Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS), a cloud computing platform, has added a local zone in the Philippines to enable customers to deploy applications that require single-digit millisecond latency to end users or on-premises data centers.

AWS Local Zones are a type of infrastructure deployment that places AWS compute, storage, database, or other services near large population, industry, and information technology (IT) centers⁠.

“By reducing latency, organizations in the Philippines can help improve the performance of their applications, process large amounts of data faster, and drive productivity gains,” said Joel Garcia, chief technologist at AWS in ASEAN. “AWS Local Zones will help customers accelerate the development of new solutions such as remote manufacturing simulations, immersive retail experiences, and live trading platforms.” 

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Amazon to open AWS local zone in the Philippines

AWS now has 34 AWS Local Zones around the world, with announced plans to launch 19 more Local Zones globally.

Data residency

Having a Local Zone makes it easier to meet customer requirements especially when the issue of data residences is becoming more and more important these days. 

Most customer workloads run in an AWS Region, a geographic location where AWS clusters data centers to serve customers. However, when an AWS Region is not close enough to meet low latency or data residency requirements, customers need AWS infrastructure closer to their data source or end users. 

Organizations have traditionally maintained these location-sensitive workloads on-premises or in managed data centers that require customers to procure, operate, and maintain their own IT infrastructure, and use different sets of Application Programming Interfaces (API) and tools for their on-premises and AWS environments. AWS manages and supports AWS Local Zones, meaning customers do not incur the expense and effort of procuring, operating, and maintaining infrastructure in various locations to support low-latency applications.

Low latency

Having AWS Local Zones close to large population centers enables customers to achieve the low latency required for use cases like online gaming, live streaming, and augmented and virtual reality. They can also support customers operating in regulated sectors like healthcare, financial services, and the public sector that might have data residency preferences. AWS Local Zones can also help organizations migrate additional workloads to AWS, supporting a hybrid cloud migration strategy and simplifying IT operations. 

Customers can connect to AWS Local Zones through an internet connection and they can use AWS Direct Connect to create a private, physical network connection to the new AWS Local Zones location in Manila, and access public AWS Regions and all other AWS Local Zones worldwide. The AWS Direct Connect location in Manila launched in May 2023 — the first in the Philippines. In addition to AWS Direct Connect, customers can access AWS Local Zones using an internet connection or virtual private network (VPN).