Outage shows how Amazon's complex cloud makes backup plans difficult

FILE PHOTO: Attendees at Amazon.com Inc annual cloud computing conference walk past the Amazon Web Services logo in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Salvador Rodriguez/File Photo/File Photo

(Reuters) - Major companies using Amazon.com's data services got a painful lesson this week about how the complexity and market dominance of the company's cloud unit make it difficult to back up their data with other providers, analysts and experts told Reuters.

Amazon said that an "an impairment of several network devices" in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) Virginia data center region caused the prolonged outage on Tuesday. The outage temporarily interrupted streaming platforms Netflix Inc and Disney+, trading app Robinhood Markets Inc and even Amazon's own e-commerce site, which makes heavy use of AWS.