Powering Next-Level Partner Success: Innovations for Growth and Scale in 2026

By Priya Bains, Head of Partner Brand and Content Strategy – AWS

At AWS re:Invent 2025, we’re introducing new innovations that elevate how Partners work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver exceptional value for customers.

As we continue to expand opportunities at every stage of your AWS journey and maximize your value through the AWS Partner Network (APN), we’re excited to share the latest enhancements to Partner programs, AWS Marketplace, and Partner Services.

In this post, we cover key strategies for Partners to achieve a US$7.13 revenue multiplier: new enhancements to build, deploy, and scale AI solutions; advanced capabilities to support customers with migration and modernization efforts; business outcomes focus for Line of Business Buyers; new areas of growth like Greenfield, SMB, and Managed Services; and lastly, the new AWS Partner Central experience in the AWS Console.

Maximize your AWS partnership: Achieve a US$7.13 revenue multiplier

A new AWS Partner Ecosystem Multiplier (PEM) 2025 Study, by Omidia reveals that AWS Partners can now achieve up to US$7.13 in services revenue for every $1 of AWS technology sold ($6.4 in 2022), demonstrating the significant value creation potential within the APN. Partners achieving this level of multiplier provide a breadth of services across the entire customer lifecycle.

Six key strategies drive Partner success in maximizing the multiplier potential, according to the study. Building strategic C-suite relationships and diversifying service portfolios—particularly in AI and Managed Services—creates the foundation. Leveraging AWS Marketplace, engaging in co-sell motions, which drives 51% higher revenue, and pursuing multi-Partner collaborations enable Partners to deliver comprehensive solutions that drive customer success. Read the blog.

Drive innovation and growth with AI: Generate 240% ROI for your customers

Per the Omdia 2025 PEM study, 82% of Partners are delivering some form of AI as part of their AWS transformation delivery to end customers. Organizations implementing generative AI solutions on AWS with Partner support are achieving 240% ROI and $16.5 million in benefits over three years (2025 TEI Forrester study).

As enterprises race to harness the power of AI, AWS is empowering Partners to accelerate innovation through advanced AI capabilities and a comprehensive suite of solutions designed for adoption at scale. At the heart of this transformation is Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, launched in October, which has already demonstrated strong market fit with 80% of 600 agents in a recent AWS AI agent hackathon built using the platform.

We’re taking Partner success to the next level with three new Agentic AI categories in the AWS AI Specialization. Since launching the AWS AI Competency in March 2024, we’ve invested over $115 million to support Partners’ AI innovation journey. Building on its success—growing from 45 to 360 Partners—we’re now doubling down on the momentum by offering qualifying Partners in the new Agentic AI categories an additional $25K Marketing Development Funds (MDF) in 2026, complementing the existing $50K MDF. Beyond funding support, we’re also launching our first-ever validation agent in AWS Partner Central, which automatically processes documentation and provides real-time feedback, accelerating the path to achieving an AI specialization by reducing processing time up to 70%.

Additionally, the new Agentic AI module for public sector implementations helps Partners build and implement responsible AI agents for customers using AWS services such as Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, Strands Agents, Amazon Q, and Amazon Nova Act. Upon completion, Partners can publish offerings to the AI Agents & Tools solution page in AWS Marketplace, helping customers discover next-generation AI solutions that transform public sector operations.

For Global Startup Program Partners, we’re introducing game-changing benefits that will shape the next generation of AI innovation. These include free access to Amazon Kiro for production-ready code development, early access to Nova models, direct connection to the Gen AI Innovation Centre, and enhanced funding through pre-loaded MDF Wallets. The AWS Marketplace Private Offer Promotion Program (MPOPP) will help accelerate startups’ ability to win deals while shortening time to market.

The AI & Data Knowledge Center (formerly the Generative AI Center of Excellence) supported 230,000 Partner interactions in 2025, with engaged Partners generating 2X pipeline value and managing 5X more opportunities compared to non-engaged Partners. The new AI Playbook (Partner Central login required), launched in November, provides proven practices to help you build and scale AI solutions effectively.

Take action: Fast-track your AI leadership by achieving the AI Specialization with new agentic AI categories. List your AI solutions in AWS Marketplace and leverage the AI & Data Knowledge Center to maximize market impact. For customers, finding the right AI expertise is now seamless through our enhanced AI-powered AWS Marketplace discovery experience.

Modernize your migration practice: Help customers migrate 41% faster

Partners have shared with us that while traditional migrations are becoming automated and commoditized, customers are increasingly seeking to combine migration with generative AI and agentic transformation. With 42% of strategic workloads remaining on-premises, per TechAisle, it’s clear that traditional “lift and shift” approaches aren’t delivering the anticipated value. The message is clear—modernization and migration must go hand in hand.

Building on the success of the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) 2024 enhancements—which helped customers reach their first migration milestone 41% faster, and 37% faster migrations on average in 2025—we’re introducing new capabilities that transform your legacy systems into future-ready solutions with AWS.

• The Migration Acceleration Program will now encompass complete digital transformation—covering not only migrations, but also generative AI/agentic features built as part of modernizing existing applications, data, or workloads.
• To enable contact center modernization at scale, we’re offering up to $50k MDF for Amazon Connect implementations, launching January 2026.
• We’re expanding the AWS Resilience Software Competency for Software Partners to enable faster and more secure migration and modernizations with resilient solutions across strategy, automation, and tools.
• The AWS ISV Workload Migration Program (WMP) now offers direct credit disbursement to end customers for eligible SaaS deployments through AWS Marketplace, simplifying how customers realize migration benefits while giving Partners greater flexibility in structuring customer deals.
• The new Digital Sovereignty Module in the AWS Partner Transformation Program helps Partners implement sovereign cloud solutions for public sector and regulated industries. Partners can now deliver complete infrastructure control and data security while accelerating customers’ modernization journeys.
• We’ve transformed the AWS Marketplace Private Offer Promotion Program (MPOPP) with end-to-end automation and next-day credit delivery. Combined with enhanced funding for Agentic AI products, these improvements accelerate both the buying and selling experience—driving faster outcomes for customers and Partners alike.

Cintra, an AWS Partner, collaborated with other Partners on a solution for Zema Global. What began as a focused database-modernization conversation evolved into a full transformation program, including a successful Oracle Database@AWS pilot.

Take action: Partners focused on migration and modernization efforts should prioritize achieving the AWS Migration and Modernization Competency, unlocking enhanced MAP benefits while incorporating AI and agentic features into their solutions-enabling customers to accelerate their cloud journey.

Focus on business outcomes: Unlock 4X higher lead conversion

IDC research shows outcome-based pricing models have doubled to 36% (from 18%) while traditional fixed-price engagements plummeting from 49% to 29%. Seventy-five percent of LOB buyers consider partner relationships essential to their success.

Since its launch in 2024, the AWS Business Outcomes Xcelerator (BOX) Program has delivered impressive results: 350+ solutions developed, marketing campaigns achieving 4X industry-standard conversion rates, and 20% conversion on 50+ sales qualified leads. Given its success, we’re now enhancing the BOX Program with dedicated account planning, LOB sales training, and industry-specific MDF up to $50K. The business outcomes and multi-product strategy enables Partners to put forward solutions to address LOB needs.

Partners can now also create and sell multi-product solutions in AWS Marketplace tailored to specific industries and use cases. Solutions can include multiple products and professional services, including offerings from multiple vendors. Multi-product solutions in AWS Marketplace give customers access to end-to-end solutions, all with the simplified procurement benefits of AWS Marketplace. To complement solutions-centric selling in AWS Marketplace, we now offer variable payment models for professional services—allowing Partners to bill for time-and-materials, milestones, or outcomes-driven pricing that aligns costs with delivered value.

To help customers better navigate and evaluate solutions available from Partners in AWS Marketplace, we introduced agent mode, a new AI-powered conversational discovery experience. Now, customers can find solutions using natural language queries based on their use case, as well as use a chat interface to ask follow-up questions, request product insights, or upload documents to narrow results to those that meet their business and technical requirements. These AI-powered AWS Marketplace innovations simplify and accelerate how customers discover and purchase cloud solutions.

AWS Partners Upstage, an AI company specializing in large language models, and Pariveda collaborated through the AWS BOX program to build a solution for Verra, a climate action non-profit organization. This partnership demonstrates how strategic funding and AWS Partner collaboration can quickly translate cutting-edge AI technology into scalable solutions that support global missions.

Take action: Engage with the AWS BOX Program and participate in AWS Partner Matchmaking events to connect with AWS experts and other Partners. Strengthen your market position by achieving AWS Specializations and leveraging MDF, and participate in co-sell sprints and executive roundtables. Take full advantage of AWS Marketplace by creating and listing multi-product solutions with flexible pricing models and optimizing your presence for AI-powered discovery to enhance visibility and drive customer engagement.

