AWS Support isn’t built for real-time crisis management. It’s designed to provide advice, not immediate hands-on help during emergencies. If your platform crashes at 3 AM or faces a security breach, AWS engineers won’t fix the issue directly - they’ll guide you to documentation instead. For SMBs, this can mean costly delays.
| Tier | Cost | Response Time (Critical Issues) | Hands-On Help? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | No technical support | No |
| Developer | £29+ | Business hours only | No |
| Business | £100+ | 1 hour | No |
| Enterprise On-Ramp | £5,500+ | 30 minutes | No |
| Enterprise | £15,000+ | 15 minutes | No |
Takeaway: AWS Support is helpful for guidance but not sufficient for urgent, hands-on incident response. SMBs need additional monitoring, automation, and expert teams to bridge this gap.
After highlighting the limitations of AWS Support, let’s break down what each support tier offers - and, more importantly, what’s missing. To truly understand why AWS Support can fall short during critical incidents, it’s essential to know exactly what you’re paying for and what’s not included.
AWS provides five distinct support plans, each tailored for different needs but with clear limitations that become glaring during emergencies. Here’s a closer look at what each tier offers:
| Support Tier | Monthly Cost | Response Time (Critical Issues) | What You Get | What You Don't Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | No technical support | Documentation, AWS Health | Any hands-on help |
| Developer | £29+ | Business hours only | Cloud Support Associates | 24/7 availability, senior engineers |
| Business | £100+ | 1 hour | 24/7 support, API access | Direct incident remediation |
| Enterprise On-Ramp | £5,500+ | 30 minutes | TAM, architecture guidance | Proactive monitoring |
| Enterprise | £15,000+ | 15 minutes | Fastest response, incident detection | Code debugging, system administration |
The pricing structure clearly points to AWS’s target audience. With the Enterprise plan costing £15,000 per month, it’s evident that most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are priced out of this top-tier option. Even if they could afford it, the plan still doesn’t cover direct hands-on problem-solving.
AWS Support explicitly excludes tasks like code development, debugging, or system administration. So, if your application crashes in the middle of the night, AWS engineers won’t dive into your code to fix the problem. Instead, they’ll guide you to relevant documentation or best practices, leaving the actual troubleshooting to your team. For smaller teams, this distinction is a critical one - you’re paying for advice, not solutions.
This tiered structure highlights AWS’s focus on providing general guidance rather than immediate, hands-on incident response.
AWS Support is built to address operational queries, offer best practices, and troubleshoot API issues. However, it’s not designed to step into your infrastructure and resolve problems directly.
Even their premium Incident Detection and Response service - priced at an additional £7,000 per month or 2% of your AWS charges - focuses more on monitoring and alerting than fixing issues. While AWS Incident Management Engineers may respond within 5 minutes, their role is to connect you with experts rather than directly resolve the problem.
For SMBs dealing with urgent crises like a security breach or a sudden surge in traffic, this approach can feel like too little, too late.
"AWS Support gives customers help on technical issues and additional guidance to operate their infrastructures in the AWS cloud. Customers can choose a tier that meets their specific requirements, continuing the AWS tradition of providing the building blocks of success without bundling or long term commitments." - AWS Support FAQs
The theoretical gaps in AWS Support become all too real when SMBs share their experiences. Here’s what businesses have reported:
"My frustration is mainly having to wait for days for responses for tickets and having to ask the TAM follow up. We shouldn't have to do that." - theBeeprApp
"AWS support is terrible, we have to fix most things on our own and sometimes their recommendations are terrible (like proposing to add a LIMIT to a query that was taking too long)." - kobumaister
Even higher-tier perks like Technical Account Managers (TAMs) can be hit-or-miss. Their effectiveness often depends on how well they understand your business and technical environment. On top of that, frequent sales pitches during support calls are a common grievance. When your site is down and revenue is on the line, the last thing you want is a pitch for additional AWS services.
These challenges aren’t accidental - they’re a feature of AWS’s support model, designed to scale for millions of users. For SMBs expecting direct, hands-on help during a crisis, the gap between what’s promised and what’s delivered can be stark.
AWS Support often falls short when businesses face security breaches, traffic surges, or integration issues.
When ransomware strikes or data breaches occur, time is of the essence. AWS operates under a shared responsibility model: they secure the infrastructure, but customers are tasked with protecting their applications, data, and access within the cloud. While AWS Support offers basic tools and guidance, they don’t provide forensic analysis or actively intervene to contain breaches.
