The complete hybrid infrastructure solution
AWS Outposts are not well known, but they are a great addition to your company’s existing infrastructure, whether already virtualized in AWS or moving towards virtualization. An outpost is an on-premise appliance managed by AWS. It provides cloud-based services, APIs, and managed infrastructure services to a company’s private physical and virtual infrastructure. Outposts provide visibility to management from one single platform for both cloud and on-premise infrastructures, and they are a great option for companies who are in the process of transitioning to the cloud.
Like any device or server, some specifications and capacity need to be defined. Each outpost configuration has cooling and power needs and has a set storage quantity and compute capacity. Additionally, a service link needs to be set up to ensure your device, or devices, communicates with the associated AWS Region.
When an outpost is installed in the datacenter, a new zone is created in the AWS region and your datacenter is solely connected to it. A zone provides companies with the ability to place resources, such as compute and storage, in locations that are closer to users. This allows users to create ECS, EKS, or RDS instances using S3 storage, which are all local to the physical datacenter but managed like any other AWS resource already available.
4 reasons to use AWS Outposts:
- Compliance: Some companies may need to retain data and applications on a private infrastructure. For example, defense contractors might be hesitant to have sensitive data stored in a public cloud.
- Performance: Intensive processing requiring the source data originating from local devices can make it necessary to have it processed locally and then sending the results back in batches to a public cloud hosted system. Outposts can also offer relief for low latency network requirements where communication is required; for example, a factory floor equipment and an application.
- Cost: Data transmission can be costly if it’s constant and required for specific calculations, having this process occur locally can help reduce the communication costs.
- Management: Utilizing a single dashboard to manage your whole infrastructure can be much more efficient, and with outposts the complete view of your infrastructure through the AWS dashboards is available while managing both local and cloud based systems.
How to get started?
Getting started with outposts is similar to the process required when new hardware is ordered from a manufacturer. You order outposts rack capacity, and an AWS personnel will deliver and install the outposts rack in your facility.
Once the outpost is connected to a parent AWS Region, it will automatically appear in the AWS Management Console. You can then create EC2s, S3 buckets as normal. APIs are also the same as the ones used for a regular EC2 landscape, meaning if system provisioning was scripted, it will most likely work without any modification.
In terms of maintenance and support, outposts are automatic and managed remotely by AWS. If the full rack needs an upgrade, you are able to order a new one and follow the same process.
AWS Outposts are a great option for companies looking for a solution to bridge the gap between the full cloud deployments and the on-premises installations. This hybrid solution provides a unique infrastructure that runs locally and in the cloud, while maintaining the same services and interfaces. Moreover, outposts simplify the management and maintenance needed for your entire infrastructure. Read more about cloud capabilities and schedule a call with NIMBL to understand if AWS Outposts are the right solution for your organization.
