaches and ensure data safety. 
• Improper encryption of data: S3 buckets allow AWS DevOps clients to store data in a straightforward and cost-effective way. However, it’s easy to make these private buckets public and accessible to anyone who has an AWS account. This can lead to sensitive data being stolen or disclosed. Using AWS Macie can help detect any changes to buckets and protect against data breaches. 
• Non-compliance: Non-compliance issues can lead to hefty penalties and even criminal charges. The AWS Artifact service can prevent such issues from affecting your organization. 
• Making AMIs public: AMIs, or Amazon Machine Images, include the information necessary to start cloud-based storage systems, such as operating systems, application data, and much more. This can lead to pricey vulnerability of revealing an organization’s entire cloud architecture. 

 

While AWS offers services that address these security concerns, issues can still arise and cause businesses significant problems. Therefore, AWS DevOps professionals need to proactively work on minimizing potential risks. 

 

3. Country-Specific Services

 

While Amazon is headquartered in the United States, AWS Cloud has global, regional, and availability zone (AZ) specific services. There are currently a minimum of 22 regions and at least 69 availability zones. 

 

If you are a non-US user, you will gain access to all AWS services, but there may be restrictions on what exactly under those services is available to you. Therefore, not everything that is advertised by Amazon may be available in your location.  

 

4. Use of Data

 

Despite caring about providing a spectacular customer experience, Amazon has had issues with the safety of customer data. 

 

According to its former VP of Security, at some point, Amazon’s infrastructure appeared to be “held together with tape and bubblegum.” He further explained that Amazon’s clients have had thorough access to customer orders and were able to spy on celebrities and their purchases. 

 

While AWS Cloud and the Amazon marketplace are different offerings, they are by the same company. Therefore, the same or similar work practices and vulnerabilities may be affecting other aspects of the company. Thus, it’s vital to know what issues the company has experienced and how it has addressed them.

 

5. Data Loss Prevention Policies

 

AWS offers various data protection services, yet they require adequate setup and continuous monitoring. Moreover, Amazon will compensate its clients for service outages but not data loss. 

 

For instance, a 2020 power outage that affected AWS clients and lasted for hours caused data losses. Similar issues occurred in 2021, too.

 

While it is impossible to prevent possible power issues, AWS clients can protect themselves against such instances and minimize potential data losses by performing regular backups. 

 

6. Protection of Intellectual Property

 

In 2017, Amazon amended the language in its agreement that protects clients against copyright infringements from a third party. Amazon states that it would side with its customers in such instances. However, these changes weren’t communicated to the platform’s user base. 

 

The lack of transparency on the matter raises concerns. Moreover, small and medium-sized businesses that do not have extensive legal teams may easily overlook this clause. Besides that, security laws also can vary by country and region. 

 

7. Amazon EC2 Limitations 

 

In addition to the limitations of services, Amazon also limits AWS cloud resources that are available in each region. This means that the region you are in determines the AWS resources that your business gets access to. To exceed those, you will need to request an upgrade. 

 

8. Paid Support Packages

 

AWS offers support, but it’s not free. You can select from a range of AWS support packages that start at $29 per month. In addition to that, you can also opt for the AWS Incident Detection and Response add-on, which offers proactive, continuous incident monitoring for select workflows. 

 

9. Over- or Under-Provisioning

 

To control its costs and prevent surprise bills, a company can provision AWS resources it will need based on its average consumption. However, provisioning and managing infrastructure can easily lead to overprovisioning or underprovisioning. 

 

Overprovisioning may increase an organization’s bills, whereas underprovisioning can leave a company underprepared for possible seasonal spikes in demand. 

 

10. Issues with End-User Experience

 

AWS is a complex platform with enterprises being its primary target customer base. Due to this, its UX/UI is important for businesses that use AWS and their bottom line. 

 

AWS clients can mitigate some of the issues through optimization to the end user. This leads to utilizing cache servers for static resources that prevent AWS from spinning up more instances to handle large requests and prevent bandwidth peaks. 

 

Alternatively, optimization may require the use of CDNs or Content Delivery Networks through CloudFront service provided by AWS. This allows the platform to automatically select servers that are the closest to the user geographically. 

 

Conclusion

 

AWS offers its clients a wide range of benefits that facilitate software development activities. However, as with any web service available, it has issues. It’s essential to be aware of them before choosing AWS DevOps. 

 

Still unsure if AWS is the right platform for you? How about a quick chat with Datrick to assess your needs and expectations? We can not only consult you on the best platform for your business but also provide long-term DevOps services to guide your projects to fruition.