What is our primary use case?
As I sit in Cloud Security Center, I have the responsibility for all workloads running on AWS. I use Trusted Advisor to gain visibility into the resources the project teams are using, and AWS gathers any vulnerabilities and recommendations across the governance spectrum that Trusted Advisor provides. I then contact the solution owners to ensure they close the gaps and implement measures to prevent breaches.
How has it helped my organization?
Trusted Advisor has helped our organisation gain insights into best practices across a number of important domains for us. It has help me maintain a holistic view of our AWS platform and guided me to improve areas needing it.
What is most valuable?
The cost-effectiveness of this solution is impressive, as is its security coverage. Trusted Advisor offers a comprehensive overview, which I then use as a starting point to explore detailed security issues via Security Hub or AWS Inspector. This integrated approach enables efficient resolution of our security concerns.
What needs improvement?
The paid version offers numerous controls, though some are still absent. It includes approximately 480 Advisor checks overall. Enhancing these checks would increase my reliance on Trusted Advisor before turning to more detailed services.
However, the integration between Trusted Advisor and Security Hub occasionally confuses as there are many overlapping AWS services and the same finding can be duplicated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it since 2013, which is over ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable. I have never experienced it going down, so I would give it a nine out of ten.
Trusted Advisor is designed to provide consistent and reliable insights into our organization's AWS environment, offering us recommendations for improving stability, security, and cost efficiency.
However, as with any software service, occasional issues may arise, but overall, the stability of Trusted Advisor is considered to be robust and dependable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It scores a ten in scalability. It provides automated checks and recommendations based on best practices for utilizing AWS services, and it can adapt to the needs of various organizations, from small businesses to large enterprises. As the infrastructure and usage of AWS services grow, Trusted Advisor effectively scales to continue providing insights and recommendations for optimizing cost, security, performance, and fault tolerance.
However, the cost also scales, which is something to consider.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't had the need to use customer service, which is likely a positive indicator. I am adept at resolving issues on my own. I would rate it an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The setup is very straight forward.
Enabling AWS Trusted Advisor at the organization level involves a few additional steps but is still relatively manageable. When enabling it at the organization level, administrators typically need to access the AWS Organizations console to enable Trusted Advisor across all accounts within the organization. This process usually involves setting permissions and access controls to ensure that the appropriate users can view and act on the recommendations provided by Trusted Advisor.
Many people dont use the paid version, not wanting to pay for the full version, which is a shame. Setup is almost automatic and takes about half an hour. It is ClickOps—plug and play.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. It is highly functional and effective, but pricing and other considerations may prevent widespread adoption. While it plays a significant role in workload governance, there are similar offerings available.
AWS Trusted Advisor is a flexible tool that can be utilized by different roles within an organization to improve cost efficiency, security, performance, and fault tolerance. Cloud architects, DevOps engineers, security analysts, IT managers, financial analysts, and operations teams can gain practical insights and recommendations, enabling informed decision-making and efficient resource management.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner