AWS support plans: the alternative to pay less without losing SLAs

Have you ever wondered if the AWS support you use today is really the most economically efficient?

As we deploy more critical loads in the Amazon cloud, in order to maintain an adequate percentage of availability commensurate with the service levels that those loads must deliver, having technical support aligned with those SLAs becomes a top-level necessity.

However, due to the current AWS Support pricing model, we tend to encounter certain impediments, especially with regard to the minimum monthly amounts stipulated for each support plan.

In this blog, we explain how, thanks to PLS (Partner Led Support) and specialized partners such as Unikal, it is now possible to save money on support without sacrificing quality and commitment to AWS.

What is AWS Technical Support?

AWS Support is a set of services designed to help customers operate, protect, and optimize their cloud workloads. Through this support, customers can:

• Open technical cases for incidents or queries.
• Receive guidance on architecture and best practices.
• Resolve availability, performance, or security issues.
• Have SLAs defined based on the problem's criticality and the contracted plan.

What are the AWS technical support plans?

AWS structures its support across different plans, designed for different levels of maturity and criticality in environments.

As can be seen, the structure is as follows: Minimum monthly amount based on SLA + Scaling based on monthly consumption.

Precisely because of this, the following question is the main one. What if I have a critical load on AWS, which needs Enterprise support, but the monthly consumption is, for example, $10,000? Unfortunately, the answer is that the support cost will be $5,000, since the highest value between the minimum ($5,000) and 10% of the consumption ($1,000) is taken.

The good news is that we have an alternative that helps to eliminate this economic impediment, and that is PLS (Partner Led Support).

Reduce the cost of support without giving up the Enterprise level through Partner

Partner Led Support (PLS) is an official AWS model in which a certified partner becomes the first point of contact for customer support. AWS validates this model to ensure that:

• The same AWS SLAs are maintained.
• There is a direct escalation path to AWS when necessary.
• Support is provided under AWS-approved standards and processes.

In this model, Unikal acts as the primary support provider, managing cases, providing context and proximity, and escalating to AWS when the situation requires it.

Main advantages of Technical Support through Partner Led Support (PLS)

Conclusion

AWS offers very powerful support plans, but at a cost that does not always align with the budget and needs of customers. The PLS model with Unikal is positioned as a smart alternative because:

• Maintains AWS support SLAs.
• Significantly reduces the cost of support
• Provides proximity, context, and proactivity
• Avoids high monthly minimums

In short, PLS allows you to pay less for support without sacrificing AWS quality.