Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Head Of Information Technology at Bquate Music
Real User
Top 10
Simple setup, powerful computing capacity, and flexible.
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Amazon EC2 is the computing capacity."
  • "The scalability could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Amazon EC2 for two purposes for our customers, hosting the platform and storing assets.

How has it helped my organization?

If we were not able to use Amazon EC2, our customers would not be able to use the services we provide. The solution is critical for the services we provide.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Amazon EC2 is the computing capacity.

What needs improvement?

The scalability could improve.

Buyer's Guide
Amazon EC2
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Amazon EC2. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Amazon EC2 for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not had any issues.

I rate the stability of Amazon EC2 a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and flexible. However, it could improve.

We have approximately three instances running internally. We are expected to have more customers using this solution in the future.

I rate the scalability of Amazon EC2 a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used the support from the vendor.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Amazon EC2 is easy.

What was our ROI?

We have received a return on investment using Amazon EC2.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When we did the deployment of Amazon EC2 we found it to be less expensive than other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Amazon EC2 a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
MARCOS JUNIOR - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Instructor Coordinator at ELFA MEDICAMENTOS SA
Real User
Top 10
Extremely scalable, reliable, and simple to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward."
  • "It is a little too expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a server. 

What is most valuable?

The scalability is very good. 

It is very stable. 

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What needs improvement?

We'd like to be able to scale without turning down the EC2 server. As of now, we have to turn it off in order to scale resources and then turn it on again. We'd like to upgrade and/or downgrade the server without shutting it down.

It is a little too expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a year or two. I haven't used it for that long. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. I'd rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I've never used the solution's technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm also familiar with other cloud providers. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not difficult at all. It is not overly complex. I'd rate the ease of setup eight out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I've found the pricing to be very expensive. I find it pricey compared to other options. 

What other advice do I have?

We're customers and end-users.

I'd advise new users to practice sizing and try to keep their environment according to their needs. If you have an oversized server, it will cost too much money.

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten overall. 

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?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Amazon EC2
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Amazon EC2. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Owner at MATR
Real User
Top 5
Beneficial VMs, highly scalable, and straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Amazon EC2 is the virtual machines that are available."
  • "We have had some downtime using the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Amazon EC2 for automation testing.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Amazon EC2 is the virtual machines that are available.

What needs improvement?

If the cost of the solution was lower it would be a benefit.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Amazon EC2 for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have had some downtime using the solution.

I rate the stability of Amazon EC2 a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 25 people using the solution. We do not plan to increase our usage.

I rate the scalability of Amazon EC2 a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The support in my limited usage was satisfactory.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not use other solutions similar to Amazon EC2.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Amazon EC2 was straightforward and did not take long approximately 20 minutes. We deployed the solution manually.

What about the implementation team?

The solution was deployed in-house with two to three people.

What was our ROI?

We have received a return on investment using Amazon EC2.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Reducing the price of the solution could lead to an improvement.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Amazon EC2 a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Syamsunder Kurup - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at GIDARA Energy
Real User
Readily available with good cost savings and quick to implement
Pros and Cons
  • "We find it easy to scale."
  • "Nothing is really missing in terms of features."

What is our primary use case?

I'm using TCDs and OCDs, and these are the two high-performance systems.

We have our business applications running on EC2.

What is most valuable?

EC2 does have not many features. Normally, we do elastic load balancing, which is great.

The implementation is very easy. It's quick and easy to deploy.

It's quite stable. 

We find it easy to scale. 

What needs improvement?

We don't have any issues with the solution. Nothing is really missing in terms of features. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for many years now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is 100% stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales quite well, and it is easy to expand. 

It's very easy to add to what is already there. You just have to add memory and storage and restart the instance. 

We have more than 100 people using the solution.

While we do not have plans to increase usage at this time, we may do so in a year.

How are customer service and support?

We've been happy with technical support. They are very helpful and responsive. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution is straightforward to set up. It's not overly complex. We can deploy the solution in just ten to 15 minutes. It's very fast.

The maintenance is very easy. If we need help, we can always contact support for guidance. 

What about the implementation team?

I was able to implement the solution myself. 

What was our ROI?

We've seen some ROI. It's saved us a lot of time on our side. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is moderate. It's not too high or too low. It's based on usage. While using AWS cloud ensures there are no hidden costs, if you use other clouds, there might be.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look into other options before choosing EC2. 

What other advice do I have?

We're customers. 

I'm using a normal regular EC2. I'm not using containers.

On the cloud, we use both Amazon and Azure as our cloud. 

I'd recommend the solution as it is scalable, readily available, and offers good cost savings. People who know AWS have been very happy with the experience. 

