AWS re:Invent Day 3: What Partners Wanted to Hear

AWS RE:INVENT — Amazon Web Services’ annual event took a partner focus during Wednesday’s keynote, led by Doug Yeum, head of AWS worldwide channels and alliances since July.

Speaking to thousands of partners, Yeum said, “I am personally committed, and AWS is committed, to making sure that all of you are successful.”

With that in mind, Yeum made a point of noting that Amazon Partner Network, which launched in 2012, has reached tens of thousands consulting and technology partners, respectively, since that time. And in 2019, APN adds 50 new partners worldwide every day, Yeum said.

That’s because more organizations are choosing AWS as their cloud vendor, he added. To support that demand, AWS so far has more than 175 services.

AWS’ Doug Yeum

“That equates to new opportunities for all of you,” Yeum said. And, he said, “We will continue to open new regions in all the world’s major economies and many emerging ones.”

In addition, the Amazon Partner Network is attracting more types of partners. When APN launched, it served mostly born-in-the-cloud system integrators, Yeum said. Now, the array contains next-generation managed service providers, specialized and established SIs, IP solution providers, ISVs and hardware manufacturers.

“Growth is driving partner diversification in the APN,” Yeum said.

Growth also is coming from the C-level imperative for digital transformation, he noted.

“Customers turn to APN partners to help with that journey,” Yeum said. ““For [organizations] to be competitive in their respective markets, they have to … rethink the way they deliver services and experiences to their customers.”

Partners are vital to helping steer clients in their digital transformation efforts, even while furthering their own evolution, Yeum said.

“Wherever you’re located, whatever your industry may be or whatever specialty you may have, there are so many different types of opportunities for all of you to grow your businesses with AWS,” he said.

Yeum also sat down with AWS CEO Andy Jassy to talk about ways partners can transform to keep pace with a cloud-first world. Jassy recommended four key approaches. First, he said, prioritize.

“You have to make some hard decisions about what you’re going to do with the business,” Jassy said.

Then, he said, think about how to use machine learning and artificial intelligence. Next, make sure to offer per-hour pricing and, finally, help enterprises modernize, he said.

As expected, AWS made a series of partner-centric announcements during Yeum’s keynote. One of the most significant was the APN Global Startup Program launch. The initiative helps startups become “enterprise ready” by providing increased, proscriptive benefits and more resources, Yeum said. Candidates must have raised Series A or later funding from a top venture capital fund; have an innovative enterprise technology solution running on AWS with at least one product in general availability; and an executive team committed to AWS. So far, the APN Global Startup Program has more than 270 launch partners.

AWS also said AWS Marketplace has added 100 new independent software vendors and that these vendors now can handle private offers in the Marketplace. AWS rounded out the partner program announcements with the release of the Service Ready Program, which reduces the time customers spend finding …