Many companies have made large investments in on-premise, Microsoft-oriented network structures but are looking for ways to lower IT overhead. Furthermore, some companies are small, on the verge of growing, and looking to create an scalable IT infrastructure. Both classes of business benefit greatly from infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), the practice of using cloud-based, provider-managed systems in order to reduce IT costs and improve flexibility. Let us take a look at some of the advantages of using one of the leading IaaS platforms, Amazon Web Services (AWS), as a Windows Server environment.
Provision New Systems Cheaply and Quickly
AWS EC2 allows the user to create an instance of a server in just minutes. With an automated wizard that steps an administrator through the process, an organization can provision a fully-functioning operating system in less time than it takes to download a large file. From a convenient dropdown list, the user can select from a wide range of server systems, including the most recent Windows Server 2012 releases. An organization with an established Windows environment can extend or replicate its structure on AWS, or it can run a server instance of a new Microsoft release in order to evaluate upgrade potential and compatibility issues with its existing on-premise system. A small business can get a business server up and running with little cost and overhead, either eventually deciding to use on-premise hardware or even find that AWS is cheaper in the long run and make it the permanent solution.
Mitigate License Fees While Still Transferring Over Existing Application Licenses
Microsoft systems come with licensing costs, of course, and any business that runs Windows Server must account for this overhead. However, when using AWS server instances, the organization is charged only for the time that the instance is used, and the provider absorbs the licensing cost. This allows a business to expand its network more quickly and economically. Better yet, Microsoft provides the License Mobility through Software Assurance Program which allows a customer to transfer application licenses (for server software that is used on top of the OS) to an AWS server instance without additional costs.
Contact us for more on the advantages of running a Windows Server environment on AWS.
One comment
organic potting soil
June 21, 2013 at 11:22 pm
This web site certainly has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this
subject and didn’t know who to ask.