Building SNYFT on AWS: A Cloud-Native SIEM for SMBs

When we set out to build SNYFT, we knew cloud infrastructure would be essential. Security monitoring generates massive amounts of data, requires high availability, and needs to scale with customer growth. AWS was the natural choice—and as we prepare for our Q1 2026 production deployment, I want to share our strategic thinking.

Why AWS for a SIEM Platform?

The decision to build on AWS wasn't just about choosing a cloud provider. For a security monitoring platform serving SMBs, AWS offers specific advantages:

1. Security-First Infrastructure

AWS's security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS) give our customers confidence
Built-in encryption capabilities at rest and in transit
Comprehensive identity and access management
Regular security updates and compliance frameworks
EU data residency options for GDPR compliance

2. Pay-As-You-Grow Economics

SMBs can't afford massive upfront infrastructure costs. AWS's pay-as-you-go model aligns perfectly with our pricing philosophy: start small, scale as needed. This allows us to keep costs low during our beta phase and scale efficiently as we grow.

3. Global Infrastructure with Local Presence

With AWS regions in Europe, we can keep European customer data in EU data centers—critical for GDPR compliance and data sovereignty requirements common among Czech and European SMBs.

4. Mature Security Ecosystem

AWS's extensive service catalog and security tooling means we can focus on building SNYFT's core value—security monitoring for SMBs—rather than building infrastructure from scratch.

Our Cloud-Native Approach

We're building SNYFT using cloud-native principles that prioritize scalability, reliability, and security:

Current Infrastructure

Our marketing presence runs entirely on AWS, demonstrating our commitment to the platform. We use AWS services for content delivery, DNS management, and secure hosting—practicing what we preach about cloud infrastructure.

Security Model

For customer log ingestion, we've designed a zero-trust security architecture:

No shared credentials - customers never share passwords or API keys
Principle of least privilege - access is scoped to minimum necessary permissions
Customer control - customers can revoke access instantly
Full auditability - every action is logged for compliance
AWS best practices - we follow AWS Well-Architected Framework

This approach ensures customers maintain sovereignty over their data while allowing secure, automated log collection.

Architecture Principles

Rather than detailing specific implementation, I want to share the principles guiding our infrastructure decisions:

1. Defense in Depth

We implement multiple layers of security controls:

Network isolation and segmentation
Encryption at multiple levels
Access controls at every layer
Continuous monitoring and alerting

2. Automated Scalability

Our architecture is designed to handle growth automatically:

Elastic compute resources that scale with demand
Automated data lifecycle management
Self-healing infrastructure components
Cost optimization through intelligent resource allocation

3. High Availability

Security monitoring can't have downtime:

Redundant systems across multiple availability zones
Automated failover mechanisms
Regular disaster recovery testing
99.9% uptime SLA target

4. Cost Efficiency

Building for SMBs means controlling costs:

Right-sizing resources based on actual usage
Leveraging reserved capacity for predictable workloads
Automated cost monitoring and alerts
Tiered storage strategies for different data ages

Why This Matters for SMBs

You might be thinking: "This sounds complex. How does this help small businesses?"

The answer: We're building complexity once so our customers don't have to.

By architecting SNYFT on AWS:

SMBs get enterprise-grade infrastructure without enterprise costs
Automatic scaling means the platform grows with their business
High availability ensures security monitoring never goes offline
Compliance certifications flow through (our AWS compliance helps customers meet GDPR, NIS2, etc.)
Fast deployment because everything is automated
EU data residency for European privacy requirements

We're investing in AWS architecture so our customers can get security monitoring in 15 minutes, not 6 months.

Design Partnership Phase

We're currently in our design partnership phase, working closely with our first customer to validate our architecture before broader production deployment. This approach allows us to:

Test at scale with real-world data volumes
Refine our security model based on actual use cases
Optimize costs using production workload patterns
Validate our automation before serving multiple customers

Lessons Learned

Building on AWS as a security startup:

What's Working

✅ Global CDN: Fast, reliable content delivery
✅ Security tooling: Comprehensive built-in security services
✅ Extensive documentation: AWS docs and community support
✅ Free tier: Meaningful for early development and testing

Challenges

⚠️ Cost complexity: Understanding pricing requires careful analysis
⚠️ Service selection: 200+ services means many architecture decisions
⚠️ Learning curve: Deep expertise takes time to build

Key Takeaways

Start with infrastructure as code from day one
Set up cost budgets and alerts immediately
Follow AWS Well-Architected Framework principles
Automate everything possible
Security is not negotiable—build it in from the start

The Bottom Line

AWS provides the foundation for SNYFT to deliver enterprise-grade security monitoring at SMB-friendly prices. By leveraging cloud-native services and following security best practices, we can offer capabilities that would require a large team and significant capital investment if built from scratch.

As we deploy to production in Q1 2026, we're excited to show how cloud-native architecture can democratize security monitoring for businesses of all sizes—without compromising on security, reliability, or compliance.

Building on AWS too? I'd love to hear about your architecture decisions and trade-offs. Connect with me on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Interested in SNYFT? We're expanding our design partnership program in Q1 2026. Apply for early access to be among the first customers on our production platform.