Amazon Web Services Intros Online Marketplace

Called AWS Marketplace, the online store offers a variety of technology and business software, such as databases, application servers, developer tools and business applications, the company said in a statement. Some of the products are free and some require payment.

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Amazon said users can access the products in an on-demand fashion, easily launching the software and paying by the hour or month. AWS Marketplace will manage billing.

Products are available from several vendors, including IBM, Microsoft, SAP, CA, Canonical, and Check Point Software.

Open-source products are available from companies, including Drupal, MediaWiki, and Wordpress.

One analyst said the online store will serve its customers needs for more services.

"Amazon's AWS marketplace is exactly the right thing for the company to do. Amazon is after-all a retailer, so selling services is a natural extension of its model, and selling its own AWS customers' services is business synergy for the company," said Al Hilwa, program director for applications development software with IDC. "[Amazon’s] cloud services [will be] more attractive if it has a marketplace that already attracts eyeballs."

Amazon could not be reached for further comment.