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Julius Mboya - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief technical officer at Solvezy Technology Kenya Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Ensures we can provision resources on demand, and we can grow and shrink them as per the traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "There's a lot of encryption across the setups to ensure that database credentials and everything related to security are well managed."
  • "We faced a challenge in regard to billing. It took a lot of time because our state is set up in Kenya, so we needed to pay in Kenya currency. We have to go around in circles."

What is our primary use case?

We have a business-to-business platform where we connect micro-enterprises to financial services. The solution is hosted in AWS and also has mobile components on the Google Play Store.

We use authorization on Kubernetes and various AWS services like S3 and databases. The entire suite can host a comprehensive ERP system within AWS.

What is most valuable?

Some of the good features are, first of all, due to scaling. It ensures we can provision resources on demand, and we can grow and shrink them as per the traffic. 

There are definitely security features around IAM and WAF that ensure the information is secured. There's a lot of encryption across the setups to ensure that database credentials and everything related to security are well managed. Their database product is good, and we are making maximum benefit out of it.

What needs improvement?

We faced a challenge in regard to billing. There was a time when we were working on changing the mode of payment from card to wire. It took a lot of time because our state is set up in Kenya, so we needed to pay in Kenya currency. We have to go around in circles.  There was a lot of documentation required, but we managed to go through successfully.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. It's a very stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product because it's IaaS and PaaS. You use it on demand, so it's computing on demand. That works for us. And there are also opportunities for enhanced cost savings in terms of serverless computing. We've used a couple, and at least it's good. So it's helping us to further reduce AWS costs.

The user base is approximately 120. As more users join the platform, the user base will definitely increase.

How are customer service and support?

I've had the best technical support experience I've ever had. Everything is resolved within the service level agreement. I'm happy.

How was the initial setup?

We did it ground up. We started from zero, created the account, set up the control tower, and started provisioning the resources. It was simplistic. It only requires you to have knowledge of AWS infrastructure, and from there, it's a straight sail.

What was our ROI?

I can't quantify ROI because it varies. Currently, my AWS bills from services that I use across various accounts.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay monthly. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten. 

I would suggest using the free tier first. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Chief Technology Officer at Ongil Private Limited
Real User
The ability to bring up servers and then do the computation and deposit means we don't have to maintain a data center
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to bring up servers and then do the computation and deposit means we don't have to maintain a data center. Everything is virtual and the security is also taken care of. It helps us to achieve compliance. Being a small startup with the security features that AWS provides helps us with compliance."
  • "In terms of improvement, they could build some client-side desktop tools that provide easier connectivity to Amazon."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use Amazon AWS and EC2 services. The primary use case is to spawn servers quickly with a particular hardware memory, CPU, and storage footprint. It gives me a hardware service quickly, I can get a virtual machine with Linux installed with a particular storage configuration. I can also configure the security and bring it up. 

Practically, it gives me a mini data center in one or two minutes. 

We need to bring a large number of servers to do our jobs. We do a lot of crawling jobs hosted in AWS. We have templates available to us to bring a pool of servers up and running, hardware as a service. 

In our use case, it's not the number of users using the solution, it's more the number of processes that respond. Based on the compressions and the jobs we do or sometimes we crawl, so the scaling is more in terms of the amount of data acquisition we do.

How has it helped my organization?

The ability to bring up servers and then do the computation and deposit means we don't have to maintain a data center. Everything is virtual and the security is also taken care of. It helps us to achieve compliance. Being a small startup with the security features that AWS provides helps us with compliance.

The encryption, storage, physical security, and data security features at the protocol and storage level, helps us as an organization to achieve greater compliance and keep our business running in a secure fashion.

What is most valuable?

The features I find valuable are EC2, the admin control, and the ability to add the elastic IPs and then attach storage; all of those features are valuable. Also, the Admin Control, Cost Explorer, and the billing features are valuable. That gives me the ability to understand the costs. Amazon AWS has some savings plans. 

In cloud computing, people think the cloud is cheap, but you need to know how to use it and configure the right plans. 

AWS Cost Explorer and the billing features are also valuable. 

S3 buckets and fast storage are also very nice features. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement, they could build some client-side desktop tools that provide easier connectivity to Amazon. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Amazon AWS for 3 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of availability and stability, they have not been an issue so far. I've used it in all previous organizations for very large-scale deployments and they're working fine. 
We are not seeing any outages because of Amazon, except if we are using spot instances, they can go down at any moment. We will only use these when we can afford server downtime, so not for production. They sometimes can go down for an hour and so on, but other than that the EC2 instances are fairly stable and great, we have not had an issue so far. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scaling is not a problem because they themselves give you Amazon auto-scaling features. Very few users know how to use it properly. Our VM and images should be properly packaged and then you have to configure it. The load boxes have to be configured, you need to do some configuration, then you can basically vertically scale by choosing a server with a larger memory footprint, or you can go for horizontal scaling by adding more configuration into it. It's scaling over the box. 

How are customer service and support?

