Amazon S3 is our file storage solution. We use it for all of the backups of our storage and databases.
Senior Database Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Helpful documentation, highly scalable, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The most useful features of Amazon S3 are the intelligent multipart upload."
- "Amazon S3 could improve by being more secure."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most useful features of Amazon S3 are the intelligent multipart upload.
What needs improvement?
Amazon S3 could improve by being more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon S3 for approximately five years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon S3 is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Amazon S3 very scalable, you can scale it on the fly and it is very easy to do.
Most all the cloud applications that are being used by our developer are using Amazon S3. More than 200 people are using this solution. At this moment we do not plan to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the support from Amazon S3 multiple times and they are good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used any other similar solution to Amazon S3.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Amazon S3 is straightforward and the documentation is very good. You can do the setup of Amazon S3 in a few minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the Amazon S3 is low. The license model is based on what you use.
What other advice do I have?
If users are looking for highly scalable, competent solutions, then Amazon S3 would be a good choice.
I rate Amazon S3 a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Administrator at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Secure, scalable, and easy to manage and understand
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to manage and easy to understand."
- "We need the mapping to Windows. That feature is needed in S3. That feature is in the Azure cloud where we can map it like a drive. We can map the cloud storage to the effort driving our Windows PC. But Amazon is not providing that feature for the S3 solution."
What is our primary use case?
I am managing the S3 storage solution from Amazon. From Microsoft, I'm managing the Azure administration. I handle that. As a part of that, I need to create the virtual machines, a point to site to VPN and Azure AD, AD synchronization with Windows server, a database server, mail server, and web server. I administrate all that.
We use Amazon S3 for storing files and documents on the cloud. I fill out the user whenever the files they use are downloaded. That is fully automated. After a few days, it can delete it. I've done the policy for the automated deletion.
Amazon S3 is great. We are using it for storage solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
Due to using S3, our data documents are safe and easy to access. It is better to keep them in the cloud as opposed to in our internal drive. You can access them from anywhere. Especially during the pandemic period, we are able to access remotely, as well. So it's good.
What is most valuable?
We are using the basic S3 bucket. It is easy to manage and easy to understand.
What needs improvement?
We need the mapping to Windows. That feature is needed in S3. That feature is in the Azure cloud where we can map it like a drive. We can map the cloud storage to the effort driving our Windows PC. But Amazon is not providing that feature for the S3 solution.
In the next release I would like to see mapping on the Windows machine. In Windows, there are drives right in volumes. We need to map these Amazon S3 storage to the Windows. That usually is available in the Azure. I would like to have that in the Amazon as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Amazon S3 for just six months as of now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, it is good and has no issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We can scale Amazon S3 for storage. We can increase or scale up and we can scale down. It's easy to manage.
I'm happy where I'm at right now. If we need more storage, we will implement. We'll scale it up.
How are customer service and support?
As of now, I haven't needed to contact support. It is really easy to manage. Even for the small issues, we can just Google the issues and find the solution. For complex issues, we may need to contact them, but as of now, I haven't needed to. I haven't faced any issues like that, so I didn't contact support. We have found that there is enough online documentation regarding S3.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched because of the security and scalability. It is highly secure because nobody can access it. Before we had solutions using an FTP and SFTP. That protocol is different and we are now using the S3. We need a shared key and an access secret key to access the particular storage. Without that, we cannot access. We cannot do anything. So security is more important. That's why we switched to Amazon S3.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple and easy to manage.
It's not actually a deployment. It is a simple step. Within five minutes, we can deploy it.
Our implementation strategy for the solution is based on the user's document files and how much GB they want and how they want to access that particular story's solution. Based on that scenario, I create the S3 bucket on the cloud for the particular users - whoever wants to access that particular S3. I created that particular IM user, the user access for that particular storage. I make an access policy to that particular storage.
What was our ROI?
Our ROI is good based on our usage. We have multiple users who are accessing this S3 storage.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a monthly pricing.
We are happy with the pricing.
What other advice do I have?
Amazon S3 is a great solution.
My advice is to have an implementation strategy based on the user usage.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Amazon S3 an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Amazon S3
January 2026
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Associate Member Of Technical Staff at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Useful life cycle policies, highly stable, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Amazon S3 are the accuracy and the life cycle policies, which help when moving from Amazon S3 to Amazon Glacier."
