Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are at the forefront of innovation and economic advancement today. Over a third of SMEs are actively involved in research and development for new products or services, while nearly half are in the process of launching fresh offerings. As these businesses embrace digital transformation, they are increasingly turning to technology to seize new opportunities. However, as SMEs adopt cloud computing, they face distinct challenges and requirements that evolve as they grow.
A critical consideration during their cloud journey is establishing the right partnerships to support their business needs and keep pace with the skills necessary for cloud success. This is particularly important given that many SMEs have limited in-house IT resources. Their teams are often small and may lack dedicated personnel to manage relationships with cloud providers, leading to potential project delays and cost overruns. Engaging with AWS support can help mitigate many of these issues.
Why Choose AWS Support Plans?
AWS provides several support tiers tailored to meet customers at various stages of their cloud journey. This comprehensive blog post elaborates on the different AWS Support tiers. While all support options can benefit SMEs, the critical nature of the customer’s workloads will determine the most suitable AWS Support tier for their operational and business needs.
In this article, we will spotlight the Enterprise On-Ramp (EOP) Support, which many AWS SME clients find beneficial. Despite its name suggesting it’s for larger organizations, EOP is designed for any business size. This support plan offers proactive assistance and connects customers with a team of support experts and Technical Account Managers (TAMs). It’s particularly recommended for SMEs seeking guidance on scaling operations efficiently and achieving quicker responses for mission-critical cases.
How EOP Tackles SME Challenges
EOP adopts a customer-focused strategy, featuring tools that address the primary concerns of SME clients, including cloud optimization and cost management. This support plan delivers timely expert advice to enhance operational efficiency and fosters a stronger technical relationship with AWS, alongside top-tier case management capabilities when issues arise. Think of EOP as your dedicated resource for superior cloud support.
It’s also essential to recognize that many SMEs either sell to—or aspire to sell to—larger enterprises. Thus, they need to ensure their business applications can offer enterprise-level uptime.
Accessing AWS Expertise for Business Growth
At the core of EOP lies the collaboration with TAMs, who serve as the main point of contact for customer teams. They lead, coach, and guide optimization efforts while advocating for customer interests within AWS. Access to TAMs is exclusive to those who upgrade to EOP or Enterprise Support, and is not available in lower tiers like Developer or Business Support. In 2022, approximately 70 percent of AWS SME clients who upgraded their support plan indicated that TAM engagement was the key factor in their cloud adoption.
A Case Study: How EOP Helped an SME Cut Costs
Consider the case of TechNova, a Delaware-based SME specializing in cloud hosting and user-friendly web portals. They upgraded their AWS support to EOP. A representative noted:
“TechNova’s partnership with AWS has flourished through the EOP plan. It has given us access to knowledgeable TAMs who act as our bridge to key AWS subject matter experts. The TAMs have been incredibly responsive and have provided us with valuable insights on AWS services, along with cost optimization strategies. This has allowed us to evolve the TechNova Cloud and meet our business objectives. Overall, our experience with EOP has been highly positive and productive.”
SMEs must rapidly deliver their solutions to market. Getting it right the first time when developing and launching applications and services is vital for staying within budget, minimizing disruptions, and ensuring a stable user experience. Clients like TechNova are also tasked with scaling resources to accommodate their growing customer base while enhancing security for compliance needs. Collaborating with EOP TAMs allows customers to leverage AWS best practices in these critical areas.
If you’re new to digital transformation or looking to expand your cloud capabilities, explore solutions by industry, benefits, use cases, and more on AWS Smart Business. You may also find it helpful to read this other blog post for additional insights.
Supporting a Complex Contact Center Project
In 2022, one of our SME clients in Georgia, USA, faced significant challenges during a contact center solution implementation for a major client. They encountered several obstacles that hindered the project’s progress, prompting them to submit multiple support cases and seek expert guidance on architecture reviews. By opting for EOP, the TAMs played a crucial role in ensuring the project’s success by coordinating sessions with subject matter experts for reviews and expediting support cases for quicker resolution.
Through EOP’s Infrastructure Event Management (IEM) engagement, the client benefitted from continuous support from SMEs throughout the implementation process, including weeks leading up to the launch, during the event, and afterward.
Understanding Infrastructure Event Management (IEM)
IEM involves TAMs providing guidance on architecture, scaling, and operational readiness during the project preparation and execution phases. Customers receive assistance with:
- Assessing operational readiness
- Identifying and mitigating architectural challenges to minimize risks
- Planning for potential failure scenarios that could threaten project success
Launching a critical business initiative can be a daunting task for business development managers, requiring substantial investments of time, resources, and effort. Any infrastructure incident during the launch phase can have significant repercussions on success. With TAMs and AWS experts staffing a “war room” during the launch, clients can rest assured that any issues will be escalated promptly and documented for post-event review.
Achieving Cloud Cost Optimization with AWS TAMs
In today’s inflationary climate, cost optimization has become a top priority. It’s often among the first questions clients pose. For SMEs with limited teams and tight budgets, this focus is essential. Through cost optimization reviews, TAMs conduct thorough assessments of the entire technical environment or specific workloads, such as databases and web applications.
TAMs have access to comprehensive AWS knowledge, enabling them to provide insights on new features and product releases. This expertise can save time and resources for SMEs considering whether to build or buy solutions. For more information on effective cloud strategies, visit this authoritative resource.
Next Steps
The conversation about support begins with you, our customer. We prioritize your objectives, challenges, and desired outcomes. Your AWS Account Team and dedicated support professionals are ready to assist you in selecting the most suitable support tier for your needs.
Leave a Reply