Why AWS Launch Wizard?

AWS Launch Wizard offers a guided way of sizing, configuring, and deploying AWS resources for third party applications, such as Microsoft SQL Server and SAP ERP systems. With AWS Launch Wizard, you can eliminate the need to manually identify and provision individual AWS resources, instead automating deployment using APIs or a console-based approach. To start, you input your application requirements, including performance, number of nodes, and connectivity on the service console. Launch Wizard then identifies the right AWS resources, such as EC2 instances and EBS volumes, to deploy and run your application. Launch Wizard provides an estimated cost of deployment, and lets you modify your resources to instantly view an updated cost assessment. Once you approve the AWS resources, Launch Wizard automatically provisions and configures the selected resources to create a fully-functioning, production-ready application.

AWS Launch Wizard also creates CloudFormation templates that can serve as a baseline to accelerate subsequent deployments. Launch Wizard is available to you at no additional charge. You only pay for the AWS resources that are provisioned for running your solution.

Benefits

Simplify application deployment

AWS Launch Wizard makes it easy for you to deploy third-party applications on AWS. When you input the application requirements, Launch Wizard recommends the right AWS resources, and then deploys the selected resources for a production-ready application. This reduces the time spent in provisioning and configuring your key applications.

Automate AWS resource selection and cost estimation

AWS Launch Wizard recommends appropriate AWS resources, including EC2 instance types and EBS volumes, to match your application requirements and presents you a cost estimate. You have the ability to modify the recommended resource selections and get an updated cost assessment.

Save time with repeatable code templates

AWS Launch Wizard provides you with reusable AWS CloudFormation code templates. These templates can serve as a baseline for your subsequent application deployments. You can save time by reusing these code templates to deploy your applications programmatically, instead of creating them each time you deploy a new application.

Leverage proven deployment best-practices from AWS

Resources deployed by AWS Launch Wizard are based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework and application best practices. This means applications deployed using AWS Launch Wizard adhere to AWS best practices, and are optimized for security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost savings.

Use cases

Set-up production-ready SQL Server Always On deployments

With AWS Launch Wizard you can specify your application’s components ranging from SQL Server node settings and AMIs to Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Active Directory (AD), and EC2 instances to effortlessly create a production-ready deployment.

Set-up production-ready SAP systems

AWS Launch Wizard helps customers choose the right SAP certified EC2 instances based on their performance specifications. Launch Wizard then deploys and configures the instances to run HANA and Netweaver based SAP applications on HANA. You can also use Launch Wizard to automate the deployment and configuration of Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. This enables high availability setups using SAP HANA Host Auto Failover. AWS Launch Wizard supports automated deployment of SAP S/4HANA, BW/4HANA, SAP S/4HANA Foundations, and SAP Web Dispatcher running on HANA or ASE databases.

Test new configurations

When trying out new configurations for development and test, you can quickly create proof-of-concept (POC) deployments. This helps accelerate roll outs for new production-ready deployments.

Connect on-premises Active Directory to deployments

AWS Launch Wizard enables you to connect your deployments to your on-premises Active Directory through AWS Direct Connect. This is ideal if you choose not to run Active Directory on AWS.

Storengy

AWS Launch Wizard was a major accelerator for our SAP S/4HANA implementation and our overall transformation. Now, when the business wants to test a new functionality or feature, we can provide it immediately because of the on-demand infrastructure and deployment automation AWS offers.

Guillaume Yvon Enterprise Architect, Storengy