- "Amazon S3 could improve some of the features, such as indexing, or we should have more information about all the data stored in a single place. This way we can see what data resides where instead of going in different buckets, file locations manually, or searching. An index would be nice, allowing us to directly go to a location to use the date."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Amazon S3 for storing all the organization data, which comes from a data pipeline.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Amazon S3 are the accuracy and the life cycle policies, which helps when moving from Amazon S3 to Amazon Glacier.
What needs improvement?
Amazon S3 could improve some of the features, such as indexing, or we should have more information about all the data stored in a single place. This way we can see what data resides where instead of going in different buckets, file locations manually, or searching. An index would be nice, allowing us to directly go to a location to use the date.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Amazon S3 within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon S3 is 99.99 percent stable. The solution is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Amazon S3 is good. If we want more storage we only need to pay extra.
All the workloads of the whole company go to Amazon S3. As our workloads increase, the data increases, and we will use more storage in Amazon S3.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support from Amazon S3.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used another solution similar to Amazon S3.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Amazon S3 is not complex. We are only using it for a storage layer and there were not any complexities.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of Amazon S3 is good. The pricing model is based on the usage of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others, it is one of the most used storage solutions.
I rate Amazon S3 a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Aug 29, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCTO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Beneficial automation, useful CLI, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
- "Amazon S3 is easy to use and it is beneficial to use the CLI to make the backups. Since I use the CLI I do not have to do it on a web portal which is a big advantage because everything can be automatized. Automation can be done very well in Amazon S3."
- "The solution could improve by having a simpler way to have the detail size of a file in the CLI to be read or understood easier. Today, it's a little raw in the way the details are presented. You have to make some scripts and some modifications to be able to see the information properly of the size of a given bucket or the size of a file."
What is our primary use case?
I use Amazon S3 mainly for daily backups of our database.
How has it helped my organization?
Amazon S3 has helped our organization because the daily backups can be done automatically with automation. We do not have to spend time on it and I am confident with Amazon S3 in its ability to recover our data.
What is most valuable?
Amazon S3 is easy to use and it is beneficial to use the CLI to make the backups. Since I use the CLI I do not have to do it on a web portal which is a big advantage because everything can be automatized. Automation can be done very well in Amazon S3.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having a simpler way to have the detail size of a file in the CLI to be read or understood easier. Today, it's a little raw in the way the details are presented. You have to make some scripts and some modifications to be able to see the information properly of the size of a given bucket or the size of a file.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon S3 for a long time. I used the latest version because the CLI is normally updated.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the Amazon S3 is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Amazon S3 is great.
We are a small company and we have approximately five developers that use Amazon S3. We use the solution on a daily basis for hourly backups.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the support from Amazon S3 a long time ago, I have not needed much help. When I did have contact with them there were times it took a while for a response.
I would rate the technical support of Amazon S3 a three out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The main difference from other solutions I have used is Amazon is the leader, and it has a very large number of zones and capacity, while others can be smaller and can have different options. Not all the options that are available in Amazon S3 are offered by other competitors, but for the main features, most of them are working fine. I have been evaluating two different solutions, one from a French cloud-based company called Scaleway, and the other is peer-to-peer storage.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was simple. Creating a new bucket and deploying it is very straightforward. To make the script deploy a new bucket takes approximately one hour.
I would rate the initial setup of Amazon S3 a four out of five.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves and we have two developers that do the maintenance of the solution.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment has been very good because the backups of our database are critical for our business to operate.
I would rate the return on investment of Amazon S3 a four out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the Amazon S3 is reasonable. There are not any licensing costs, they have a pay-as-you-use model.
When backups are more than 6 months old, I would recommend keeping less of them and storing the remaining ones in Glacier (long-term, cheaper storage).
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other options.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is to separate the buckets project, not to put everything in the same bucket, and be sure to implement IAM rules to avoid problems between users and not to lose any backups. The implementation process is important.
I rate Amazon S3 an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT operation manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
The solution's most valuable feature is its Uptime availability, especially for the cloud version
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's peak-up time is good."
- "The major challenge is the inability to create more than ten policies."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the solution to secure the content.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable feature is its Uptime availability, especially for the cloud version. Its peak uptime is good. It offers 99.9% availability.
