Adobe Launch ColdFusion 10 On Amazon Web Services Cloud

Adobe have recently released the ability to launch a cloud based ColdFusion server running on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This is a big step for Adobe as it shows they’re actually listening to demand and putting the right foot forward and entering the cloud market. Will it be a viable solution for businesses looking to quickly deploy CF applications in the cloud? The first thing to note is the version, you’re getting Adobe ColdFusion (ACF) Enterprise edition with all it’s extended functionality and added benefits:

http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion-family/buying-guide.html

The second important thing to realize is the pricing. You need to pay for the AWS hardware and then you need to pay for the ACF License as well (as of April 2013)

https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B00BQNEX5S

EC2 Instance Type	Software	EC2	Total
Standard Large (m1.large)	$0.15/hr	$0.364/hr	$0.514/hr
Standard XL (m1.xlarge)	$0.30/hr	$0.728/hr	$1.028/hr

So basic calculations a standard large would set you back approximately $4500 per year.

Compare that to normal ACF Pricing:

Enterprise edition = $8,499

Standard edition = $1,499

That's a pretty good saving! ...However you will also of course have to pay for storage and input / output all of which will differ depending on your needs.
The specs of an M1 Large instance are pretty good: 

M1 Large Instance 7.5 GiB of memory, 4 EC2 Compute Units (2 virtual cores with 2 EC2 Compute Units each), 850 GB of local instance storage, 64-bit platform

But that will again depend on your needs. I know 7.5 Gb isn't a lot of memory for a server and most commercial solutions have many times more than that. AWS do offer bigger, better faster servers and perhaps Adobe have plans to offer these as well.

This does hopefully mean you can quickly and easily get ACF running in the AWS stack and take advantage of the many benefits, including of course auto scaling, load balancing etc. 

Does this offer a cookie cutter solution for CF in the cloud? No, not really, you'll need to look carefully at your current setup and compare and contrast for your needs.

Just a quick note all of the above is taken from Amazon AWS / Adobe ColdFusion websites and prices / technical specifications are current as of April 2013. If you're interested I encourage you to look at their websites as prices and details change regularly.