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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's largest cloud computing platform, offering over 200 services that cover everything from hosting your website to running machine learning models. For small businesses, AWS provides the same infrastructure that powers Netflix, Airbnb, and NASA — but you only pay for what you use. The platform covers compute (EC2 virtual servers, Lambda serverless functions), storage (S3 for files, RDS for databases), networking, security, and AI services through Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker. You can start small with a single server and grow to handle millions of users. AWS gives new accounts up to $200 in free credits and access to over 30 always-free services. However, the sheer number of services and pricing complexity can be overwhelming for small teams without dedicated IT staff.
A STOA consultant can help you evaluate these tools based on your specific business needs and walk you through implementation.
Talk to STOAAWS is best for small businesses with a technical founder or developer on staff who needs serious, scalable infrastructure. The pay-as-you-go pricing means you can start for just a few dollars a month, but the complexity is real — without someone who knows what they're doing, you can end up with surprise bills or security gaps. If you just need to host a website or run basic apps, simpler tools like Squarespace or Heroku will save you a lot of headaches.
