What is our primary use case?
Orange is a service provider, and we are working with multiple customers where people are using solutions with respect to AWS Shield and WAF. We have implemented these solutions for several customers, and we observe that it is a security service which helps them with DDoS attacks.
This service primarily provides layer three and layer four security that customers usually require before their firewall and for all applications visible to the public internet. Any traffic that hits their website or publicly available services needs protection. Currently, many DDoS attacks have occurred, and to prevent these, customers are seeking solutions. AWS has native services along with WAF and Shield, so users are moving towards AWS Shield instead of using Check Point or other firewalls.
AWS Shield provides two tiers: Standard and Advanced. Shield Standard is provided by AWS with basic monitoring at no cost. We observe that some customers require intensive security, where AWS offers Advanced, which is a paid service at $3,000 per month. It is required to prevent attacks such as SYN, ACK floods, UDP floods, or reflection attacks. To prevent network and transport layer attacks, customers are keen to have native services instead of going through additional licenses from third-party vendors when they move to the cloud.
Commercially, users must pay $3,000 to get comprehensive support with AWS Shield Advanced. Without this tier, the support received from AWS is very limited.
What is most valuable?
The Standard tier has limited features. With Advanced, customers can create rules for packet filtering and priority-based traffic shaping, which we refer to as automatic mitigation. When these base rules are created, it prevents attacks and notifies customers about suspicious traffic patterns.
AWS Shield is aligned with the web application firewall (WAF), and they work seamlessly together. The service primarily works with Elastic Load Balancer, CloudFront, and Route 53 for CDN and DNS services protection.
As a best practice at Orange, we provide multi-layer security. We deliver solutions aligned with the AWS Well-Architected Framework, where backend resources remain in private subnets while necessary services stay in public subnets. Before traffic reaches public subnets and internal networks, WAF creates customer-based and Amazon-provided rules, preventing DDoS attacks through integration with AWS Shield. When traffic reaches WAF, CDN, CloudFront, or Route 53, it is first filtered by WAF and then by Shield's DDoS protection.
A key feature is advanced attack detection, which provides tailored detection based on application traffic patterns. It offers visibility into health-based detection through integration with Route 53 and application layer DDoS mitigation. While basic DDoS protection is included in the Standard tier, Advanced provides 24/7 DDoS Response Team (DRT) access through a support-based model. This helps customers address potential spikes resulting from DDoS attacks on EC2s, ELBs, and CloudFront.
What needs improvement?
AWS Shield has limited coverage as it only protects against common and high-volume network and transport layer attacks, such as SYN floods. It does not provide inherent protection against more sophisticated layer 7 attacks such as HTTP floods. In such cases, integration with WAF is necessary, which results in additional costs for customers. To protect layer 7, layer 4, and layer 3, customers must implement both solutions.
The service also has difficulties with static detection thresholds, which may not be sensitive enough to detect smaller application-specific attacks. While AWS Shield is a key security service, AWS should enhance their expert support with 24/7 response for complex attacks, which is currently limited.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with AWS Shield for approximately four to five years, providing security solution services.
How are customer service and support?
From a technical support perspective, the paid service receives quite good support, but the standard service has limited visibility. For Shield Standard, I would rate it five out of ten. For Shield Advanced, I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The setup is quite straightforward with AWS Shield. While not complex, building protection requires specialist knowledge. It is easy to implement if someone has the knowledge, otherwise, they cannot create effective protection. AWS has done a good job with documentation, and most resources are available on the AWS website. With a basic understanding of cloud and security, it is easy to create.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The basic support with Shield Standard is free. For detailed support and planning with Shield Advanced, the cost is $3,000 per month, compared to approximately $2,800-2,900 with other cloud providers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Working with Azure provides similar functionality. The main difference is that while AWS Shield Basic provides protection against volumetric attacks at layer three and layer four, Azure provides protection across their complete backbone network. Additionally, Azure's solution is more cost-effective compared to AWS Shield.
What other advice do I have?
Organizations need to understand their exact requirements. AWS Shield Standard is enabled by default but provides limited visibility. If customers require detailed support and integration with robust layer 7 protection through WAF, then Advanced tier is necessary. Understanding of rule configuration and basic setup is essential for effective implementation. Organizations should perform a proof of concept to determine their specific needs. Once enabled, there is a commitment to the monthly cost of $3,000 for Advanced.
AWS Shield is a native service within the AWS ecosystem.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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)