How to choose the right AWS partner
The cloud has offered a tremendous boon to businesses both big and small when it comes to solving technology needs. Small businesses now have access to resources and an infrastructure that was once limited to just the big players. Large companies, on the other hand, can easily extend and supplement their current offerings, and with a speed previously unheard of. And for everyone involved, there are significant cost savings compared to traditional models.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is at the forefront of this, and choosing them for your cloud platform is always an excellent decision. But because they are continuously improving and enhancing their many services, it can be tough for a company new to AWS and the cloud, or without sufficient resources, to not only successfully manage the initial cloud implementation, but to also manage and maintain (or grow!) the system moving forward.
Luckily, AWS can help you with that too with an extensive Partner program. The AWS Partner Network offers a range of companies providing consulting and technology services to fit just about any company’s needs, and the partner companies currently number in the thousands.
But with all of these Partners offering all of these different services you now have a different challenge: choosing the AWS Partner that’s right for you.
Let’s look at how you go about choosing the right AWS partner for your cloud infrastructure needs.
Before You Start Evaluating Partners
Before you dive into the AWS Partner Network and start evaluating different companies, it’s important to properly define your needs and constraints. When you really know what you’re looking for, it’s much easier to find what you need. Especially because there are so many choices in this case.
Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
What are your main goals? Are you looking to adopt new technology, increase your agility, get to market faster? Or are you mostly looking for cost savings?
You probably have multiple goals in mind. If so, what’s the order of priority for them?
What’s your overall budget? Now and year over year.
Are you looking at completely outsourcing your solution, or will you want to secure in-house resources as well?
What’s your company’s level of expertise with AWS? Do you have any current resources with AWS experience?
Types of Partners
Once you’ve figured out your needs, at least at a high level, you can look at the two different types of partners in the AWS Partner Network: Consulting and Technology. While a lot of companies specialize in one category, there are many that overlap and offer both, which may suit your needs.
Consulting Partners
Consulting Partners are probably the types of partners you’re thinking of when considering an AWS partner. These are the partners you would engage to help implement projects such as developing new applications, migrating to the cloud, or designing your infrastructure. While larger partner firms usually have more resources available, they may also be more expensive or less focused on AWS because they offer a wide variety of services. Smaller, more boutique firms can be a bit more budget-friendly, and their staff may actually have more hands-on experience with AWS.
Technology Partners
Technology Partners, on the other hand, offer pre-built technical solutions that sit on top, or integrate with, AWS APIs. This is akin to buying an off-the-shelf solution rather than having someone work with you to build a solution specifically for your needs. If you already have some AWS experience in-house and are cost-sensitive, this may be a good option.
Factors to Consider
Once you’ve determined the type of partner you need, you still need to comb through the multitude of companies in the AWS Partner Network to shortlist the ones that fit your needs. Given the potential cost of your cloud infrastructure project and its importance in relation to your company’s success, it’s crucial that you spend the time reviewing their qualifications.
Areas of Expertise
If you have a clear focus on the goals of your cloud infrastructure project and what types of services and support you need, then you want to be evaluating potential partners that have expertise in those areas. Just because they have extensive experience with AWS or the cloud, doesn’t mean that they’ve handled projects similar to yours. Look through descriptions of past projects to ensure they have expertise in the right areas.
Cloud Experience and Focus
Many partners may have extensive histories and past successes but have only recently moved to include cloud-based services in their repertoire. Obviously, the longer they’ve been working in the cloud, and with AWS in particular, the better. Similarly, check into how much of their business is focused on the cloud and AWS. Is it a core component of their practice, or is it just a small add-on piece?
Certifications
While certifications help speak to the experience of a partner, they’re also a good indicator as to their level of investment and commitment to AWS. To achieve different certifications, partners need to invest in training and development, and a lack of certifications could indicate either immaturity on the platform or a low-level commitment to the cloud infrastructure services they provide. You may also want to look into the certifications held by key team members to help assess the level of expertise held in different areas.
Location
Although we live in a world of video conferencing and always-on connectivity, you may want to consider the location of your AWS partner. Even if you’re not looking for face-to-face meetings, excessive time zone differences can be challenging, especially with projects that need a lot of real-time communication. Three or four hours difference is easily managed as there is enough overlap in a workday, but getting up to seven or eight hours difference can be difficult, especially if your team isn’t used to working with remote vendors.
Choose Wisely
As with anything, not all AWS partners are created equal. It’s important that you determine what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it, and then evaluate the partners based on that and the criteria laid out earlier. This will be an important element of your business, and it’s crucial that you find an AWS partner such as INGENO that’s right for you and your project.