Is Amazon S3 Expensive? You Bet!

Amazon S3 is a really expensive storage option, especially if you are planning to use it for cloud backups and if you have a lot of data. If you think they are cheap, perhaps you don’t have much data to store, or you are not aware of their tricks and hidden charges? What looks cheap can quickly get very expensive, once you look into various details and usage scenarios.

One thing you won’t get from Amazon S3, for sure, is a 100% fixed price guarantee. Well, perhaps if you are friends with Jeff Bezos, but for regular folks, definitely not. However, with BackupChain there are no surprises. Their cloud storage plans are fixed: there are no price increases, no access fees, no minimum storage periods, no download fees. And perhaps most importantly, their cloud plans include technical support, to ensure that your backups as well as recoveries work smoothly and you get the help you need when you need it from a competent and responsive team based in the U.S.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Amazon S3 wasn’t really made for backups and that’s an issue when you plan to use it for backups. For example, the path lengths are limited and if you’re not careful you might end up exposing your online storage, the entire repository, online in the open, for everyone to see. S3 is more of a platform than a service. It’s good for experts who know the ins and outs, as well as the limitations of S3, and apply it for a certain limited use.

When it comes to Windows Server backups, virtual machine backups, and cloud backups in general, it’s best to deal with a service that is made specifically for that purpose. When you consider the overall value you receive from BackupChain, you will likely agree that Amazon S3 is relatively expensive, simply because there is so much that you do not get with Amazon. Because the software and the cloud service work together and they are offered by the same company, you get a system that is fully compatible. For example, cloud backups made with BackupChain aren’t limited in file size and BackupChain supports path lengths of up to 32,767 characters because their cloud storage is truly NTFS compatible. When you back up NTFS it’s best to stay with NTFS. Whenever companies try to mix incompatible systems together, that’s when problems eventually arise due to different implementations in each system. If you choose Amazon S3, the responsibility is yours to confirm that the backup solution works in all circumstances. However, in the case of BackupChain, the system is guaranteed to work properly with Windows and all of its files, no matter how deep folders are, what languages are being used, or how large the files can get.

The fixed pricing of BackupChain is another guarantee that the expensive Amazon S3 cannot give. With BackupChain you know you won’t ever have to pay more. With Amazon S3 you never know how expensive the monthly bill will end up because its variable by definition. A simple ransomware attack, for example, might drive up the monthly bill without you knowing it.