CenturyLink now is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Managed Service Provider (MSP) partner.

AWS developed its global MSP Program in response customers’ requests to identify reliable AWS Partner Network (APN) members who could help them migrate, run and optimize their AWS workloads. It aligns customers with a set of validated next-generation APN partners who can deliver the full cloud experience.

CenturyLink’s David Shacochis

David Shacochis, CenturyLink’s vice president of product management, tells Channel Partners the partnership gives his company a competitive edge.

“This partnership is beneficial to us because we are now among a select group of vendors that AWS customers would know about and engage with when consuming AWS services,” he said. “This is more about us joining their partner program, not them joining ours. We stand to gain because this is a global certification that carries a significant cache in the market and with our joint customers. It also validates our approach to cloud, especially with regard to our multicloud management platform that we call Cloud Application Manager.”

CenturyLink and AWS worked together to achieve the status during the past six months, Shacochis said.

“AWS is a significant partner for CenturyLink and we work with other tech companies in a similar fashion, such as VMware,” he said. “We are also working with other cloud vendors at present on similar programs.”

CenturyLink’s Cloud Application Manager aims to help customers get more visibility, consistency and control over their cloud deployments from network to application. The platform allows companies to automate application deployments, optimize costs, scale workloads and manage connections across disparate operating environments, according to CenturyLink.

“Cloud Application Manager is our ‘studio’ for designing, managing and optimizing cloud workloads,” Shacochis said. “The AWS MSP certification validates that our approach conforms to the latest generation of cloud-native operations.”

CenturyLink provides services to architect solutions, migrate workloads and deliver security services that meet strict regulatory requirements. The company also offers numerous secure network connectivity options.