AWS Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02
Billing and Pricing
AWS Support Options
Welcome AWS cloud practitioners! In this lesson, we explore the final segment of the billing section—AWS support options. AWS provides a range of support plans tailored to different needs, from basic troubleshooting to robust enterprise-level support. Read on to understand each support level in detail.
Basic Support
The Basic Support plan is available to all AWS customers at no additional cost. It offers:
- Free web-based technical support (with unlimited web cases)
- Limited access to AWS Trusted Advisor checks
- Full access to your Personal Health Dashboard
Note
Basic Support is ideal for users who are exploring AWS and require fundamental support for experimentation. However, it does not include phone support, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for response times, or a dedicated Technical Account Manager (TAM).
Developer Support
Developer Support is designed for those who need a bit more than the Basic plan. This option is particularly useful when developing on AWS and requires a guaranteed response, albeit through web-based communication only. Key features include:
- All benefits of the Basic plan plus additional Trusted Advisor checks
- Prioritized web support with a 12-hour response time for production issues
- Pricing at $29 per month or 3% of your total AWS spend, whichever is applicable
This plan is well-suited for early-stage production environments and development work where a faster response is appreciated.
Business Support
For production workloads, the Business Support plan is the minimum requirement. It builds upon Developer Support by offering:
- Everything included in Developer Support
- Comprehensive Trusted Advisor checks
- Access to the AWS Support App in Slack along with support API integration
- Phone and chat support in addition to web support
- A 1-hour SLA for production issues
Business Support is priced on a tiered basis, with a minimum charge of $100 per month or a percentage of your monthly AWS spend.
Enterprise On-Ramp
Enterprise On-Ramp is designed for organizations with mission-critical workloads that require even quicker responses. It includes:
- All features available in the Business Support plan
- A reduced SLA with a 30-minute response time for production issues
- Access to a pool of Technical Account Managers instead of a dedicated TAM
Pricing for Enterprise On-Ramp starts at a minimum of $5,500 per month and follows a tiered percentage structure based on your overall AWS spend.
Enterprise Support
Enterprise Support delivers the most comprehensive range of assistance, ideal for large enterprises with critical workloads. In addition to all features of Enterprise On-Ramp, it provides:
- A dedicated Technical Account Manager (TAM) to serve as your single point of contact
- A further reduced SLA of 15 minutes for mission-critical issues
- Proactive services such as architecture reviews, in-depth training, and detailed infrastructure management
Enterprise Support is tailored for businesses where rapid response and personalized guidance are paramount. It ensures optimal operation of your AWS environment through proactive reviews, training sessions, and additional management services.
Note
Only the Enterprise Support plan provides a dedicated Technical Account Manager. In contrast, Enterprise On-Ramp offers access to a pool of TAMs.
AWS Marketplace for Third-Party Software
AWS also extends support through third-party software solutions available in the AWS Marketplace. This platform hosts a variety of pre-configured setups from leading vendors such as Oracle, Red Hat, Cisco, TIBCO, Check Point, and Fortinet. The AWS Marketplace offers products including firewalls, CVE detection rules, web application firewall rule sets, and Helm charts for deployment.
For example, you can find offerings like FortiGate VM—a firewall solution—alongside other security-focused software solutions.
Summary of AWS Support Plans
The table below summarizes the various AWS support plans and their key features:
| Support Plan | Key Features | SLA for Production Issues |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | - Free web support<br>- Limited Trusted Advisor checks<br>- Personal Health Dashboard | Not applicable (web-only support) |
| Developer | - All features of Basic<br>- Additional Trusted Advisor checks<br>- 12-hour response for prod | 12 hours |
| Business | - All Developer features<br>- Comprehensive Trusted Advisor checks<br>- Phone, chat & Slack support | 1 hour |
| Enterprise On-Ramp | - All Business features<br>- 30-minute SLA<br>- Access to a pool of TAMs | 30 minutes |
| Enterprise | - All Enterprise On-Ramp features<br>- Dedicated TAM<br>- Proactive services and reviews | 15 minutes |
Each support plan beyond the Basic option is available either for a fixed monthly fee or based on a percentage of your AWS spending. Additionally, leveraging the AWS Marketplace allows you to access a broad spectrum of pre-configured and licensed third-party software designed to enhance your AWS environment.
This concludes the billing section on AWS support options. In this lesson, we examined the range of available support plans—from Basic to Enterprise—and discussed how each one aligns with different business needs. Thank you for following along, and we look forward to guiding you further in our next lesson.
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