Announcing New Benefits for Managed Services Providers

“AWS Partner Experience Transformation” is a blog series on updates to the AWS Partner Programs, AWS Marketplace, and Partner Central.

By Maria Schuler, Program Manager – AWS
By Sofia Calvo, Content Manager – AWS

Managed services are a key driver of partner profitability and customer success—with 52% of customers indicating a need for managed services as part of their partner procurement process (Canalys).

At re:Invent last year, we shared plans to enhance the AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) program. Starting July 1, we’re excited to announce new benefits for partners across commercial and public sectors looking to build, market, and grow their managed services practice. These include self-serve technical enablement, workshops with AWS experts, discounts and credits to offset tooling costs, and more.

Feedback from our pilot partners played a key role in enhancing the MSP program. Partners have shared with us that they need more support to build and market their practice, better align with AWS sellers, and create listings in AWS Marketplace to sell to customers.

“It is exciting to see a renewed commitment from AWS to partners who thrive in the managed services space,” says Brandon Pierce, Managing Director of Engineering Services at Ollion. “The timing is especially perfect, as the expansion of the MSP Program will directly accelerate our initiatives in 2024 and beyond as it relates to our customer support enhancement with more tools, project acceleration, and increased employee development through certification vouchers.”

This personalized and value-added experience is designed to accelerate your engagement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and access benefits faster—driving greater profitable growth and customer value.

Benefits to help you build your Managed Services practice

A Canalys study found that breadth of partner services and AWS portfolio available to customers is key to AWS Partner growth. Additionally, partners achieve 30-40% gross profit margins through managed services.

For Resellers and Services Partners or existing MSPs looking to build their managed service practice and grow managed services revenue streams, we’re launching:

• Managed Services Build Essentials: Self-serve enablement assets to kick-start your Managed Service Provider (MSP) journey, including best practices, playbook, battlecards, and training resources. This ready-to-use content will be available in AWS Partner Central on July 1.
• Managed Services Build Workshop: To help new or existing MSPs accelerate business planning, develop go-to-market planning, and drive better alignment with AWS sellers, we’re facilitating custom workshops to engage with AWS experts. Pilot partners who participated in workshops accelerated audit readiness time by up to 75%—reducing it from 9-12 months to 3-6 months. Participation in workshops is by nomination only, as detailed in the AWS MSP Program Guide.
• Discounts to offset tooling and training costs: AWS MSP Specialization Partners receive discounts and extended free trials to offset select third-party tooling costs. Additionally, to help you build AWS cloud expertise, partners receive Marketing Development Fund (MDF) credits to offset the cost of Skill Builder training, an online learning center that up-levels employees through Jam Sessions, digital classrooms, and virtual labs.
• AWS PartnerEquip: Virtual series for AWS MSP Specialization Partners: To help you enhance your technical capabilities, we’ve extended PartnerEquip to AWS MSP Specialization Partners, which provides early access to feature releases and industry specific sessions from technical experts. Partners can review the agenda and register to attend upcoming sessions on the PartnerEquip page.

Benefits to market your practice

AWS MSP Specialization Partners now have increased funding and support to market their managed services practice:

• Marketing Development Funds (MDFs): We’re increasing MDF by more than double to help partners offset marketing costs to drive demand generation and build a robust sales pipeline. Partners can leverage the increased MDFs to market their MSP practice through targeted campaigns and events. The MDF credits will be automatically loaded to the partners’ MDF wallets.
• AWS Rapid Ramp Credits (ARRC): Partners can now leverage $300 in ARRC to pass on to small and medium business (SMB) customers and receive 1:1 strategy sessions with AWS experts on best practices for engaging with SMBs.

Benefits to sell to customers

Based on a cloud customer survey AWS ran in September, MSPs are one of the top three influencers (internal and external) of a customer’s purchase decisions.

To drive customer visibility and sell in AWS Marketplace, AWS MSP Specialization Partners will be featured on the Professional Services AWS Marketplace landing page, upon meeting AWS Marketplace transaction requirements.

Additionally, the AWS PartnerEquip: Virtual series for AWS MSP Specialization Partners provides guidance to build your co-sell strategy with AWS.

For MSPs with an existing solution in AWS Marketplace, validate your solution to achieve the AWS MSP Specialization and earn your partner badge, to better promote your practice to customers.

Get started

We’re excited to roll out these new benefits and enhancements to help you build and grow your MSP practice. As we continue to transform, we’ll also streamline program requirements in the next few months to accelerate your journey to achieving the AWS MSP Specialization.

For more information on the new benefits, review the AWS MSP Program Guide in Partner Central (login required).