AWS SNS, SMS and mobile push

Three methods to send messages to mobile devices:

1. SNS mobile push : http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/mobile-push-send-directmobile.html 

2. SNS mobile push with topics: http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/mobile-push-send-topicmobile.html

3. SNS with SMS: http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/SMSMessages.html

More details here on all three methods to send messages to phones using SNS here: http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/SNSMobilePush.html

 Here are some things to be aware of:

·         AWS Region: Mobile push to Android, iOS and Kindle Fire devices works in all public AWS regions, but SMS is only available in US-East

·         Recipient location: Mobile push recipients can be anywhere in the world so long as they have IP connectivity.  But SNS currently only supports US numbers.

·         Topic versus Direct mobile push: Mobile push notifications can be directly addressed to a single endpoint, but SMS currently must be delivered through a topic.

MFA made easy

AWS accounts can use a virtual MFA (iPhone, Android etc).  This allows you to secure your AWS account more then just using a simple password.  For the iPhone, the Google Authenticator application is certified with AWS MFA.  http://aws.amazon.com/mfa/