EC2 stands for “Elastic Compute Cloud,” which is an exceedingly popular service at the very primary part of the AWS platform. This service allows you to effortlessly rent components of computer power, storage, and network connectivity units functioning within AWS’s gigantic set-up.

When you decide to deliver your customers, users, or readers with a web-based interface—anything from a communal wiki to a fully advanced, multi-level mobile business program. You can use those resources to build a virtual machine that will function and look like the real thing to the outside world.

What is EC2 in AWS?

Amazon EC2 is one of the utmost used and most straightforward services in Amazon, so according to logic, starting with EC2 is the best decision if you are new to AWS. However, the main question is: what is EC2 in AWS?

It is an engine with an operating system, and it can fit any hardware components of your choice. But the difference is it’s entirely virtualized. Several virtual computers can be run in solo physical hardware.

EC2 is one of the essential mechanisms of the AWS environment. EC2 allows on-demand and accessible computing using the AWS cloud.

How Does Amazon EC2 Work?

Using Amazon EC2 work is quite simple. You can use the pre-configured AMI (Amazon Machine Images) template. On the other hand, you can construct AMI, making sure it contains all the important files, libraries, configuration settings, and applications that you require.

Network access and security can be arranged through Amazon EC2 for customization of settings. Then you can determine the AMI instances and choose if you want to run it on multiple sites. You can also use static IP endpoints with the use of minimal AWS Console.

After everything is done, boot, terminate and track all the instances you need. Any management tool and web service can be used to do this after paying for the resources.

The elasticity of the services you use is reflected using the Pay-for-What-You-Use bill mode. The VM environment can be used to check the resources you use.

It differs from conventional on-site hosting, usually presenting you with a restricted number of resources for a defined time. This shows that you frequently can’t answer hastily to an alteration in usage as you do in a secure, elastic, and stable environment of Amazon EC2.

Key Features and Benefits of EC2

Easy to Use

The architecture of AWS is so easy to pick up that a beginner can easily understand it. A newbie or an experienced person would have no problem using it. The AWS Management Console and the organized web services are the reason why it is so easy to use.

Instance Type as per Requirements

It is explicitly enhanced to fit several cases, such as providing a broad array of instance types. In general, multiple variations of networking capacity, storage, memory, and CPU provided by different instances, will facilitate different choices for your applications to have a perfect mix of resources.

Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

A template that contains the software configuration needed to launch your application server, applications, and operating system is known as AMI. AWS Marketplace supplies a variety of options to choose from, including AMI.

Networking Configuration

For the EC2 to be secure, you need to make the following: Public & Private Subnet, Internet Gateway, VPC, Route Table, NAT Gateways, and Auto-assign Public IP.

Termination Protection

Unexpected Termination won’t happen using the EC2 as it enables protection against it. You can use the API or command line to terminate your instance through the Amazon EC2 Console.

User Init Data

To transfer configuration files, cloud-init supply a system with a set of rules for execution of boot time, which is an early service for the initialization of operating on cloud distributions.

Storage

If you needed a cost-effective, multipurpose, and easy to use data storage, Amazon EC2 has got you covered. It has unique stability and combination. The storage options can be matched individually as well as combined.

Security and Reliability

If you want your infrastructure to be secure, AWS has an end-to-end solution for it. It delivers top-quality security and stores your data in data centers of AWS so that your privacy can be preserved. It just shows how effective and functional the AWS cloud is. Users rely on AWS because of their highest security standards.

Store the .pem File Securely

The .pem file created can be securely downloaded to the server.

CloudWatch Detailed Monitoring

You can monitor AWS resources and real-time applications running on the AWS using the Amazon CloudWatch. You can collect and track variables that will help you keep track of your applications and resources. For your ease, the notifications and alarms can modify your resources automatically however you would have to state the rules for it to work.

Adding Tags

Customers can assign metadata to form AWS resources using Amazon Web Services. Each tag contains customer-distinct keys and to make things easier it has voluntary values for filtering, managing, and searching for resources.

There was a time when companies were eager to move to the cloud. Shifting to the cloud has traditionally meant opening up the data to the possibility of breach. There were also concerns as to how a cloud can be actually secured.

Nevertheless, as years have gone by and technology became advanced, public trust in the safety of using cloud has also increased. In fact, the cloud has become a necessity in most organizations now.

So, here are five ways to build a cloud-ready application.

Working from home is the latest reality for many workers in the US, and the world, as the coronavirus spreads. While people these days are away from the public spaces, they are available online.

Companies are shutting down their offices due to the coronavirus, and for many, the possibility of working remotely is now a way of life— and simply inescapable. From setting up a VPN to accessing work files to having a decent workout indoors, WFH is the new “normal”!

Even if you’ve done it previously, working from home can feel like a whole new thing now because of the coronavirus: It’s all sudden and might last for a longer period of time.

Some of employers’ biggest concerns involve workers struggling with loneliness, managing their time, and communication with team members.

Although all of this can be challenging, having a workable strategy can help you make it through.

Set up Your Workstation

One simply cannot concentrate on the work while sitting in the living room with family around. You need a dedicated spot where you shouldn’t get distracted and deliver the work with greater concentration. If possible, set up a work desk in your bedroom or some other suitable place. By doing so, you will get a feeling of working in a proper office setting.

Make Use of Proper Technology

Properly check your computer system, internet connectivity, networking tools, emails and video conferencing devices you need to work from home. You should have a good internet connection, which must be VPN-protected, while you work remotely.

Data is essential and valuable. So, it’s your duty to secure and protect your data from interruption. You can get your laptop or desktop checked by your office network administrator, if necessary.

