Amazon S3: when/why [closed]

Question

So, I have a dedicated server. I host about dozen or so small sites.

Is there a real benefit in using S3(or Mosso) for my image and static file hosting? My server has more than enough disk space, or am I completely missing the point of S3?

I keep reading about how wonderful and cheap it is, and I ask myself "self, why aren't you using this" and the reply is always "why?"

Answer 1

if you're running within the included storage and bandwidth of your server and your needs are being served well, you are already doing the simplest thing that is working for you and that is where you should always start. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple reasons why you may want to move some storage to S3 in the future:

• Your storage or bandwidth needs grow beyond what you have and S3 is cheaper than upgrading your current solution
• You move to a multiple-dedicated-server solution for failover/performance reasons and want to be able to store your assets in a single shared location
• Your bandwidth needs are highly variable (so you can avoid a monthly fee when you're not getting traffic) [Thanks Jim, from the comments]