What is AWS Systems Manager? - Features and Benefits

Are you interested in centralizing data from various AWS services but unsure about where to begin? AWS Systems Manager effectively accomplishes this task by gathering data from the various AWS services utilized by your business. It also facilitates the automation of activities across these platforms through the manager, helping streamline your workflow.

Just access Systems Manager via the EC2 Management Console, choose the instances you wish to oversee and specify the management tasks you intend to execute. The best part about it is that it’s available for free to handle both your EC2 and on-premises resources.

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What Features Does AWS Systems Manager Have?

1. Incident Response Automation

AWS Systems Manager streamlines incident response by automating alerting, connecting the right team members, and triggering predefined actions based on CloudWatch alarms or EventBridge events. It also suggests post-incident improvements for enhanced service reliability. 

2. Scheduled Maintenance Tasks

AWS Systems Manager allows you to schedule maintenance tasks for your instances, optimizing the timing of patches, updates, and configuration changes. This service helps ensure that your maintenance tasks are carried out at the most convenient and least disruptive times for your systems and applications.

3. Fleet Management

AWS Systems Manager Fleet Manager eliminates the need for remote connections. It provides a console for system management tasks, including log management, Windows Registry operations, and secure shell access in break-glass scenarios. Fleet Manager is a valuable tool for efficient remote management of your infrastructure.

4. Application Component Management

AWS Systems Manager Application Manager allows you to discover and define application components, view operational data, and execute actions such as patching, all within the application context. This simplifies operations and eliminates the need for multiple consoles. Application Manager supports container clusters in Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) environments

5. AppConfig

AWS AppConfig simplifies the deployment of application configurations. It can be applied to various AWS resources, including EC2 instances, containers, Lambda functions, mobile apps, IoT devices, and on-premises instances.

6. Centralized Configuration Storage

AWS Systems Manager offers a central repository for managing configuration data, separating secrets and configuration from code. It allows for parameter organization, tagging, and encryption through AWS KMS. Additionally, you can streamline your deployment process with AWS CodeDeploy.

7. Change Management

AWS Systems Manager Change Manager simplifies requesting, approving, implementing, and reporting operational changes for application configurations and infrastructure. Change Manager improves transparency and accountability in your change management processes.

8. Automated IT Operations

AWS Systems Manager Automation facilitates automated IT operations and management tasks. It supports predefined playbooks and custom automated playbooks for resource management across accounts and regions.

9. Compliance Dashboard

AWS Systems Manager aggregates operational data through a dashboard, providing a centralized view of your infrastructure's compliance and performance. This feature allows you to monitor and maintain compliance with your organization's policies and standards effectively.

10. Systems Inventory

AWS Systems Manager collects comprehensive information about instances and installed software, aiding in system configuration management and application asset tracking. 

11. Session Management

AWS Systems Manager provides browser-based remote access for managing instances securely without the need for open ports or SSH keys. It offers centralized access control and auditing. 

12. Run Command

AWS Systems Manager enables secure remote management without logging into servers, offering automation of administrative tasks and granular permissions control.

13. Configuration Management

AWS Systems Manager provides configuration management for EC2 instances, enabling consistent configuration across servers. It supports automation through script integration.

14. Patch Management

AWS Systems Manager automates patch deployment for cloud and on-premises instances, enhancing compliance and software update management. Patch Manager ensures that your instances are up-to-date and secure, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities.

15. Secure Remote Access 

AWS Systems Manager Distributor securely distributes and installs software packages, allowing version control and centralization. It uses IAM policies for control, enabling you to manage software distribution across your infrastructure efficiently.

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What Benefits Does AWS Systems Manager Have?

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AWS Systems Manager has several benefits that can help your organization boost productivity and maximize efficiency. Some of these benefits include:

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Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures

Using Systems Manager, you can efficiently oversee systems within Amazon Web Services and your on-premises data center, all through a unified interface. Systems Manager operates through a non-intrusive agent installed on your EC2 instances, ensuring secure communication with the Systems Manager service while performing management tasks. This versatile approach allows you to effectively manage resources across various platforms, including Windows and Linux operating systems on Amazon EC2, etc.

Cost Reduction

Systems Manager's automated tools make tracking, updating, and maintaining software and OS configurations easy, reducing costs. It automates system maintenance to ensure compliance, eliminating the need for manual updates and reducing the risk associated with non-compliant systems.

Simplified Control

Systems Manager simplifies systems management on AWS and in your on-premises data center via a unified interface. It deploys a lightweight agent for secure communication and task execution, facilitating the management of Windows and Linux systems across various platforms.

Centralized Resource Management

Systems Manager offers a unified platform to manage a diverse range of AWS resources, providing a spectrum of features from simple configuration management to advanced automation and orchestration

User-Friendly Automation

Amazon Systems Manager enables the easy automation of complex and repetitive tasks, such as applying OS patches and AMI updates. It features a straightforward interface for task definition and resource selection, allowing automatic task execution based on software inventory or CloudWatch events.

Enhanced Visibility and Control

The Systems Manager facilitates a clear understanding and control of your EC2 instances and OS configurations. It collects software configuration and inventory data for your instance fleet, including detailed system configurations, OS patch levels, and application configurations. Integration with Amazon Config enables real-time change tracking.

Cost Efficiency

Employing SSM offers significant cost savings by reducing the need for manual resource management. This can be accomplished through task automation, including patching and software deployments.

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Conclusion

AWS Systems Manager is a cost-efficient way to consolidate all your data from different services into one user interface, facilitating Data Analytics. However, with all the different features and functionalities, understanding the platform is often difficult. If you’re looking for an expert to provide tailored AWS Development Services, contact Whizzbridge for the expert help.