DEVOPSdigest

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced new features for AWS Marketplace to further simplify the purchasing and deployment of third-party software on AWS.

AWS also introduced new APN programs to increase Consulting Partner success and aid ISVs in building their SaaS businesses on AWS, as well as new APN Competencies in Machine Learning and Networking to help customers select APN Partners with the right expertise.

“As businesses of all sizes continue to move to AWS, the majority of the Fortune 500 companies and over 90 percent of the Fortune 100 utilize APN Partners for specialized technology and expertise,” said Terry Wise, VP of Global Alliances for Amazon Web Services. “In fact, in the past year we have added more than 10,000 new APN Partners to the APN, and more than 160 thousand active AWS customers are using software from AWS Marketplace. To support this growth, we are continuing to invest heavily in the APN Program to ensure that AWS customers have access to the best software and services for AWS and so that our partners can continue to build successful cloud businesses on AWS.”

The AWS Partner Network (APN) provides technical, business, and marketing support to tens of thousands of APN Partners across the globe to help them build their cloud businesses with AWS. Today, AWS introduced the AWS Solution Provider Program for APN Consulting Partners and new programs for Technology Partners to build and grow their AWS-based SaaS offerings.

The AWS Solution Provider Program, which will be available in early 2018, replaces the Channel Reseller Program and offers a new, tiered incentive structure that rewards APN Consulting Partners who are innovating on behalf of their customers with proven solution capabilities and have achieved competencies in the areas of Migration, Managed Service Provider (MSP), and/or DevOps. The program also provides more flexible contracting and support options for APN Partners in key competency areas.

The new AWS Software as a Service (SaaS) Factory provides a comprehensive set of enablement content and collateral for APN Technology Partners with SaaS offerings. The program includes reference architectures with best practices for building SaaS solutions on AWS, AWS Quick Starts which automate deployments for key workloads on AWS, and SaaS on AWS Training that delivers prescriptive guidance on building a SaaS business on AWS.

The new SaaS Accelerate Program aids Technology Partners in driving increased profitability with go-to-market support for their SaaS solutions including funding for lead generation and customer proof-of-concepts, and resources for joint sales support. The AWS SaaS Factory and SaaS Accelerate Program will be available in early 2018.

The AWS Competency Program identifies APN Partners who have demonstrated technical proficiency and customer success in specific workloads, industries, or solutions. The AWS Competency Program includes 17 categories in solution areas such as IoT, DevOps, Big Data, as well as industry verticals such as Education, Financial Services, Government, and Healthcare/Life Sciences. Based on customer demand, AWS is expanding the AWS Competency Program with two new competency areas for Networking and Machine Learning.