AWS To Launch New ISV Partner Path

The program also will support AWS consulting partners, who increasingly are going to market with their own software solutions, according to AWS channel chief Doug Yeum.

Amazon Web Services is launching an ISV Partner Path program to make it easier for independent software vendors to build, market and sell their solutions on the AWS cloud.

Starting in January, all existing AWS ISV partners with solutions that run on or integrate with AWS will transition to the new program, which also will support AWS Consulting Partners in the AWS Partner Network.

AWS is moving away from badging ISVs as Select or Advanced Technology Partners based on them meeting certain tier requirements. It instead will focus on the ISVs’ service-level recognition and validation, and will badge their individual software solutions, according to Doug Yeum (pictured), the worldwide channel and alliances head for AWS.

“By moving toward badging individual solutions, we believe we are aligning better with how our ISVs go to market and also how our customers want to buy those solutions from ISVs,” Yeum said. “Many ISVs have multiple solutions, and we’ve heard from our customers that they want AWS to focus on each solution … and make sure that each solution runs well on AWS.”

Based on their business objectives, participating ISVs and Consulting Partners will gain immediate access to tailored programs such as the AWS SaaS Factory Program, AWS Competency Program and ISV Accelerate Program, along with benefits including sandbox credits for product development, acceleration funding and assistance from the AWS sales and partner and marketing teams.

“And they can access this all without needing to meet tier-based requirements,” said Yeum, who announced the program at the AWS re:Invent conference Thursday. I’m super excited about this because I think it will simplify the overall partner experience but, more importantly, accelerate the time to value for partners who want to engage AWS.”

AWS included Consulting Partners in the program because they increasingly are leveraging their years of industry experience and going to market with their own software solutions.

“And these Consulting Partners, in the past, have not been able to easily access some of the programs and benefits that we offer our ISV partners,” Yeum said.

Consulting Partners can participate without impacting their AWS Select, Advanced or Premier tier consulting statuses.

“We know that Consulting Partners actually value the tiers,” Yeum said. “Getting Premium tier is super important, even Advanced tier is really important, so we don’t want to affect that.”

Two Australian companies are among the AWS partners who’ve participated in the pilot of the ISV Partner Path program.

Jonathan Barouch, CEO of Local Measure, said the pilot helped the AWS Advanced Technology Partner and customer experience platform provider accelerate and expand its partnership with AWS globally.

“Without this program, we would have faced challenges with entering into some initiatives that have already helped us meet new AWS partners and customers in other regions,” Barouch said in a statement.

Urban.io is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner that provides industrial-grade IoT devices to obtain data from buildings and other spaces.

“Our AWS partner development manager nominated us for the pilot, in which we achieved customer engagement eligibility,” CEO Rob Cumming said in a statement. “This, in turn, made promoting our AWS Marketplace offering for IoT subscriptions a lot more appealing for direct sales representatives. Overall, this program really moved the needle for us.”