AWS Outposts extends AWS services to your on-premises environment, enabling a hybrid cloud solution with low latency, data residency, and compliance support. Here's what you need to know:
- What It Offers: AWS compute and storage on-premises with options like 42U racks or 1U/2U servers.
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Key Benefits:
- Unified management using AWS tools like CloudFormation and CloudWatch.
- Local data processing for latency-sensitive workloads.
- Compliance with standards like HIPAA and GDPR.
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Use Cases:
- Healthcare providers storing sensitive data locally.
- Financial institutions requiring fast, on-site data processing.
- Businesses in regulated industries ensuring data sovereignty.
- Performance Stats: Achieves low latency (e.g., 6ms response time) and high availability (e.g., 99.999% uptime).
Quick Comparison: Outposts Racks vs. Servers
| Aspect | Outposts Rack | Outposts Servers |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | 42U (80"x24"x48") | 1U or 2U rack-mountable |
| Power Needs | 5-15 kVA | 1-2 kVA |
| Network Support | Integrated with BGP | Simplified Layer 2 |
| Service Range | Full AWS services | Limited (e.g., EC2) |
AWS Outposts is ideal for hybrid setups, offering consistent operations across on-premises and cloud environments.
Main Advantages of AWS Outposts
Unified Cloud Management
AWS Outposts brings AWS infrastructure and tools directly to on-premises environments, offering a unified way to manage your cloud and on-prem resources. Teams can use familiar AWS services like:
- AWS CloudFormation for automating infrastructure setup
- Amazon CloudWatch for monitoring and alerts
- AWS CloudTrail for tracking security and compliance
- AWS Resource Access Manager for easy resource sharing across teams
This setup simplifies operations, making it easier to apply consistent management practices across different environments [3]. But it doesn’t stop there - AWS Outposts also delivers where speed matters most.
Speed and Performance
For applications that demand low latency, AWS Outposts delivers. For instance, GumGum achieved impressive results: 6ms (p99) response time at 92,000 requests per second and 3ms (p99) backend processing latency, all while seamlessly integrating with major DSPs [5].
"We had to build the systems from scratch. We don't have any major data centers in Puerto Rico. We were looking for a solution that would deliver high performance and scalability, and which would also give us the ability to deploy our resources at the edge." – Joaquin Cameselle, Senior Manager of Cloud Services, Liberty Latin America [4]
Liberty Latin America's deployment highlights the benefits, including:
- 99.999% service availability
- 20ms average latency for digital services
- Cutting time-to-market by 6–8 months
- Supporting around 1 million mobile subscribers [4]
This combination of speed and reliability makes AWS Outposts a strong choice for critical workloads. It also excels in meeting strict data residency requirements.
Data Location Control
For organizations with strict data residency needs, AWS Outposts offers robust solutions. Features like Amazon S3 on Outposts, IAM policy enforcement, and Route 53 Resolver for low-latency DNS resolution ensure seamless hybrid deployments [2].
Take the example of a UK healthcare organization that used AWS Outposts to comply with UK GDPR regulations:
- Patient data stayed within UK borders
- Control plane traffic routed securely to the parent Region in Ireland
- Workload data synchronized between the London Region and the local Outpost
- Compliance maintained for sensitive PHI and PII data [7]
This setup allowed the organization to uphold data sovereignty while still benefiting from AWS cloud services, especially in areas where AWS Region availability is limited or data residency rules are strict [6].
AWS On-Prem with Outposts: Hybrid Cloud Architecture/Solutions
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AWS Outposts in Hybrid Environments
AWS Outposts offers a consistent management experience and reliable performance, making it a strong choice for hybrid setups. These features provide businesses with greater operational flexibility.
Single Development, Multiple Deployments
With AWS Outposts, you can develop once and deploy seamlessly across both cloud and on-premises environments. For example, NetApp's solution allows users to manage block data volumes directly through the AWS Management Console [8].
"Whether customers are looking to use hybrid cloud infrastructure to increase resiliency or improve compliance, leveraging NetApp storage in AWS Outposts can help customers run applications securely and efficiently at the edge", says Jonsi Stefansson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at NetApp [8].