Good Gears Are Essential

A proper computer is an essential item, whether you are using a desktop with a large display or a portable laptop that can be deployed throughout your home. Make sure it has a soft keyboard, a video calling camera, and cybersecurity software to secure data. Moreover, in case of a power failure, or virus or hardware breakdown, a good backup solution is also necessary.

Keep Track of Your Time

Just as you designate and separate your physical workspace, you must be specific about when you are working and when you are not. If you stick with your regular hours, you can get the best work done and be more prepared for the transition back to the office. Also, if your job is collaborative, it makes it much simpler to be on the same timeline as your coworkers.

With the help of time-tracking apps, you can keep track of working hours by logging in the start and end time of tasks, ventures, and issues. You can use the time-sheets to prevent any confusion and send them to the managers or employer for approval.

Fix Issues Related to Wi-Fi

As most devices now connect wirelessly, your home work experience can rely a great deal on your Wi-Fi efficiency. Several devices that run on one network will create internal traffic issues and downgrade performance while working remotely.

If you’ve had more than five years with the same router, now may be a perfect time to upgrade. Newer routers deliver wireless dual- and tri-band networks. You can easily segment the wireless network into two networks with newer, multi-band routers: 2,4 GHz and 5 GHz.

The 5 GHz network is a faster, broader wireless band with less interference and is suitable for connecting to, teleconferencing or transferring huge files while accessing business applications.

Ensure Security of Home Network

Always ensure that all devices on your home network, and those you use for business, have the latest software upgrades (which often contain necessary security patches) as well as any anti-virus software upgrades.

Communication is Key

If you haven’t worked from home previously, there would definitely be some hiccups along the way if you suddenly have to go entirely remote. Communication — particularly with the manager and direct reports — is the secret to driving through these bumps.

Come up with a strategy that sets out goals as to how much you will check in and how you’re going to communicate any changes or new tasks. Do the same for anyone you usually deal during the working hours.

So, you needn’t just stick to text-based communication. You may find it better to check in over the phone or via video chat with your manager and coworkers. This would reduce miscommunication and break up some of the social isolation that can emerge during work from home.

Many big IT companies such as Amazon (Web Services), Google (Cloud Platform), Microsoft (Azure) and IBM (Developer Cloud) have started providing Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) in the last few years. These programs are intended to reduce the entrance costs of using Artificial Intelligence to other companies.

So, what is AIaaS?

Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) helps businesses to leverage AI for different use cases while simultaneously reducing risk and expense. This can involve a sampling of several public cloud platforms to test various algorithms in machine learning. The applicability of AIaaS reaches through all sectors and as the features associated with each service provider are different, users can choose from a number of choices, including enterprises.

In this article, we will look at some of the advantages that businesses can gain by using AIaaS.

Why leverage AIaaS for the business solution?

Cost and Time Effective

One of the major advantages associated with AIaaS is the reduced expense and time taken to implement the solution. It saves businesses from setting up their own applications by having a ready infrastructure and pretrained algorithms. While earlier business solutions had to create their own application, now all that businesses need to do in this case is to call a service provider.

AIaaS is based on existing cloud framework by training the machine learning models and then deploying them for inference to VMs and containers. Service providers use the existing infrastructure that would otherwise have built on IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service) without building custom machine learning models. That is another significant benefit as it decreases financial risk and increases strategic versatility.

Usability

With AWS, Microsoft and Google leading the market, businesses are now competing with each other to build tools for data scientists and developers in an effort to be more than just service providers. Adding to this is the move to open-source their platforms such as TensorFlow, Caffe and AutoML enabling developers to create a custom AI model.

Transparency

With lower costs, there’s a lot of transparency within AIaaS: pay for what you’re using. Even though machine learning takes a lot of power to hewn it’s working, you may only need the power in a short period of time – you don’t have to run AI non-stop.

Scalability

AIaaS lets you begin with smaller projects to learn if this is the best match for those projects. You can customize your service and scale up or down as project demands change, as you gain expertise with your own data.

Types of AIaaS

Bots and digital assistance

This will include, for example, chat bots that use natural language processing (NLP) algorithms that learn from human speech and mimic the patterns of language while providing responses. It frees customer service staff and lets them concentrate on more complicated activities. These are the forms of AIaaS most commonly used currently.

Cognitive computing APIs

Short for application programming interface, APIs are a means for developers to add a new feature or service without writing the code from scratch to the application they are building up. Popular API solutions include NLP, speech and computer vision, translation, knowledge mapping, search, and detection of emotions.

Machine learning frameworks 

These are methods that developers can use to build their own model, that learns from current organization data over time. Machine learning is often linked with big data but can also have other uses – and these frameworks offer a way to build in machine learning activities without the big data environment being needed.

Fully-managed machine learning services 

If machine learning frameworks are the first step towards machine learning, this alternative is a way to incorporate templates, pre-built models, and drag-and-drop tools to create a more customized machine learning system for developers.

AIaaS Vendors

The four major AIaaS providers, namely Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and IBM Cloud, are quite well-known. Each vendor provides different types of bots, APIs, and machine learning frameworks, as well as full-managed machine learning options for all but IBM.

Many well-known technology firms, including Oracle, BMC and SalesForce, are starting to enter the competition.

There are numerous start-ups already working on different parts of AIaaS. This is the case in all industries; purchasing the smaller companies is not unusual for the bigger corporations to add the developed services to their portfolios.

The Position for AIaaS

AIaaS models will be vital for the implementation of AI. AIaaS greatly enhances business processes by providing analytical behaviors that are persistently learned and perfected by a machine. Knowledge obtained from specially-built algorithms allows organizations operate in ever more effective ways based on real-time, highly granular insights.

AIaaS is how the promise of AI can be understood, and how businesses will be changed for the better. Everything that once was a distant dream has come to life. It’s high time to embrace it.