Invest in new areas of growth and profitability: Greenfield, SMB and Managed Services

The cloud transformation opportunity is unprecedented. TechAisle research reveals that 42% of strategic workloads remain on-premises, while 87% of SMBs actively seek IT guidance with only 10% maintaining full-time IT staff. This represents an extraordinary greenfield and SMB opportunity, particularly when considering that AWS Partners can generate US$7.13 in revenue for every $1 of AWS services sold. To help Partners capture this potential:

• First, we’re launching the Partner Greenfield Program (PGP), designed to help Partners build their Greenfield business practice in key priority areas, including Migration and Modernization, Generative AI, and Security. Partners who actively engage in co-selling with AWS experience 51% greater revenue growth rates (per Canalys), and with the SMB market projected to reach $87B by 2027 and Partners expected to manage 65% of total public cloud spending by 2026, the opportunity is clear. Through PGP’s multi-year co-investment approach, Partners gain access to enablement resources, funding, and co-sell support to drive predictable revenue growth across this expanding market landscape.
• Second, we’re expanding the Small Business Acceleration Initiative globally so SMBs can find supporting Partners across all AWS regions. AWS Marketplace now supports express private offers, automating custom pricing for customers based on Partner-defined terms, and allowing Partners focus their sales teams on more complex deals.
• Third, to help Partners build and grow their managed services practice, we’re introducing three MSP benefits for 2026: MSP Incentive for Customer Management, recognizing MSP Partners who help customers adopt and use cloud solutions; MSP Incentive for Strategic Services to drive adoption of high-value cloud capabilities through specific strategic AWS services.; and a MSP Government Practice Benefit addressing unique public sector requirements.
• Fourth, MSPs, Channel Partners, Resellers, and Distributors can now utilize Billing Transfer, an AWS Billing and Cost Management feature to centrally manage billing and cost management across multiple end-customers. Additionally, AWS Partners with professional services can now utilize variable payments in AWS Marketplace, a new billing option that allows flexible billing as work is delivered to customers.

Recently, we also introduced new incentives and updated existing ones across the AWS Solution Provider Program (SPP) and Distribution Program to empower our Partners to expand their capabilities, improve business predictability, and unlock new growth opportunities while delivering innovative solutions to customers. Read the blog.

Evosus enhanced flexibility and control by working with EPI-USE, an AWS MSP Partner, to modernize on AWS.

Take action: Access co-investment benefits through the Partner Greenfield Program, tap into the $87B SMB market through our expanded Small Business Acceleration Initiative, and scale your managed services practice with new MSP incentives.

Scale efficiently with integrated tools: AWS Partner Central in the AWS Console

We’re transforming how Partners engage with AWS through operational enhancements designed to accelerate growth and simplify daily operations. AWS Partner Central is now available in the AWS Management Console, offering streamlined access and powerful new automation capabilities. Partners can now connect their business systems with Partner Central using APIs, automating the full suite of Partner activity including co-sell, funding, and solution/listing management. User access in the new experience is managed through AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), offering AWS Partners enhanced user management with flexible permissions and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.

Looking ahead to 2026, we’ll continue to enhance AWS Partner Central including Marketing Central with innovative suite of AI-powered agents. These innovations will empower Partners to execute their co-sell and marketing initiatives through intelligent campaign orchestration, streamlined operations, and data-driven insights. Partners will receive guided support to further enhance their go-to-market effectiveness.

Take action: Explore AWS Partner Central features and start migrating to the new experience to automate your co-selling processes and streamline operations using the new APIs.

Conclusion

As we navigate the evolving technology landscape, the opportunities for AWS Partners have never been more compelling or diverse. The convergence of AI innovation, modernization imperatives, and outcome-based solutions has created a moment of unprecedented potential. Whether you’re building AI solutions delivering 240% ROI, accelerating migrations, expanding your reach or tapping into the growing SMB market, AWS is committed to your success with expanded funding, streamlined programs and tools, and dedicated support at every step.

Now is the time to seize these opportunities to maximize your partnership with AWS and achieve the US$7.13 multiplier. Explore the AI Specialization, leverage enhanced Marketplace capabilities, and utilize our integrated Partner Central experience to drive your next phase of growth. Together, we’ll continue transforming businesses and delivering exceptional value to customers worldwide.

Get started

Existing Partner? Accelerate co-selling with AWS.

New to AWS? Become an AWS Partner to build, market, grow and scale your business.