How to buy S&P 500?

Hello there, I'm curious about how one can go about purchasing shares in the S&P 500. As I understand, it's a widely recognized and popular index that tracks the performance of 500 large-cap companies across various sectors of the U.S. economy. Could you walk me through the steps involved in acquiring shares of this index? Are there any specific platforms or brokers that you recommend for this purpose? Additionally, what factors should I consider before making such an investment? Thank you for your guidance.