The consequences of this gap can be devastating. In January 2025, the ransomware group Codefinger exploited compromised credentials to target AWS users. They manipulated AWS's SSE-C encryption by supplying their own AES-256 keys, locking users out of their own data and imposing a seven-day auto-deletion cycle.
The financial fallout from breaches can be enormous. Capital One's breach, which exposed over 100 million customer records, resulted in costs exceeding £120 million (converted from US$150 million). Other incidents, like the Pegasus Airlines breach in May 2022, which leaked 6.5 terabytes of sensitive data, and Twitch's 2021 misconfiguration that exposed 125GB of private information, highlight AWS's limitations. While AWS Support can advise on configurations, they don’t step in to actively resolve ongoing security crises.
But security isn’t the only area where AWS Support struggles to meet urgent business needs.
When traffic unexpectedly surges, unprepared infrastructure can buckle under the pressure. AWS Support provides advice on auto-scaling and load balancing, but resolving more complex issues - like Lambda cold starts or misconfigured policies - falls squarely on your team.
Fast response times are critical. Delays can drive potential customers away, and with 57% of technical professionals prioritising cloud cost optimisation, many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) operate on lean infrastructure that struggles to handle sudden spikes. For example, an e-commerce platform with a complex architecture might require precise scaling, load balancing, and caching strategies during peak demand. AWS Support won’t assist with these tailored fixes during events like flash sales, product launches, or viral social media moments.
This hands-off approach leaves businesses scrambling to address performance issues during critical periods, compounding the challenge when third-party tools are involved.
Many SMBs depend on third-party tools integrated into their AWS environment, but when these tools fail, AWS Support’s limitations become glaringly apparent.
Take Datadog, for instance. If your Datadog monitoring suddenly stops collecting metrics from your EC2 instances during a critical moment, AWS Support can only confirm that your instances are running and that AWS APIs are functional. They won’t troubleshoot Datadog's agent configuration or resolve authentication issues. The same applies to PagerDuty alerts failing during an outage or CI/CD pipelines breaking due to IAM permission changes - AWS Support can explain IAM concepts but won’t dive into debugging your pipeline.
With over 60% of corporate data now stored in the cloud and roughly 75% of enterprises focusing on cloud application development, these integrations are vital. The cloud security software market, projected to reach nearly £30 billion by 2026, further underscores the importance of third-party tools. Yet, when these tools falter, AWS Support’s lack of direct troubleshooting can lead to prolonged outages and significant disruptions.
The pattern is clear: AWS Support excels at explaining services and offering general advice, but it steps back when hands-on assistance is most needed. Whether it’s a security breach, a traffic spike, or a third-party tool failure, this gap in support can turn manageable issues into full-blown crises. For SMBs, the takeaway is clear - investing in robust, in-house incident management systems is not just advisable; it’s essential.
AWS Support has its strengths, but it also comes with limitations. To ensure your small or medium-sized business (SMB) is prepared for incidents, you need a proactive, multi-layered approach. Developing a strong incident response strategy can help fill the gaps left by AWS Support.
The first step in effective incident response is having complete visibility into your infrastructure. A layered monitoring strategy ensures you can see what's happening across your systems, applications, and third-party integrations - addressing AWS Support's reactive nature.
Start by implementing unified monitoring tools that gather data from multiple sources. A great option is OpenTelemetry, a vendor-neutral, open-source framework.
"OpenTelemetry is an open-source observability framework that allows you to collect logs, metrics, and traces without vendor lock-in."
For instance, OpenObserve provides a straightforward guide to collect logs and metrics from AWS EC2 instances using OpenTelemetry.
Once monitoring is in place, set alerts for critical thresholds, such as CPU usage exceeding 80%, sudden memory spikes, or unusual network activity. Make sure your alerts are actionable and not just noise. Regularly review dashboards to ensure they align with your system's current behaviour and your business priorities.
With monitoring and alerts in place, take it a step further by automating responses to reduce resolution times.
Relying solely on manual incident response can be risky and time-consuming, especially as your business grows. The urgency is clear: the median time between a breach and data theft has dropped from nine days in 2022 to just two days by 2024.
Start automating low-risk processes like alert triaging and isolating compromised instances. Begin small - categorise alerts by severity and historical data, then move on to automating containment actions, such as isolating affected instances or scaling resources to handle traffic surges.
Focus your automation efforts on frequent issues. For example, if database connection problems are common, automate monitoring and restart procedures. If memory leaks are a recurring problem, set up automated restarts to prevent larger failures. According to a survey, 50% of engineering leaders have identified automation and continuous integration/deployment as critical for production readiness.
