Why can't I use AWS?

First a quick disclaimer: This is an opinion piece. It is based on my world view and personal experience. Any claims are based on my experience and not industry research.

I have encountered a few companies that won't use AWS under any circumstances. They will go with one of the other cloud providers. The reason for this is always more to do with the Amazon group than AWS.

Amazon is obviously best known for being the world's most famous eCommerce retailer. They also do many other things like products (Ring doorbells, Alexa/Echo), logistics and delivery, music, streaming, TV production and publishing.

If you are not in the tech sector, AWS actually has much less brand recognition. It's the Amazon brand that people recognise.

Some companies see Amazon (or an element of the Amazon group) as being a direct competitor. As a result they will not use AWS.

I have seen examples of this in the retail, logistics and a few other fields.

I think AWS are more effected by this issue than the other hyper scalers due to the nature of the products and services they offer - however this is not based on any research. Both Alphabet and Microsoft are more focussed in software or online services. I think this is less of an issue in the tech sector.

Personally I think that this is a naive approach to choosing a cloud provider.

As a retailer you want to compete on the quality of your products, your customer service and shopping experience. You want to use the best tools available to provide this. This is very similar to Apple using Samsung components in the iPhone (something they do on a regular basis). In the latest iPhone 15 Apple tried to use 2 screen providers but switched to only use Samsung as they had the better product.

My philosophy, similar to Apple is always to use the best tools to build the best product.

Some people may have guessed (especially if you have met me face to face) that I am an AWS fan. They have the widest range of services out of any of the cloud providers. I also think the have the best approach to product support but that is a subject for another much longer article.

In terms of resilience, the AWS model of availability zones and regions is superior to most of their competitors. This can be seen in their track record for uptime/availability.

Ignoring what is best for your business, it is also worth thinking about what effect your decision will have on Amazon. Unless you are a tech giant, you are probably overestimating your significance.

• There are anti-trust laws in most markets which do limit companies using revenue from different divisions building monopolies.
• AWS is a behemoth. Your business is not going to substantially change AWS. Your decision to not use them is probably going to have a much bigger impact on your business than theirs.
• If AWS are more successful, then won't Amazon reinvest that money in AWS rather than other divisions? The world of cloud is a fast moving and competitive business. It also more profitable than many other Amazon devisions. The Amazon retail business took years to make money unlike AWS.
• For many companies you may have an even more complex relationship with Amazon. If you are a logistics company, Amazon retail may be a customer, Amazon logistics may be a competitor and AWS may be a supplier. Amazon use a range of logistics suppliers and are not put off by using competitors (especially around Christmas). This helps them manage their coverage and capacity.

As a company you want to beat other competitors in your sector. If you are attempting to do this with worse IT then you are starting with a disadvantage. If you find a different cloud provider is better for your particular circumstances then by all means use them. If you prefer a multi-cloud strategy then great. BUT if you choose a cloud provider because a different corporate division is selling the same book as you, then you need to really look at your IT sourcing strategy.

Use the best, be the best!