Amazon Simple Storage Service, known as Amazon S3, is part of the cloud giant’s AWS division. Amazon S3 is a great way to store data and files cheap, given that there’s no setup costs or minimum fee, which means you only pay for what you use (at the end of the month, by credit card).

Amazon S3 recently turned nine years old, which is when they announced the introduction of Cross-Region Replication. With AWS divided by regions, like counties and states on a map, Amazon customers often need to store data in different regions from their primary locality.

Storing the same files in numerous locations is normally part of complying with an increasingly stringent regulatory environment when it comes to companies handling sensitive data.

It’s also a matter of safety, with some also opting to store files in Amazon Glacier, a dirt cheap long-term option ($0.01 per gigabyte), which only costs when you retrieve data (it can take 4 -5 hours to thaw out your files). Should multiple backups ever fail, or your office incurs fire or water damage, you have a backup of everything, like an insurance policy.

Amazon S3 is ideal for those with larger than average storage needs, making it far more cost effective than the likes of Dropbox.

Getting Started with Amazon S3

1. Firstly, login to Amazon

2. Sign up with your logins to get an Amazon Web Services account

3. Pick Amazon Simple Storage Service: fill in your details, including a credit card. Don’t worry, you won’t be billed for anything yet, not until the end of your first month, and even then you only pay for usage. You can calculate anticipated costs here.

4. Keep your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key safe, since these are how you access your AWS account. These can be retrieved through AWS Access Identifiers in your account settings.

5. Next: Create a Bucket.

When you’re as big as Amazon, you can create new words and your audience has to go along with it. Bucket is Amazon trying to make fetch happen.  Here’s how you create a Bucket – which is a root storage folder. Admittedly, “bucket” does sound better.

6. Your bucket as a web hosting solution

With your bucket, you can upload as many files and images as you need. A bucket, when connected with other Amazon services, like CloudFront, REST APIs and SDKs, amongst others and third-party applications, can be used as part of a web or mobile hosting solution.

This has made S3 popular with web and app developers, especially those who need flexible storage with no minimum monthly fees.

7. Amazon S3 Backup for remote teams

Another way to get the most out of Amazon S3 is using it as a low cost, highly scalable storage solution for remote teams. They made this easier when they recently allowed Cross-Region Replication.

However, with cloudHQ we have eliminated the need to create external buckets when sharing with others. The reason for this is because not everyone needs to be synched to your Amazon S3 account. This should be your heart; *your core* cloud storage provider, and if you can sync everyone to your Dropbox account and then have your Dropbox account backing up automatically to Amazon S3, you’re ahead of the game.

Everyone has their own “bucket” anyways, so just sync them to yours where they can upload to it from any device or platform they choose. Our sync allows for real-time sharing of files and data, which makes S3 easier to use and more secure.

3 Reasons To Use cloudHQ With Amazon S3

 

1. Real-time backup:

   We provide a real-time backup of all your files, emails, projects, etc. All changes are backed up – immediately and in real-time. It’s most beneficial when you can sync your employees’ accounts to your AmazonS3 account so that you can easily store all their work as a solid backup in case of any loss of information.

2. You can use your own Amazon S3 Storage account:

   Your Amazon S3 account is your own account. Most reputable companies have their own Amazon S3 storage accounts; we let you sync directly to your account. If you need help getting one set up, we can help you do that.

3. Reliable Cloud Sync Service Keeps your Backup Consistent:

   We reliably support the backup of all your cloud business platforms: Dropbox for Business, Google Apps for Works, Office365, Basecamp, Salesforce, Egnyte, Box for Business, and so on.
   Our clients are JC Penney, Gartner, and EMC. They rely on us to keep them safe, and you can too.

cloudHQ is fully integrated with Amazon S3, so now is a great time to put these hacks to the test. If you need any help getting your syncs set up, go ahead and book an appointment with us by clicking on the button below: