AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog

Navigate is an APN Partner’s Path to Specialization on AWS

AWS Navigate-2019Based on high demand from our AWS Partner Network (APN) Partners, we developed the APN Navigate program to help partners become more successful in their business differentiation journey on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The APN Navigate Program provides a prescriptive path for partners to build a specialized practice on AWS, and our Navigate tracks offer APN Partners the guidance to become AWS experts and deploy innovative solutions on behalf of customers.

In addition to APN Navigate tracks for Blockchain, Contact Center, DevOps, End User Computing, Financial Services, High Performance Computing (HPC), Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, Microsoft Workloads, Migration, Serverless, and AWS Database Services, we are excited to announce new tracks for VMware Cloud on AWS, SAP on AWS, and the AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program.

Getting Started

Based on the interests of your organization, select the APN Navigate tracks that you’d like to deepen your knowledge. Have two (2) individuals go through the technical track and two (2) individuals go through the business track to unlock advanced content and trainings to build a strong practice or solution based on the area selected.

NEW! VMware Cloud on AWS Navigate Track 

The partnership between AWS and VMware can solve most of the hybrid cloud adoption challenges by providing a unified infrastructure framework that bridges the gap between private and public clouds. Together, VMware Cloud on AWS delivers a seamlessly integrated hybrid cloud solution that extends on-premises VMware environments to AWS elastic, bare-metal infrastructure that is fully integrated as part of AWS.

VMware Cloud on AWS brings the capabilities of VMware’s enterprise class Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) technologies to the AWS Cloud, enabling customers to run any application across vSphere-based private, public, and hybrid cloud environments. The VMware Cloud on AWS Navigate track creates a prescriptive journey for APN Partners who want to build expertise in supporting AWS customer projects for VMware cloud solutions on AWS.

Learn more about the VMware Cloud on AWS Navigate track >> 

Business Professionals: VMware Cloud on AWS

This course helps you understand the key value proposition for VMware Cloud on AWS, diving deep on how you can help customers solve business challenges in the hybrid cloud environment. It also provides a partner success story and information on how to accelerate hybrid cloud adoption for your customers. This course outlines the partner requirements for the engagement model, and concludes with a quick knowledge check to validate your learning.

Get started now >> (login required) 

Technical Professionals: VMware Cloud on AWS

This course teaches the technical fundamentals of the VMware Cloud on AWS solution. You will learn about key customer use cases, technical solutions architecture, network connectivity, data protection, and integration with AWS native services. The course presents reference architectures to showcase how some VMware Cloud on AWS customers have designed solutions for each of the top use cases.

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NEW! SAP on AWS Navigate Track

Businesses of all sizes are running SAP in the cloud to simplify infrastructure management, improve time-to-market, and lower costs. AWS offers a reliable and secure cloud infrastructure platform that enables businesses to quickly deploy SAP solutions in the cloud.

SAP customers can also use existing software licenses on the AWS Cloud with no additional licensing fees.

The SAP on AWS Navigate creates a prescriptive journey for APN Partners who want to learn the skills and tools to expand their ability to support SAP customers on the AWS Cloud.

Learn more about the AWS SAP Navigate >>

Business Professionals: SAP on AWS

This introductory-level (non-technical) course is designed for business professionals at APN Consulting Partner organizations who are focused on selling SAP on AWS. You’ll learn to effectively engage with customers in positioning AWS for their SAP workloads, as well as how to identify an SAP opportunity; explain the services offered by AWS for SAP; articulate the benefits of running SAP on AWS; and work with customers to position AWS for their SAP workloads. Customer engagement models, sales plays, and case studies will enhance your learning experience.

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Technical Professionals: SAP on AWS

This course teaches the technical fundamentals of running SAP on AWS. It’s designed to educate pre-sales engineers at APN Consulting Partner organizations how to discuss the key architectural patterns for running SAP on AWS. You’ll learn how to size SAP on AWS to meet performance targets; perform basic system operations for SAP on AWS, including backups, monitoring, and automated deployments; and make architectural decisions based on AWS-recommended best practices. The course includes a demo of deploying SAP HANA on AWS using AWS Quick Starts.

