Examining the Benefits and Drawbacks of AWS Support from a Partner

Working with a partner is usually the preferred option for businesses seeking AWS support.

AWS support partners come in all shapes and sizes, offering a range of services. You may even have a partner already in place right now supporting your AWS cloud.

The level of support partners provide will depend on things like the needs of your business, your budget, your cloud deployment, and the partner’s own size and capabilities.

To help you understand whether this is the best approach to take for your unique situation, we’ve listed the pros and cons of working with a cloud support partner here.

The Pros

• Most partners will have proven processes and best practices in place to support you
• You’ll work with your partner in a similar arrangement to a traditional IT support contract
• Most partners’ teams will have years of valuable experience
• You’ll be assigned a dedicated rep who will get to know your business well
• You’ll have assurance of their credibility through their existing clients and their certifications
• Many partners will also offer consultancy services for additional projects if you need it.

The Cons

• Most partners will only have one or two cloud experts, and those people will often be busy with high-profile clients or projects
• The main way to reach them will be through a support desk, which is unlikely to give you access to the most technical people
• Depending on the size of the partner, response times could be longer than you need
• Your partner may have a high volume of clients all demanding their attention simultaneously
• If you rep is away, you’ll be handed over to an unfamiliar rep who will be learning your business almost from scratch
• If your partner experiences any technical issues, it will affect your own business continuity.

The Verdict

Working with an AWS support partner is a certainly a good option. This will provide you with a more reliable and attentive service than receiving support directly from Amazon, in most cases.

But it’s important to consider that each partner will also be limited by its resources, number of clients, and technical capabilities.

We’d strongly suggest doing more research into cloud support and assessing your other options as well, to ensure you’re making the correct choice for your business.

To learn more about the options available for AWS support, and how to evaluate them to decide which one is right for you, read our in-depth article here.