Amazon Web Services offers start-ups free cloud hosting credits of up to $5,000
2 min read 12 Oct 2017, 08:39 PM ISTStart-ups registered with the DIPP can avail Amazon Web Services’ hosting fee rebate of $1,000, those part of incubator or have received venture capital fund are eligible for credits worth $5,000
PremiumNew Delhi: Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud services division of Amazon Inc., has put on offer free cloud hosting credits of up to $5,000 for government-recognized start-ups under a partnership with the Start-up India programme.
Start-ups registered with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, currently 2,865 , can avail hosting fee rebate of $1,000 valid for two years. Those that are part of an incubator or have received venture capital funding are eligible for credits worth $5,000.
AWS has also thrown in limited-period technical support as part of the promotional offer.
Start-ups need servers to host their websites and mobile applications. Last several years have seen the rise of cloud computing where companies with massive investments in data centers offer storage space on pay-as-you-use basis. The popular platforms in use are: AWS, Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud Platform, besides those operated by software majors IBM, SAP and Oracle.
“We aim to deliver a tangible value proposition for start-ups by providing a low cost, easy-to-use cloud infrastructure. This is important as they scale and grow their business," AWS India head Bikram Singh Bedi said in an emailed response to Mint’s queries. Over 90 of India’s top 100 start-ups, who’s who in the ecosystem including Paytm, Delhivery and Ola, use AWS, he added.
AWS is one of the most profitable divisions within Amazon globally. In the quarter ended 30 June, sales of AWS grew 42% to $4.1 billion, or 10.8% of total revenue in the quarter, according to a Reuters report.
In the last one year Amazon has opened five data centers in Mumbai. Since then, its customer base has grown to 120,000, Bedi told Forbes India Magazine this month.
AWS has a strategy in place to catch new companies when they are young. According to one person working on this piece, AWS is partnering with VCs to push AWS services to their portfolio firms. The person did not wish to be identified as he is not allowed to speak to reporters.
AWS credit, live on the newly launched Start-up India Hub, is part of a slew of pro-bono benefits the government has lined up for start-ups.
New companies can use App Builder to build Android apps for their business on discounted rates or use accounting and enterprise management tools from Zoho free for one year. They can also get legal documents such as lease, employment, and service contracts made using VakilSearch.