I've never had to use Amazon support services yet. I've not opened any tickets so far, I don't have first-hand experience of going through the support process with Amazon. I have been supported by their enablement teams that work with startups, they are fairly good. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've been using AWS for quite a while, there are some use cases where I have not directly used any other cloud product so far, I mostly stick to Amazon. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is more or less straightforward for a developer. For somebody who is not from a pure development background it obviously requires you to understand what a public IP address is. You need to understand what storage is and then how to use it. It's mostly for developers and administrators, not for a non-technical audience; for people who can configure a server and have technical background. 

What about the implementation team?

We mostly implement everything on our own, we don't have to bring in a consultant. The only time we brought in a consultant from AWS itself was to take up the offer of a free review of our infrastructure and they will help us to optimize. They advise on which plan based on our use case. Other than that, most of the technical documentation is available and we can operate on our own. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

If we already have the script and everything available, the deployment takes no more than half an hour. We already have the templates, but the template development, the scripts, all the tools development will take some time, maybe a month or so depending on the use case. But, once you have them set up, it's basically a matter of 15 minutes to half an hour.
There were no annual or monthly licensing costs as it's completely based on usage. Depending on how many hours of use, the instance we run, and the storage we use, you get a very detailed account of usage in your billing document. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did not go through an evaluation process beforehand, mostly it was chosen by the organizations. I did evaluate other vendors on cost optimization to see whether switching to another vendor would improve cost.

I wanted to optimize the infrastructure to see whether the problem is with the way we use it or if Amazon itself is expensive. I was able to bring down the cost with some of the cleanups and saving plans they offer. 

What other advice do I have?

We plan to increase usage as our business expands, we will grow with AWS as it expands.
In terms of the EC2 services, it's an amazing product, in terms of the computational power and the flexibility and then the number of features and services they provide, it's awesome actually.

I would rate it a ten out of ten.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ibidapo Ibrahim - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of IT Infrastructure at a non-tech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Good bandwidth, easy setup, and does not crash
Pros and Cons
  • "The amount of bandwidth has been most valuable."
  • "They have to provide clarity on pricing. It's not transparent."

What is our primary use case?

I've used it as a VBI. I've used it as a web application server. I'm also using it as an RGS server.

How has it helped my organization?

AWS has always been my go-to for labs, as I can't afford massive machines at home. Therefore, I go to AWS to test new services. It's a space and energy saver. 

What is most valuable?

The amount of bandwidth has been most valuable. 

It is stable and does not crash.

The product can scale.

Initially, setting up the product is easy.

What needs improvement?

They have to provide clarity on pricing. It's not transparent. I've never gone to production on AWS, as I've never been clear on what it would cost.

I'd like to test the sign-ons of AWS with Google or Microsoft.

For how long have I used the solution?

I started using the solution since 2016.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. I've never had a machine go down. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'd rate the scalability very high. It can scale to however big you want. 

How are customer service and support?

I've never used technical support. I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they would be. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. It is not overly complex. 

What was our ROI?

We have witnessed an ROI while using the solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is too complex. I can't understand it. If I have a service and want to launch in AWS, I need to know what it would cost to run it over the course of the year. I need to know the cost of bandwidth and storage. They need to lay out what they are charging and what clients can expect. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did not evaluate other options previously. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. 

I'd advise others to make sure they understand pricing before diving in.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. I really don't have anything bad to say about its capabilities. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Juan Mitchell - PeerSpot reviewer
MSP Architect at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reliable with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The ethernet configuration is stable and the product is reliable."
  • "Lacks sufficient tools to help users minimize their costs."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for migrating Linux boxes to Windows boxes. We deal mainly with small and medium-sized businesses that are looking to move away from on-prem hardware to the cloud. We are customers and I'm an MSP architect.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this product is its reliability. Its ethernet configuration is stable and they provide good technical support. 

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see more tools to help our clients minimize their costs. The company could provide tips on savings. A couple of our clients have taken a pay-as-you-go model when they configure and they're paying a lot more money than they need to. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable as is the backend infrastructure.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good whether you scale horizontally or vertically. A couple of clients scale out horizontally and the load balances help with that. 

How are customer service and support?

Customer support is actually quite good. They've been able to fix or guide me on the solution.

How was the initial setup?

I have experience with this product so the initial setup is easy for me. Some small businesses have their IT people, but others don't have the knowledge so I carry out an assessment for them. My medium sized clients have a couple of IT people who maintain the network side of things and the instances or the server aspect. If they have applications, then they have their own application people that take care of the application. Maintenance requires around three to five people. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost varies depending on how many instances you have and how long you run it. Our most recent customers were running around four instances, and their bill was between $1,500 to $2,000.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to have somebody familiar with the solution on board, especially if it's an organization that wants to move quickly. 

I rate this solution nine out of 10. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user