To support hybrid deployments, AWS monitoring tools are essential. These include:
- Amazon CloudWatch for tracking critical metrics.
- Tools to monitor network connectivity and service link status.
- Resource utilization tracking for EC2 and EBS.
- AWS Health Aware for cross-account alerts [9].
Cloud Migration with Outposts
AWS Outposts also simplifies gradual cloud migrations. Several organizations have already leveraged this capability:
- DISH: Optimized network operations for 5G rollouts.
- Morningstar: Built a containerized hybrid infrastructure.
- Philips: Improved healthcare service delivery.
- FanDuel: Enhanced its mobile sportsbook platform [1].
AWS suggests using AWS RAM resource shares for Outpost resources and tagging policies through AWS Organizations to streamline resource management [10]. These strategies help organizations plan effectively for both on-premises and cloud environments.
On-Premises Priority Planning
A successful hybrid strategy starts with proper infrastructure planning. The table below compares deployment options for Outposts:
| Aspect | Outposts Rack | Outposts Servers |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | 42U (80" x 24" x 48") | 1U or 2U rack-mountable |
| Power Requirements | 5-15 kVA | 1-2 kVA |
| Network Options | Integrated networking with BGP support | Simplified Layer 2 integration |
| Service Support | Full range, including RDS, EMR, ECS | Limited to EC2, ECS, IoT Greengrass |
To ensure reliability, organizations should:
- Reserve capacity to meet demand.
- Set up backup and disaster recovery systems.
- Regularly test system resilience.
- Monitor compliance requirements [6][2].
Additionally, physical security and access controls around Outpost installations are critical for maintaining compliance.
AWS Outposts Case Studies
AWS Outposts is making a big impact across industries by improving performance, meeting compliance needs, and boosting reliability.
Time-Critical Applications
Wiwynn used AWS Outposts to revolutionize smart manufacturing. They managed to roll out production environments 10 months early, cut deployment time by 90%, and operate with just one-eighth of their previous IT staff [12].
Accton achieved seamless hybrid OT and IT operations by deploying global AI/ML services with latencies under 5 milliseconds [12].
These examples highlight how AWS Outposts can handle speed-sensitive projects while meeting tight regulatory requirements.
Data Regulation Requirements
Tipico leveraged AWS Outposts in a New Jersey colocation facility to comply with regulatory requirements. This approach sped up market expansion by 5 to 10 times, reduced bet slip processing times from 450ms to 150ms, enabled same-day onboarding for engineers, and allowed new infrastructure setup in just 3–4 weeks [11].
Backup and System Reliability
In addition to performance and compliance, uninterrupted operations are a top priority. AWS Outposts offers flexible backup options, allowing data to be stored in AWS Regions or on-premises systems through a local network interface [13].
iQ3, which supports Australian government clients, shared how their system reliability improved significantly:
"It was vital that we were able to ensure 100% uptime for such a large customer handling confidential data."
Best Friends organization also saw major benefits, reducing data synchronization time from several days to just 60 minutes, freeing up resources for other projects.
When planning backup strategies with AWS Outposts, it's important to evaluate:
- Bandwidth limitations for Region-based backups
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO) needs
- Compliance with data residency rules
- Capabilities of the local network interface for on-premises backups [13]
Summary
Main Points Summary
Here are the key highlights:
- Unified management: Seamlessly manage cloud and on-prem systems with built-in controls for compliance and data residency.
- Local data processing: Perfect for workloads that demand low latency.
- Simplified operations: Fully managed infrastructure takes the hassle out of maintenance.
- Tailored for specific needs: Ideal for latency-sensitive and regulated workloads.
Implementation Guide
To make the most of these features, follow this step-by-step guide:
- Infrastructure Assessment: Evaluate your technical needs, including power and space, to match your deployment requirements.
- Network Integration: Set up dedicated VPCs, configure local gateways, and test connections between local systems, Outpost instances, and the AWS Region [14].
- Compliance Verification: Ensure Outpost certifications like HIPAA, PCI, SOC, and HITRUST align with your regulatory needs [2].
Start with non-critical workloads to gain experience before moving essential applications.
