AWS partner boss on how partners can break through with public cloud giant
Amanda Sleight holds up Bytes and Inaswisdom as examples of partners that have used AWS' competency and certification schemes to build a thriving business with AWS
There is now a well-trodden path for traditional resellers and MSPs to build a thriving practice with AWS, its partner boss has claimed - holding up Bytes Technology Services as an example.
Amanda Sleight yesterday talked CRN through AWS' partner philosophy as part of CRN Deskflix - the Future of MSP event.
The full Deskflix event - including Sleight's session - can now be viewed on demand for free here (brief registration required).
Although AWS finished a creditable eighth in the 2019 CRN Vendor Report, partner comments were mixed, with some questioning its "channel agnostic" ethos or complaining that it was difficult to make margins with the public cloud leader.
As part of the session, Sleight mapped out the journey that traditional resellers and MSPs might take if they want to build a practice with AWS - which turned over more than $10bn in its most recent quarter.
She picked out Bytes as a "great example" of a traditional reseller that has done this.
"They've gone out and built a practice around AWS," she said.
"They've built themselves a Well-Architected team to help ensure customers have a great cloud architecture and that they're secure. They look at billing. They've built a successful business from a resell background - so it can be done."
Partners must also differentiate to guarantee AWS signposts them to customers, Sleight added.
She held up AI specialist Inawisdom as a prime example of a partner that has mastered this.
"We want to make sure partners differentiate themselves, and as part of that we want to make sure they achieve competencies. [Inawisdom] are a machine learning and AI partner. They do other things but that's what they lead with, and so when customers are looking for ML and AI solutions, they are signposted to our website under that competency," Sleight said.