Get started now >> (login required)

NEW! AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Track

The AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program is designed for APN Consulting Partners who are skilled at cloud infrastructure and application migration, and deliver value to customers by offering proactive monitoring, automation, and management of their customers’ environment. The AWS MSP Navigate creates a prescriptive journey for APN Partners who want to build expertise in delivering full lifecycle solutions, from planning and designing to building and optimizing workloads for AWS customers.

Learn more about the AWS MSP Navigate Track >>

Business Track: AWS MSPs

The AWS MSP Business Track explores what it means to be a next-generation AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) and how you can build a next-generation business practice. You’ll also learn how to prepare for the AWS MSP Partner Program audit, as well as what APN resources are available to help you along the MSP journey.

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Technical Track: AWS MSPs

The AWS MSP Technical Track highlights the use of services that are particularly relevant to the AWS MSP Program Checklist. You’ll learn how to leverage AWS database, security, cloud management, and DevOps services and features so that you can showcase your ability to build operationally sustainable workloads and solutions for AWS customers.

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Other APN Navigate Tracks

We also have APN Navigate tracks for Blockchain, Contact Center, End User Computing, Machine Learning, Microsoft Workloads, and more, with even more tracks coming soon!

About APN Navigate

APN Navigate provides partners with the knowledge and tools to become specialists in a solution, industry, workload, or service area on AWS.

Each Navigate track includes foundational and specialized e-learnings, advanced tools and resources, clear calls to action for both business and technical tracks, and “Apply Your Knowledge” checkpoints to help APN Partners measure their progress.

After you have leveraged all of Navigate’s tools and built a strong practice on AWS, you can set your business apart through the AWS Competency, AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP), or AWS Service Delivery programs. Each of these designations help AWS customers identify and choose the top APN Partners.

How it Works

APN Navigate is available to partners as a self-service tool. The program consists of five phases, each containing at least one “Apply Your Knowledge” checkpoint that validates an APN Partner’s progression through Navigate and enables AWS best practices.

Specialized e-learning helps APN Partners achieve intermediate-level knowledge of the solution, workload, industry, or service area they are specializing in. Business and technical tracks include ongoing enablement through whitepapers, blog posts, webinars, advanced training, templates, and, in some cases, AWS Solution Architect-led boot camps.

AWS Navigate_phases-3

By the end of Phase 5, organizations will be ready to apply for the AWS Competency, AWS MSP, or AWS Service Delivery programs.

The five phases of APN Navigate:

  • Phase 1: Focuses on foundational e-learning, including specialized training. Alliance leads will nominate, at a minimum, two (2) business and technical individuals to complete the training.
  • Phase 2: Focuses on advanced training and resources recommended by AWS subject matter experts in a specialization area, as well as best practices for creating microsites and building customer references. This phase helps APN Partners reach advanced-level knowledge and showcase their specialization via solutions offerings.
  • Phase 3: Provides a deep dive on the AWS Well-Architected Framework and prepares APN Partners for the baseline review for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), assessment review for Systems Integrators (SIs), and AWS technical validation of their solutions. The Well-Architected Framework has been developed to help cloud architects build the most secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure possible.
  • Phase 4: Measures each APN Partner’s experience and knowledge in their specialty area based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework through a review by an AWS Solution Architect or AWS Practice Lead.
  • Phase 5: Helps APN Partners meet the final requirements to achieve APN Program status in our AWS Competency, AWS MSP, and AWS Service Delivery Programs. The deliverables in this phase include customer references, microsites, and Advanced Tier achievement.

Join the AWS Partner Network (APN)

The APN is the global partner program for AWS and is focused on helping APN Partners build successful AWS-based businesses and solutions. As an APN Partner, you will receive business, technical, sales, and marketing resources to help you grow your business and better support your customers.

See all the benefits of being an APN Partner >>

Why Team Up with an APN Partner?

APN Partners are focused on your success, helping customers take full advantage of the business benefits AWS has to offer. With their deep expertise on AWS, APN Partners are uniquely positioned to help your company at any stage of your Cloud Adoption Journey, and to help you achieve your business objectives.

Find an APN Partner that meets your needs >>