It's crucial to build error handling and logging into your automated workflows. This way, if something goes wrong, you'll have clear insights into the issue. Test your automation regularly in controlled environments to ensure it performs reliably under real-world conditions.
While AWS Support can provide infrastructure guidance, it’s not a substitute for hands-on incident management expertise. To bridge this gap, partner with teams that have deep experience in your technology stack.
AWS SMB Competency Partners offer tailored solutions to help SMBs optimise performance and security. For example, BrightLine - a provider of interactive TV solutions - leveraged AWS services like Amazon RedShift, EC2, RDS, DynamoDB, and S3, resulting in 70% lower infrastructure costs and reduced downtime. Similarly, Paragon Technology and Innovation enhanced scalability and achieved a 200% increase in deployment speed, supporting up to 5,000 concurrent site visits after collaborating with AWS specialists.
When choosing a partner, look for expertise in your specific industry and technology stack. Define clear escalation procedures - AWS Support can handle minor issues, but more serious incidents, like security breaches, should involve your expert partners immediately. For areas where your in-house knowledge is limited, consider managed services for critical operations.
As Ben Schreiner, head of business innovation and go-to-market strategic sales for AWS, puts it:
"We have more customers and more potential customers than we could imagine, and the channel is critical to our reach, with technology partners and system integrators playing a role in that ecosystem."
AWS Support plays a role in your cloud strategy, but it’s not the full answer when it comes to handling critical incidents. Consider this: in 2023, 43% of all cyberattacks targeted small businesses, and a staggering 60% of those businesses closed within six months of an attack. With the average cost of a cyberattack on a small business hitting around £200,000, relying solely on AWS Support’s reactive approach leaves too much at stake.
To truly prepare for incidents, you need a proactive, layered defence strategy - one that goes far beyond what a single vendor can offer. This includes crafting detailed security policies, enforcing strict access controls with multi-factor authentication, and implementing real-time monitoring to detect and address threats before they escalate. Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue; it’s a business-critical priority. For small and medium-sized businesses embracing cloud computing, prioritising security ensures they can leverage the cloud with confidence and peace of mind.
To address the gaps in AWS Support’s reactive approach, you’ll need to bolster your defences with a dedicated incident response team that offers 24/7 monitoring and rapid intervention. As Hart Rossman, VP of Global Services Security for AWS, aptly puts it:
"Incident response is a team sport."
A strong incident readiness plan also includes regular audits, comprehensive staff training, and robust disaster recovery protocols, complete with off-site backups. Since 95% of cybersecurity incidents stem from human error, educating your team is an essential part of the equation. By taking these steps, you can build a security framework that not only fills the gaps but also ensures your business is prepared for whatever challenges may come.
AWS Support operates on a shared responsibility model. This means that while AWS takes care of the infrastructure and platform, customers are expected to handle their own incident response. The support services provided by AWS focus on offering guidance, best practices, and tools rather than stepping in directly to manage issues within your systems.
It’s also worth noting that AWS Support is designed specifically to assist with AWS services. It doesn’t extend to providing full-scale incident management. For critical situations like downtime or security breaches, resolving the problem often requires an in-depth understanding of your unique architecture and operations - something AWS Support doesn’t cover. Because of this, many businesses rely on specialised incident response tools or external partners to bridge the gap.
AWS Support can sometimes fall short when it comes to real-time incident management, particularly for SMBs and growing startups that need more proactive, hands-on help during critical situations. To bridge this gap, tools like Opsgenie and Zenduty are worth considering. These platforms offer real-time alerts, task assignment features, and incident management tailored to smaller teams. Another great choice is Incident.io, which focuses on streamlining team collaboration and improving response times during incidents.
When it comes to security-related incidents, solutions like CrowdStrike Falcon and Elastic Security stand out. They provide powerful tools to tackle cybersecurity threats effectively, making them ideal for organisations that require more focused and responsive support than AWS can typically deliver.
Small businesses can better prepare for security breaches and sudden traffic surges by taking a proactive and comprehensive approach to managing incidents. Start by keeping your software and systems up to date - this helps reduce vulnerabilities. Conduct regular risk assessments to pinpoint potential weak spots in your setup. It’s also vital to enforce strict access controls to protect sensitive information and train your team to identify and handle security threats effectively.
Using third-party tools and services for real-time monitoring and quick incident response can be a game-changer. These solutions often deliver faster and more customised support when it matters most. Additionally, having a well-defined incident response plan in place - complete with routine testing and updates - can make all the difference. This kind of preparation not only helps you tackle disruptions more efficiently but also ensures a smoother path to recovery.