According to various media reports, including Forbes, the service will cost $4 per user per month for a 50GB email inbox. It's integrated with many of AWS's other cloud services too, including its Zocalo file synchronization and sharing platform. The combination of WorkMail and Zocalo will allow IT shops to set up a hosted email platform and link it to a file sharing system. WorkMail will also be linked with the AWS Key Management System for security. AWS expects to have the service be available in the second quarter.
+ MORE FROM NETWORK WORLD: 6 Things you need to know about Apple's best quarter ever +
While WorkMail does have a front-end portal, it will be primarily a back-end service, Forbes reports. It will integrate with various versions of Microsoft Outlook for front-end access by users. This move reflects AWS's desire to capture workloads as they are migrated to cloud-hosted platforms, while still integrating with existing applications customers use.
While AWS pioneered the IaaS cloud computing industry in the mid-2000s with virtualized compute and storage on-demand and paid for by the hour, a clear trend by the company in the past year has been to expand its offerings to include enterprise applications. As AWS faces increased competition in the cloud, it's attempting to establish deeper connections with enterprise customers. But, it will face stiff competition from more established players who have hosted core business applications for a long time, including Microsoft, IBM and Google, all of which have popular business email platforms. Microsoft even has its own combination of email and file storage with Exchange and OneDrive.