AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is a foundational level certification designed by Amazon to validate a candidate’s understanding of cloud-based solutions offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). This article will guide you through the process of selecting the right support assistance for your AWS-centric business operations.
I. INTRODUCTION
Before you delve into the process of selection, you need to understand what AWS offers in terms of support to businesses. AWS business support has a broad range including technical, billing, and account support. They offer four different levels of support: Basic, Developer, Business, and Enterprise, each with different levels of access to intensive guidance, 24/7 monitoring, and proactive assistance from AWS Certified engineers.
II. COMPARISON BETWEEN AWS SUPPORT PLANS
Here is a comparison table that outlines the support, services, and response times offered by the various AWS Support plans. Understanding these distinctions can greatly aid you in selecting an appropriate business support option.
Support plan | Basic | Developer | Business | Enterprise |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Free | Starts at $29/month | Starts at $100/month | Contact AWS |
General guidance | 24/7 via Forums | Business hours via email | 24/7 via chat, phone, and email | 24/7 via chat, phone, and email |
Technical Support | – | Normal severity: 24 hours System impaired: 12 hours |
General guidance: Within 24 hours Production system impaired: 4 hours Production system down: 1 hour Business critical system down: Less than 1 hour |
All severity: less than 15 minutes |
Technical Account Manager | – | – | – | Yes |
III. CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHOOSING SUPPORT SERVICES
When selecting a support service, you should factor in your organization’s specific needs. Here are some considerations to help guide your decision-making:
- Size of your business: Larger businesses with more significant cloud infrastructures often warrant a more comprehensive level of support, like the Business or Enterprise plans.
- Urgency of support needs: If your business frequently deals with urgent, time-sensitive issues, consider higher-tiered plans that come with shorter response times.
- Budget: Consider a support option that aligns with your budget without compromising the level of service you require.
- Use of advanced AWS services: If your business utilizes complex AWS services, more comprehensive plans offer features like Infrastructure Event Management (IEM), Trusted Advisor checks, and more.
IV. IN CONCLUSION
Selecting the appropriate support plan for businesses is crucial as it can enhance operational efficiency and minimize potential disruptions. As an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02), it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the different support plans. By understanding and comparing AWS support plans, you can ensure your organization receives the best-suited level of business support to thrive in the cloud environment.
Practice Test
True or False: AWS Support offers only four distinct plans for business support assistance: Basic, Developer, Business, and Enterprise.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: AWS Support indeed offers four distinct plans for business support assistance: Basic, Developer, Business, and Enterprise, each with increasing levels of support.
When is the Extended Support subscription for AWS ideally suited?
- a) Small businesses with low risk tolerance
- b) Large enterprises with high risk tolerance
- c) Startups with no risk tolerance
- d) Individuals with personal projects
Answer: b) Large enterprises with high risk tolerance.
Explanation: The Extended Support subscription is ideally suited for large enterprises as it provides the highest level of support from AWS, fitting well with high-risk tolerance.
What is one key benefit of the AWS Developer Support plan?
- a) Access to AWS Trusted Advisor
- b) Guaranteed one-hour response time
- c) 24/7 chat support
- d) Detailed case analysis
Answer: a) Access to AWS Trusted Advisor.
Explanation: The Developer Support plan comes with access to AWS Trusted Advisor, a tool that offers real-time guidance to help you provision your resources following AWS best practices.
True or False: AWS Business Support does not include one-on-one fast-response support from AWS engineers.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: AWS Business Support does include fast-response support from AWS engineers. This is one of the key features for businesses with significant production workloads and that require quick issue resolution.
AWS Business Support offers which of the following benefits? (Multiple Choice)
- a) Full Stack Architecture Support
- b) Access to AWS Trusted Advisor
- c) Third-Party Software Support
- d) Lower infrastructure costs
Answer: a) Full Stack Architecture Support, b) Access to AWS Trusted Advisor, c) Third-Party Software Support.
