Time and time again, we've seen that the traditional broker model is broken. And if you're a broker, you know that it's not for the reasons some might think. Brokers aren't being eliminated from the equation; on the contrary, companies need brokers more than ever, and brokers need to be more for their customers than they ever have before. 

Due to changing legislation, a growing array of plan options, shifting networks and network access, and complex funding strategies, employers are increasingly relying on brokers to be their trusted advisors, helping them make the best decisions for their business and employees. 

But how do you focus on being a strategic advisor and spend the necessary time educating your customers while keeping up with ACA compliance, being an all around HR expert, and assisting with benefits administration? To understand these dynamics, you need look no further than Amazon AWS and other economies of access.

What Amazon Web Services did for tech 

In 2006, when Amazon introduced its inexpensive cloud computing service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company fundamentally shifted how many organizations build their businesses. Instead of needing to own your own servers and teams of engineers to run these servers, companies could now "rent" this infrastructure from Amazon for data storage, access, video streaming, and more. And boy did people jump on it. From startups to government agencies including Netflix and Healthcare.gov, organizations have come to depend on its fast, affordable, and flexible infrastructure.