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IDC White Paper | Amazon Relational Database Service Delivers Enhanced Database Performance at Lower Total Cost
at the latest release levels for maximum performance, feature/functionality, and security, since
cloud database services apply security patches on a very timely basis. Because those patches
are based on the direct experience of the cloud database service providers, they often have
more precise and timely security corrections than can be realized otherwise.
There is a wide variety of database cloud service platforms from which to choose; some
are based on technology that has existed for decades, and others are based on brand-new
approaches. Some utilize proprietary software, and others take advantage of the commonality
and ubiquitous support afforded by open source. While some enterprises are seeking
extremes in database size and performance, others are looking for a reliable, dependable
service at a reasonable price.
AMAZON RDS OVERVIEW
Amazon Web Services offers a set of cloud-based relational database services under the
name of Amazon Relational Database Service. Amazon RDS supports six database engines
— the open source MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, as well as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server,
and Amazon's own cloud-native RDBMS, Aurora (which is available in both MySQL- and
PostgreSQL-compatible forms). AWS manages RDS in such a way as to enable customers to
get the performance and SLAs they require while containing operational cost. At the same
time, because deployment details are managed by AWS, databases on RDS are easy to define
and set up, saving both time and effort for the user, without requiring the kind of deployment
expertise necessary when deploying databases in a datacenter on the premises.
Recently, AWS contracted with IDC to examine the experiences of some of its customers to
determine in concrete, quantifiable terms the benefits they have experienced. This study is
based on that work. The comparisons were like to like, that is, between databases of the same
type deployed in the on-premises datacenter versus the public cloud.
THE BUSINESS VALUE OF AMAZON RDS
Study Demographics
IDC conducted research that explored the value and benefits for organizations of using
Amazon Relational Database Service. Interviews were in-depth in nature and covered a variety
of quantitative and qualitative questions about the impact of Amazon RDS on database, IT,
and business operations.
