The AWS Partner Network (APN) added a migration competency to its existing 12 competencies, which include support for big data, security and storage. Validated partners in the AWS Competency Program demonstrate technical proficiency and customer success in these specialized solution categories.
A key driver behind the new AWS Migration Competency is the need to help AWS customers develop a comprehensive migration strategy. The program enables AWS partners to differentiate themselves by showcasing their expertise, while making it easier for customers to connect to these partners.
“Every AWS customer is unique, and yet, we find that nearly all of our customers have similar business goals they’re looking to achieve by migrating to AWS: speed, massive agility, global reach, increased security, cost savings and the chance to digitally transform business models and processes,” said Dorothy Copeland, general manager of the AWS Global Partner Ecosystem.
“However, migration isn’t done overnight, and thoughtful planning is needed to ensure it’s done effectively. We find that workload migration is a key milestone of the customer journey on AWS, and helping customers map out a clear and comprehensive migration strategy is a top priority in which AWS Partner Network (APN) Partners provide enormous support,” she added.
Partners participating in the AWS Migration Competency provide solutions and expertise to customers who are looking to migrate their workloads and legacy infrastructure to AWS, and need help with their cloud migration strategy. This includes through all phases of migration projects: discovery, planning, migration and operations.
“The AWS Migration Competency makes it as easy as possible for enterprise customers to identify AWS Partners in the AWS Partner Network who’ve successfully migrated large enterprise workloads to AWS,” Copeland said. “These AWS partners have proven that they are highly capable—both supporting customer needs at different steps of the cloud migration process and understanding what enterprises are looking to achieve in their large-scale migrations.”
Segmented into two partner categories—technology and consulting partners—each group has access to training, resources and support. APN Technology Partners have access to a variety of tools, training and support that can enable them to build solutions on AWS more efficiently, while APN Consulting Partners have access to resources and training to help their customers deploy, run and manage applications in the AWS Cloud, said Copeland.
AWS cloud migration tools and services include AWS Database Migration Service, and resources, such as the AWS Professional Services Cloud Adoption Framework.
Initial launch partners are comprised of Migration Consulting Partners, Migration Delivery Partners, and Migration Technology Partners (including Application Profiling, Workload Mobility, and Discovery & Planning).
“Attaining an AWS Competency allows partners to differentiate themselves to customers by showcasing expertise in a specific solution area,” said Copeland.