Understanding AWS Support Plans: Which One is Right for You?

AWS provides several Support Plans tailored to different needs and budgets. Here's a detailed comparison to help you select the best option:

1. Basic Support (Free Tier):

• Perfect for: Getting started with AWS, managing account and billing.
• Cost: Free
• Access: Email support for basic questions and AWS Community Forums for general troubleshooting. Access to AWS Community Forums

2. Developer Support:

• Ideal for: Experimenting and developing on AWS.
• Cost: Starts at $29/month or 3% of your monthly AWS usage (whichever is higher).
• Access: Technical questions via the Support Center.
• Response Time: 12-14 hours during local business hours.
• Features: Basic Trusted Advisor checks for security and service quotas.

3. Business Support:

• Recommended for: Running production workloads on AWS.
• Cost: Starts at $100/month or 10% of your first $10,000 in monthly AWS usage (whichever is higher).
• Access: 24/7 technical support via phone, email, and chat.
• Response Time: 1 hour for urgent cases.
• Features: Full access to Trusted Advisor, support for third-party applications, architectural guidance, and AWS Support API for case automation.
• Optional: Proactive Infrastructure Event Management.

4. Enterprise Support:

• Best for: Mission-critical applications on AWS.
• Cost: Starts at $15,000/month or 10% of your first $150,000 in monthly AWS usage (whichever is higher).
• Access: 24/7 technical support via phone, email, and chat with a 15-minute response time for critical cases.
• Features: Includes all Business Support features, plus a dedicated Technical Account Manager (TAM), Support Concierge for billing and account analysis, proactive programs, and full access to Trusted Advisor best practice checks.

Choosing the Right Plan:

• Basic Support: Ideal for basic needs and trials.
• Developer Support: Cost-effective for development and testing phases.
• Business Support: Comprehensive for production environments.
• Enterprise Support: Provides the highest level of service and dedicated support for mission-critical workloads.

Selecting the appropriate AWS Support Plan depends on your specific requirements, from initial experimentation to running critical applications, ensuring you receive the right level of technical assistance and support for your AWS environment.

Raising and handling an AWS Support Ticket (Case) under the Basic Support Plan (Free Teir).

1. Head to the AWS Support Center:

   • Sign in to your AWS Management Console.
   • Navigate to the AWS Support Center under services.

2. Create a Support Case:

   • Click on "Create Case" to begin.
   • Select the issue type: Choose either "Account and Billing" or "Technical" depending on your specific concern.
   • If your issue relates to billing, specify "Billing Inquiry" as the issue type.
   • Select the severity level that matches your issue, specifying "General Question" as the severity.
   • Click on "Next step" to proceed.
   • Enter a subject and description for your case.

3. Choose your Contact Method:

   • Select how you prefer AWS Support to contact you (e.g., email, phone).
   • Provide accurate contact information.

4. Submit your Case:

   • Review all case details for accuracy.
   • Click "Submit Case." AWS Support will acknowledge receipt promptly.

5. Stay Informed and Respond:

   • Keep track of your support case in the AWS Support Center.
   • AWS Support may request additional details or provide updates as they investigate your case.

6. Reaching Resolution

   • Work collaboratively with AWS Support to resolve the issue.
   • Resolution times may vary based on the complexity and severity of the problem.

7. Track your cases:

   • Access the Case history section in the AWS Support Center.
   • Use the provided Case ID to track and reference each case for monitoring purposes.

Following these steps will help ensure effective handling of AWS Support cases, from submission through resolution and ongoing monitoring.