2 Ways to Determine the Cost of AWS

The internet has become ubiquitous in so many aspects of modern life. Society, in general, has been impacted in drastic ways over the last two decades through the rise and advancement of technology and communication, and the internet continues to be a source of that advancement. AWS is one of the largest could platform for web services on the planet, and also one of the most loved and used services. 

What is AWS?

AWS stands for Amazon Web Service and is one of the largest cloud-based web services that has over 200 fully realized features. A web service provides the infrastructure and space for technology to grow and advance. Some of the core features that AWS offers are simply on-demand cloud computing and storage. AWS is the largest cloud-based platform on the planet that is designed to be the most flexible and secure computing, cloud-based environment on the market. 

This service is sued by entities from small start-ups all the way to enterprise-sized companies that utilize data lakes in order to run their analytics, to even government-run agencies. When it comes to creating any kind of internet-based service or experience, there has to be some kind of server connection for that to happen, and AWS’s cloud-based service allows this for millions of individuals and companies all over the world. Another thing that makes them unique is that they not only offer the fundamental features, but as part of their 200 feature list you can find tools for artificial intelligence and machine thinking. 

How Much Does AWS Cost?

While they are not the only cloud-based web service on the market, they are one of the most robust and well-used. As a service, they charge per usage of their platform and services. Meaning that you only pay for what you use, much like an electric or water bill for common household utilities. Because of this, paired with the ever-present demand for this kind of infrastructure to make everything from websites to data collection and analysis and app development work, costs for AWS are a high priority. 

Because this is the infrastructure that most businesses build out their digital platforms on, knowing how much you are spending, and avoiding overspending is incredibly important. Take an old building during the hot summer months, you may have central cooling, but you want to monitor your electric bill. If you just leave the AC running at full blast and aren’t careful to monitor windows, doors, and what insulation you can, then you’ll inevitably run up a very high bill. 

In the same way, there are tools that help businesses understand exactly what is happening with AWS costs. AWS cost explorer and other options help businesses know what they are spending money on and give departments the insight they need to make cost-efficiency decisions. 

Here are two options for determining and monitoring the cost of AWS that you need to know about. 

AWS Cost Explorer

If you use AWS, then chances are you have been introduced to their native cost exploring tool. This tool has the basic functionality that can provide you and your team with valuable information. Insights into cost and usage can be found via this tool and it can give powerful insight to department heads to help investigate any unnecessary usage that may be occurring. 

Because using AWS is necessary, it’s important to constantly be aware of how much you are using, what your costs are, and what they are going to be so you can properly budget. The powerful way that Amazon’s native cost explore helps you do this is by allowing you to analyze your data at an in-depth level. This tool will help you create customized reports that give insight into cost and usage across all accounts, identify anomalies, and help identify trends and cost drivers. 

The only downside to this tool is that while it has a user-friendly interface, it can create reports that are hard to understand. 

CloudForecast 

CloudForecast is an alternative tool that gives all of the same in-depth reporting that AWS Cost Explorer does, and more. This tool focuses on one simple thing, and that’s access. AWS costs are important and need to be accurate and adequately understood for the good of your business. With reports that are designed to give in-depth information and data, at an understandable, and accessible level you can empower department heads like never before. This means allowing various members of your team to have information that makes sense and is easy to understand. 

Concsluion

By providing reports of AWS costs that are digestible and easy to understand, you bring more of your team to the table for problem solving and monitoring for the most cost-effective ways of using AWS. Transforming complicated data into accurate reports that can be accessed by technical as well as non-technical staff is a powerful way to help departments make real data-driven decisions in response to AWS costs.