AWS pricing is usage based, which means a bill can grow quietly for months before anyone notices. Pathway Communications provides AWS hosting, consulting, migration, and managed services for Canadian businesses that need experienced oversight before, during, and after moving to AWS. Our AWS services build on decades of managing Canadian IT infrastructure, including our own Tier 3 Data Center in Markham, Ontario.
Managed AWS Hosting & Migration Services
AWS hosting and migration backed by decades of Canadian infrastructure and managed IT experience.
Signs You Need a Managed AWS Service Provider
Certain warning signs are easy to overlook when an AWS environment does not have dedicated operational oversight:
If two or more of these sound familiar, it may be worth having an experienced team review your AWS environment before unnecessary costs or security risks become harder to address.
How Pathway Manages AWS Environments
AWS consulting
Before you commit to a migration, Pathway Communications assesses your current workloads, estimates the cost of running them in AWS, and identifies applications that may need remediation before they are ready to move. The result is a practical roadmap covering priorities, dependencies, costs, and next steps.
AWS migration services
For supported workloads, Pathway can use AWS Application Migration Service to continuously replicate servers ahead of cutover, helping reduce the final migration window. Database migrations can use AWS Database Migration Service, with schema conversion considered where source and target database engines differ. Before production cutover, we validate the migrated workloads and databases so performance, dependencies, and data integrity issues can be addressed before users rely on the new environment.
Managed AWS services
After migration, Pathway manages the operational layer around your AWS environment, including EC2 and storage reviews, S3 lifecycle policies, patching, monitoring, and ongoing performance and cost optimisation.
Keeping AWS Costs Under Control
AWS costs can increase for fairly ordinary reasons: oversized compute, storage that stays in higher-cost tiers longer than necessary, or commitments that no longer match actual usage. EC2 instances are sometimes sized to match the on-premises server being replaced rather than actual workload usage, which can leave businesses paying for capacity they rarely use. Reserved Instance or Savings Plan commitments can also become less suitable as usage patterns change. Similarly, data may remain in standard S3 storage when a lower-cost storage tier could be appropriate. Reviewing instance sizes, storage tiers, and commitment levels 60 to 90 days after migration gives you real usage data to work from and can identify opportunities to reduce avoidable spend.
AWS Expertise Backed by Your Existing Infrastructure
Moving to AWS does not necessarily mean moving everything to the public cloud. Pathway Communications manages AWS environments alongside our own CloudPath private cloud platform from our Tier 3 Data Center in Markham. That gives our team practical experience managing public cloud, private infrastructure, and hybrid environments.
For some workloads, AWS may be the right fit. For others, keeping the workload on private infrastructure—or combining both—may make more sense based on performance, compliance, connectivity, or cost requirements. Our approach is to assess the workload first and recommend the infrastructure model that fits its requirements.
Security and Compliance Managed In House
AWS provides extensive security controls, but those controls still need to be configured, monitored, and reviewed as your environment changes. Pathway Communications provides that operational layer through our Managed Detection and Response, Security Operations Center, and Managed Firewall Services, supported by our in-house team.
Pathway Communications holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, ISO/IEC 27001-2022 certification, and SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, and SOC 3 Type II compliance, along with PCI DSS certification and compliance with HIPAA and Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act. These certifications and compliance credentials provide an independently assessed framework for managing security, quality, and regulated environments.
Data Residency and Why Pathway Communications
For businesses with Canadian data residency requirements, AWS Canada (Central) in Montreal can be an important part of the architecture discussion. Pathway Communications can help assess the appropriate AWS region, workload configuration, access controls, and operational requirements based on your business and compliance needs. Our Canadian-based team provides ongoing support from within Canada.
We have managed Canadian infrastructure since 1995 and opened our Tier 3 Data Center in Markham in 2009. We also operate CloudPath, our own private cloud platform built on VMware. That experience allows us to support hybrid environments where AWS workloads work alongside private infrastructure managed by the same team.
Start With an Assessment or a Conversation
If you already know what needs to move, an AWS readiness assessment can help define the scope, dependencies, and migration path. If you are still evaluating costs, security, or the right infrastructure model, an AWS consulting conversation is a better starting point. Either way, Pathway provides a clear scope, project timeline, and cost estimate so you know what the engagement involves before work begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my AWS bill is higher than it should be?
The most common signals are month to month swings you cannot explain, EC2 instances nobody remembers the purpose of, and Reserved Instance or Savings Plan commitments that no longer match your actual usage. An AWS cost and configuration review can help identify unused resources, sizing issues, storage costs, and commitments that no longer align with actual usage.
Should I start with AWS consulting or go straight to migration?
Start with AWS consulting if you are unsure which workloads should move, what the cost impact will be, or how AWS fits your compliance requirements. Go straight to AWS migration services if you already know what needs to move and want Pathway Communications to plan and execute the transition.
Can Pathway Communications combine AWS with our own private cloud infrastructure?
Yes. Some clients run part of their environment on AWS and part on CloudPath, our own private cloud platform hosted in our Tier 3 Data Center in Markham. Because Pathway manages both environments, we can coordinate connectivity, security, monitoring, and operational requirements across the hybrid environment.
Can you keep our AWS environment data resident in Canada?
Yes, where Canadian data residency is an appropriate requirement for the workload. AWS Canada (Central) provides a Canadian region in Montreal, and Pathway can help assess the appropriate architecture, data-location requirements, access controls, and support model for your environment. Our Canadian-based team can provide ongoing AWS support from within Canada.
