Amazon EC2 Windows instances allow customers to deploy .NET applications to AWS using their existing application deployment tools and processes, or to integrate .NET application deployment with automated deployment tools and services such as AWS CodeDeploy or AWS OpsWorks. AWS CodeDeploy and AWS OpsWorks make it easier to rapidly release new features, and automate the configuration, deployment, management and updates of your services and applications on both EC2 instances and on-premises servers.

Amazon EC2 offers preconfigured Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) that enable customers to launch fully supported Windows Server virtual machines in minutes. Customers can select from different Windows OS versions and have the option to include SQL Server. This option is best suited for companies with the following requirements:

• Want to leverage their existing Microsoft Windows expertise and standards
• Need to integrate their AWS environment into existing on-premises development and deployment processes
• Require the most flexibility in OS version and configuration
• Plan to deploy third-party .NET applications with sophisticated installers, manual license configuration, or extensive external dependencies

This approach offers tremendous flexibility, but also requires advanced AWS knowledge and service configuration, such as creating and configuring Elastic Load Balancing load balancers, Auto Scaling groups, and self-managing Windows servers as well as implementing custom application-deployment processes.