Explanation: AWS Business Support offers a wide range of features best designed for business environments, this includes Full Stack Architecture Support, Access to AWS Trusted Advisor, and Third-Party Software Support.
Which AWS Support plan comes with no additional charge?
- a) Developer
- b) Basic
- c) Business
- d) Enterprise
Answer: b) Basic.
Explanation: The AWS Basic Support plan comes at no additional charge and offers access to customer service, AWS documentation, whitepapers, and support forums.
True or False: AWS Support can only assist with problems related to AWS services.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: AWS support also assists with configuration and usage questions, helping you optimize performance, use third-party software and troubleshoot operating system issues.
Which AWS Support plan is typically chosen by businesses running production environments with key applications running on AWS?
- a) Basic
- b) Developer
- c) Business
- d) Enterprise
Answer: c) Business.
Explanation: AWS Business Support is typically chosen for production environments, as it provides a one-hour response time and 24/7 phone, email, and chat access to Cloud Support Engineers.
True or False: AWS Support does not offer any Infrastructure Event Management.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: AWS Enterprise Support offers Infrastructure Event Management, which provides architectural and scaling guidance for planned events.
Which AWS Support plan provides the shortest, guaranteed response time for critical issues?
- a) Basic
- b) Developer
- c) Business
- d) Enterprise
Answer: d) Enterprise.
Explanation: AWS Enterprise Support guarantees a response time of 15 minutes for business-critical system down cases, providing the highest level of support.
Interview Questions
What type of business support will give me 24/7 access to cloud support engineers within the AWS platform?
This type of service is offered by AWS Business Support.
In terms of performance and fault management, which AWS service offers in-depth analysis, and assistance to help optimize your infrastructure?
AWS Trusted Advisor, which is part of AWS Premium Support, offers this kind of assistance for performance and fault management.
With AWS Enterprise Support, what is the response time for a business-critical system downtime issue?
AWS Enterprise support guarantees a response time of less than 15 minutes for business critical system down issues.
What support plan offers a system health dashboard and alarms, notifying you of performance changes and disruptions in real-time?
AWS Personal Health Dashboard offers this service, which is part of all AWS Support plans.
What tool does AWS provide for analyzing infrastructure, making recommendations, and providing real-time guidance to improve system performance, reliability, and security?
The AWS Trusted Advisor tool is designed to analyze your infrastructure and provide recommendations.
For third-party software support along with AWS resources, which AWS support plan should I opt for?
The AWS Developer Support plan offers this service.
What tool does AWS offer for resolving potential security and compliance issues?
AWS Trusted Advisor is a tool provided by AWS for identifying and resolving security and compliance issues.
What level of support will give me access to AWS Support API, enabling the automation of AWS Support processes and operations?
This service is offered in the AWS Business Support and AWS Enterprise Support plans.
Which AWS Support plan includes architectural guidance for design, test, and operational best practices?
These services are included in the AWS Business Support and Enterprise Support plans.
What AWS service provides online resources to help users understand the functionality and features of AWS cloud services?
This service is provided by AWS Documentation, which is available to all users regardless of their support plan.
If my business needs third-party software support, full access to CloudWatch, as well as all the other benefits offered by AWS Support Plans, which one should I opt for?
For this, you should go for the AWS Enterprise Support plan.
Where can you get access to AWS Whitepapers and technical FAQs for getting in-depth technical information about AWS cloud services and features?
This access is freely available to all AWS users, regardless of their support plan.
What AWS service provides proactive alerts and remediation guidance when AWS is experiencing events that may impact your cloud environment?
The AWS Personal Health Dashboard provides this service.
Which AWS support plan should I choose if I want to have a designated Technical Account Manager (TAM)?
The AWS Enterprise Support plan provides a designated TAM.
In which AWS support plan do you get in-depth architecture reviews and strategic planning sessions?
In-depth architecture reviews and strategic planning sessions are included in the AWS Enterprise Support plan.