News from the AWS Summit in NYC today is that Chef is now available as a one click install on AWS via the AWS marketplace. While the ability to use Chef on AWS is not new (it is the leading configuration management tool on AWS), being on the marketplace makes both install and billing a one click deal. This should make it really simple to get Chef installed and running for anyone looking to leverage the many benefits Chef brings to configuration management and automation. Literally with one click install what could be simpler?
As part of this new arrangement not only will Chef on the AWS marketplace be available, but it will also be a featured offering. Chef and AWS already enjoyed a cozy relationship (they are both based in Seattle and there is a cross-pollination of personnel). This deal takes the relationship to a higher level. Both Chef and AWS are dedicating significant resources to marketing, sales and support of this initiative.
I know from speaking to AWS in the past and other marketplace vendors that AWS will often let partners list on the marketplace, but they don’t often then dedicate resources to roll out, marketing and support. Further, as far as I know Chef is the only configuration management/automation solution that is available via the marketplace like this. I don’t know if this will remain the case or for how long, but for now it is somewhat of an exclusive relationship.
I had a chance to catch up with Ken Cheney, VP of Business Development and Jay Wampold, VP of Marketing at Chef about this expanded relationship the other day. They both emphasized that this is much more than just listing Chef in the AWS marketplace. Some estimates I have seen have Chef deployed on something like 70% of AWS deployments. Ken and Jay believe that this number will continue to remain high and may even go higher as a result of the marketplace presence and the push from both Chef and AWS.
On top of their previously released expanded relationship with Microsoft via Azure, it seems Chef is putting a stranglehold on two of the largest cloud platform providers in the world. That doesn’t mean that other configuration managers don’t have presence on AWS or Azure, but Chef seems poised to be in a dominant position on these platforms.
As we see more enterprises continue to migrate more and more infrastructure to the cloud this presence will become more and more important. For now you can get Chef fast on the AWS marketplace.
