What Is Amazon Web Services (AWS)?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform that allows companies to run applications, store data, and manage infrastructure without owning or maintaining physical servers.

Instead of buying hardware, setting up data centers, and managing everything themselves, teams use AWS to access computing power, storage, security, and networking on demand.

Today, AWS is one of the most widely used cloud platforms in the world - powering everything from early-stage startups to global enterprises.

In simple terms: what does AWS do?

AWS provides the technical foundation that most modern digital products run on.

That includes:

• Hosting applications and websites
• Storing user data securely
• Managing user authentication and access
• Scaling systems automatically as usage grows
• Meeting high security and compliance standards

All of this happens in the cloud, meaning the infrastructure lives in professionally managed data centers rather than on a company’s own servers.

Why do so many companies use AWS?

There are three main reasons.

1. You don’t need to manage servers yourself

With AWS, teams don’t worry about hardware failures, updates, or capacity planning.
Infrastructure can be adjusted in minutes instead of weeks.

This is especially important for products that evolve quickly or don’t yet know how fast they will grow.

2. It scales with the product

AWS allows applications to start small and scale automatically as more users join.

That means:

• No overbuilding early on
• No system crashes when usage increases
• No costly migrations later

For growing products, this flexibility is critical.

3. Security is built into the platform

AWS is designed with security as a core principle.

It offers:

• Encrypted data storage
• Secure network isolation
• Fine-grained access control
• Region-based data hosting (for example, within the EU)

This makes AWS suitable even for products that handle sensitive data, such as finance or healthcare - when implemented correctly.

Is AWS just “hosting”?

Not really.

While AWS does host applications, it’s much more than a traditional hosting provider.

AWS is a collection of services, including:

• Computing power
• Databases
• File storage
• Authentication systems
• Monitoring and logging
• Security and compliance tooling

Most products don’t use “AWS as a whole,” but instead combine specific services into an architecture that fits their needs.

Why AWS matters for modern apps

Modern apps are not just websites - they are systems.

They need to:

• Handle logins securely
• Protect personal data
• Scale reliably
• Comply with legal requirements
• Integrate with other services

AWS provides the building blocks for this, allowing teams to focus on the product itself rather than the underlying infrastructure.

AWS in practice: a healthcare example

In preventive healthcare products like aeon, infrastructure decisions directly affect trust, security, and compliance.

Using AWS makes it possible to:

• Host data in specific regions
• Secure sensitive information end-to-end
• Separate user-facing systems from medical data
• Build authentication flows without exposing private information

In these contexts, AWS is not just a technical choice - it’s a product and responsibility decision.

(We’ll dive deeper into this in upcoming articles.)

Key takeaway

Amazon Web Services is the foundation behind many of the apps people use every day.

It allows teams to:

• Build faster
• Scale safely
• Handle sensitive data responsibly
• Adapt infrastructure as products evolve

For complex products - especially in regulated spaces like healthcare - AWS isn’t just convenient.
It’s often what makes the product possible in the first place.

Thinking about building on AWS?

If you’re planning a product similar to aeon or ecoplanet - especially in a space where security, scalability, and compliance matter - infrastructure decisions shouldn’t be an afterthought.

We help teams design and build cloud architectures on Amazon Web Services that support real products from day one.

→ Get in touch to discuss your setup.