Amazon recently unveiled a new tool to help organizations that want to run Windows applications on the cloud. Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is a network file storage solution that was specifically made to work with existing Windows applications and environments.
Amazon FSx is built on SSD storage and provides a native Windows file system along with fully managed Windows file servers that are accessible using the Server Message Block protocol. It’s available now throughout select regions in the U.S. and Europe, specifically Northern Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, and Ireland. And availability is also expected to expand over the next few months. Pricing for the service varies depending on the amount of storage and throughput that you need to configure.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of Amazon FSx for Windows file server, here are some details to know.
Accessibility and protocol support with Amazon FSx
With this new tool, you have the ability to access any of your shares from Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud instances, Amazon WorkSpaces virtual desktops, Amazon AppStream 2.0 applications, and VMware Cloud on AWS. You can use Windows versions dating back to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2007, or the current version of Linux. It’s also integrated fully with Active Directory so you can easily combine these resources with your existing enterprise.
Improved performance
Since Amazon FSx delivers extremely fast and consistent latency, you have the option to set file system size and throughput independently. It can easily run file systems up to 64 TB while delivering 2,048 MB/second of throughput.
Simplified management
The platform automatically performs incremental file-system consistent backups each day. And you have the option to take additional backups when necessary. So you don’t need to attach and format additional storage devices or update Windows Server to avoid hardware failure or data loss. It’s all stored in redundant for in an AWS Availability Zone.
Security
Amazon FSx also offers multiple levels of access control and data protection features, including Windows ACLs to control access to folders and files, IAM roles to control administrative functions, and Security Groups to govern access throughout your resources. These options are PCI-DSS compliant and can even be used to build HIPAA-compliant applications.
Featured image: Freerange Stock
