What Is AWS? Amazon Web Services For Beginners.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform and infrastructure created by Amazon. It offers a wide range of services, including computing, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, security, and application development, among others. These services can be accessed over the internet, and are used by organizations to build and run a wide range of applications and services, such as websites, mobile apps, and business applications.

AWS is designed to be highly scalable and flexible, allowing organizations to access the resources they need, when they need them, and only pay for what they use. This makes it a popular choice for organizations looking to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing, such as reduced IT costs, increased agility, and improved reliability.

AWS offers a variety of services, including:

Compute services: These services provide computing resources for running applications, including virtual servers, containers, and serverless computing.
Storage and content delivery services: These services provide storage and delivery of data, including object storage, file storage, and content delivery networks.
Database services: These services provide various types of databases, including relational databases, non-relational databases, and in-memory databases.
Networking and content delivery services: These services provide networking and content delivery solutions, including virtual private clouds, load balancers, and content delivery networks.
Security and identity services: These services provide security and identity management solutions, including identity and access management, encryption, and firewall protection.

AWS is used by a wide range of businesses, including startups, enterprises, and government organizations, to build and run a variety of applications and services. AWS is known for its scalability, reliability, and flexibility, and it is one of the leading cloud computing platforms on the market.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There are a number of potential advantages to using Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the supply chain industry, including:

Cost savings: One of the main benefits of AWS is the ability to pay only for the resources that are used, rather than upfront costs for hardware and infrastructure. This can lead to significant cost savings for supply chain organizations, particularly those with variable or unpredictable resource needs.
Scalability: AWS is designed to be highly scalable, allowing organizations to quickly and easily access the resources they need to meet changing demands. This can help supply chain organizations save on costs associated with overprovisioning or underutilizing resources.
Reliability: AWS is known for its high levels of availability and reliability, which can help supply chain organizations save on costs associated with downtime or service disruptions.
Innovation: AWS is constantly innovating and adding new services and features, which can help supply chain organizations stay competitive and take advantage of the latest technologies.
Improved data analytics: AWS offers a range of analytics and machine learning tools that can help supply chain organizations improve their data analysis and decision-making. This can help them identify cost savings opportunities and optimize their operations.

There are also some potential drawbacks to using AWS in the supply chain industry, including:

Complexity: AWS offers a wide range of services and tools, which can be complex to navigate and manage. This may require significant investment in training and resources.
Security concerns: As with any cloud computing platform, there may be concerns about the security of data and applications stored on AWS. Supply chain organizations should carefully consider their security needs and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to protect their data.
Dependency on internet: AWS requires an internet connection to access its services, which may be a concern for organizations with limited or unreliable internet connectivity.
Integration challenges: Integrating AWS with existing systems and processes may require significant effort and resources, particularly if the systems are not well-suited to cloud computing.

Cost Savings: AWS Supply Chain

There are a number of ways in which Amazon Web Services (AWS) can help organizations in the supply chain industry save costs. Some examples include:

Pay-as-you-go pricing: One of the main benefits of AWS is the ability to pay only for the resources that are used, rather than upfront costs for hardware and infrastructure. This can lead to significant cost savings for supply chain organizations, particularly those with variable or unpredictable resource needs.
Reduced IT costs: By using AWS, supply chain organizations can reduce their IT costs by eliminating the need to maintain and manage their own hardware and infrastructure. This can save on costs associated with hardware purchases, maintenance, and support.
Improved efficiency: AWS can also help supply chain organizations improve their efficiency by providing access to resources on demand, rather than having to wait for hardware to be procured and set up. This can save on time and resources.
Better utilization of resources: AWS is designed to be highly scalable, allowing organizations to quickly and easily access the resources they need to meet changing demands. This can help supply chain organizations save on costs associated with overprovisioning or underutilizing resources.
Improved data analytics: AWS offers a range of analytics and machine learning tools that can help supply chain organizations improve their data analysis and decision-making. This can help them identify cost savings opportunities and optimize their operations.

This 5 minute video provides a quick insight into What is AWS (Amazon web services). This video discusses the history, most popular services and possible career opportunities with AWS.

For those that want to get much more detail about AWS this crash course is great for beginners who want to learn much more about AWS.

AWS and Automation Resources

Quotes on AWS and Cloud Computing

“If you look at growth in containers, it’s pretty astounding, and the vast majority of it continues to run in the cloud on top of AWS. Of the containers that are out of the clouds about two-thirds run on AWS and that’s because while most of the other providers have one container offering typically a managed Kubernetes offering, however, AWS has three.” ~Andy Jassy
“In 2000, when my partner Ben Horowitz was the CEO of the first cloud computing company, Loudcloud, the cost of a customer running a basic Internet application was approximately $150,000 a month.” ~Marc Adreessen, Co-founder of Netscape.
“If someone asks me what cloud computing is, I try not to get bogged down with definitions. I tell them that, simply put, cloud computing is a better way to run your business.” ~Marc Benioff, Founder and CEO of Salesforce.
“Supply Chain automation using emerging technologies such as IoT and artificial intelligence will drive efficiency like we have never seen before.” ~Dave Waters
“With AWS a new server can be up and running in three minutes (it used to take Eli Lilly seven and a half weeks to deploy a server internally) and a 64-node Linux cluster can be online in five minutes (compared with three months internally)…The deployment time is really what impressed us.” ~Dave Powers