AWS Launches Managed Services

Managed services providers (MSP) today are still trying to get their brains around the implications of Amazon Web Services’ announcement that they now offer managed services.

AWS Managed Services launched Monday and aims to provide a full suite of infrastructure operations management for users of its public cloud.

Automated services offered include: change requests, monitoring, patch management, security, backup services and “full-lifecycle services to provision, run, and support” infrastructure.

“By implementing best practices to maintain your infrastructure, AWS Managed Services helps to reduce your operational overhead and risk,” the new product webpage states.

“Our rigor and controls help to enforce your corporate and security infrastructure policies, and enable you to develop solutions and applications using your preferred development approach,” it continues. “AWS Managed Services improves agility, reduces cost, and unburdens you from infrastructure operations so you can direct resources toward differentiating your business.”

Users can connect to the services via API from existing tools, or through the AWS Management Console.

In a blog post announcing the launch, AWS chief evangelist Jeff Barr wrote that the company has set up new training programs on business and technical essentials to help partners build practices “around AWS MS.”

“I expect partners to help their customers connect their existing IT Service Management (ITSM) systems, processes, and tools to AWS MS, assist with the on-boarding process, and manage the migration of applications,” the blog states. “There are also opportunities for partners to use AWS MS to provide even better levels of support and service to customers.”

The blog post included the reaction of one AWS Premier Partner, expressing optimism about the move.

“We see AWS Managed Services as a key solution in the AWS portfolio, designed to meet the need for a cost effective, highly controlled AWS environment, where the heavy lifting of management and control can be outsourced to AWS,” Tom Ray of Cloudreach is quoted as saying. “This will extend our relationship even further, as Cloudreach will help customers design, migrate to AWS Managed Services, plus provide application level support alongside AWS.”

Amazon’s entry into managed services introduces a significant potential disruption of the MSP space.

AWS is the largest player in public cloud by market share and channel firms have long speculated about the impact should major cloud vendors increasingly take do-it-yourself IT services directly to customers.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are the next biggest players in cloud, and virtually all have begun flooding the market with cheap and innovative self-serve apps and tools for cloud computing.

A recent CompTIA study found that managing the competitive implications of “cloud computing” was the number one concern keeping MSPs up at night.

We want to hear from you: Live Reaction: Industry Speaks Out About AWS Managed Services