What needs improvement?
The Folder Access policy needs improvement. They should make it much more user-friendly, then it will be fine. The major challenge is the inability to create more than ten policies. When we want to create folder access, they provide some policy and then give the folder access. There should be an option to have a sub-folder for each folder. They should provide a distribution of access. Presently, we can't access all subfolders at a time.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for three years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability as a ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is ten out of ten. We have more than fifty users of the solution at our company.
How are customer service and support?
When we raise the ticket, we get a response within five to seven days. There needs some improvement.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The setup process is simple as we are using the cloud solution. We configured the setting as per our requirements.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the solution as one for pricing. It is expensive but much more secure.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others and rate it as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Team member
Good cloud infrastructure, good technical support, and is scalable
Pros and Cons
- "Cloud infrastructure is the most valuable feature."
- "The stability of the solution has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Amazon services to create the SSX and other services.
What is most valuable?
Cloud infrastructure is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
We are already utilizing cloud services, and Amazon is providing us with an abundance of options. As we move forward, we must ensure that we are obtaining the best value for our money when it comes to pricing. The price of Amazon S3 has room for improvement.
The current solution is not ideal, as it requires us to log into multiple dashboards and technical services. To improve our centralized monitoring or central idea, we need to create a single centralized system that can provide access to all services.
The stability of the solution has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give the stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give the scalability an eight out of ten.
We have 50 people using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is good.
How was the initial setup?
Most businesses have different needs, so the solutions we use vary depending on the context and requirements. We can utilize different approaches based on specific circumstances. The initial setup depends on the environment.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a nine out of ten.
I believe that cloud-based services such as cloud computing and cloud security from Amazon's pipeline services are becoming increasingly popular. These services provide a great technological infrastructure for us and I have no doubts or reservations about them.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
DevOps Engineer at a non-profit with 11-50 employees
Object storage service that provides comprehensive security and MFA that prevents accidental deletion of data
Pros and Cons
- "The versioning of this solution for accidental deletion has been most valuable."
- "You need to fully understand the solution's best practices to get the most out of its security features."
What is our primary use case?
We use Amazon s3 to store objects like data in my environment.
How has it helped my organization?
In one of my previous environments, I was brought in to help with the challenges they were facing resulting from a data breach in the S3 bucket. What I noticed in that environment was that every user had full access into their S3 bucket, and accidentally deleted data without a trace.
They did not know how some of their data was missing. One of the first services I suggested was enforcing access control by applying IM best practices, such as granting list privilege permission to our users to avoid overpowering them. I created a single group and then applied specific permissions to that group.
All users added to that group were able to inherit the same permission and privileges. Versioning was enabled which keeps multiple variant of objects in the same bucket and also safeguards against accidental deletions. I also enabled multi-factor authentication which prevented accidental bug deletion by requiring the user who initiate the delete action to prove physical possession of an MFA device with an MFA code.
What is most valuable?
The versioning of this solution for accidental deletion has been most valuable.
What needs improvement?
You need to fully understand the solution's best practices to get the most out of its security features.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment with S3.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten. Pricing depends on a particular class where you want save your objects. There are different classes when it comes to storage in S3.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others that this is a scalable solution that offers comprehensive security.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO - Founder / Principal Data Scientist / Principal AI Architect at a tech company with 1-10 employees
Excellent features, hearty scalability, with varied use cases that fit almost any client
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the automated replication of the data."
- "I would like to see the API for beginners improved because it is hard to understand."
What is our primary use case?
We are very flexible with our use cases and it fits most clients.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the automated replication of the data. You can store things and they automatically replicate somewhere else. So if you have an issue, you have a backup, and that is very good. You can set up how often you want it backed up, and I find that extremely useful.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see the API for beginners improved because it is hard to understand. It is based on the idea of a container when most programmers just understand directories and subdirectories. For a beginner, the API is a bit confusing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Amazon S3 for the past four years
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is definitely present from hundreds to thousands depending on the client.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions in the past, but none of them are as scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup If you have the experience is fairly simple. If you do not, then it is fairly complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I know it is very inexpensive compared to other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would basically recommend that individuals just follow the guidelines AWS as they are very good. I would rate Amazon S3 an eight on a scale of one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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