How Billing Works for WorkSpaces Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure

Amazon WorkSpaces is a virtualized desktop infrastructure service that runs on EC2 instances and offers a unique pricing model characterized by a combination of monthly and hourly charges, with a free trial instead of a free tier. The pricing structure is influenced by four dimensions: compute type, platform type, running mode, and size, with the service offering various plans tailored to different needs, such as Performance for developers and Graphics for image or video editing. The breakeven point between hourly and monthly billing is a critical consideration, with monthly billing being more cost-effective for instances used extensively. For scenarios requiring extensive resources, such as managing Visual Studio for numerous users, costs can be significant, but strategies like using the BYOL model can help reduce expenses. Proper planning and understanding of application resource consumption are essential for optimizing costs while benefiting from the enhanced remote working, security, and virtualization capabilities that WorkSpaces provides.