AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog

APN Tier Changes: What’s New and What’s Different in 2019?

AWS Partner NetworkAt AWS re:Invent 2018, the AWS Partner Network (APN) announced updates to the overall APN program. This includes updated APN Tier requirements and benefits for APN Partners, such as prescriptive funding based on current tier and program attainment.

As of April 1, 2019, the new APN Tier requirements are in effect.

Want to know what’s changing? Read on to see what requirements are new this year, and what remains the same. You can also learn more about how APN Partners can prepare for these changes.

Below you will find a full breakdown of what’s new and what’s the same for each APN Tier. If you have any questions regarding these requirements, please reach out to your partner development representative.

A complete list of changes is available for download from APN Partner Central (login required).

Need to Know: What’s New in 2019?

We are introducing several new requirements that we have not had in the past, including AWS Certification changes, Launched Opportunities, and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) responses.

AWS Certification Changes

There are several major changes we are introducing related to APN Partners and AWS Certification:

  • AWS Foundational Certifications: Starting this year, APN Partners must have individuals complete AWS Foundational Certifications at each tier. These individuals must receive their AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification, which validates people who can effectively demonstrate an overall understanding of the AWS Cloud, independent of specific technical roles addressed by other AWS Certifications.
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  • Unique Individuals vs. Total Certification Count: We are requiring fewer AWS Certification numbers at each APN Tier. However, rather than counting the number of AWS Certifications per company we are now tracking unique individuals who have obtained AWS Certifications at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level. The highest-level certification will be counted for each individual. For example, in the case where someone is both an Associate and Professional-level AWS Certified Solutions Architect, only the Professional-level certificate will be counted.
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  • AWS Certifications for APN Technology Partners: This year, we are requiring that APN Technology Partners have AWS Technical Certified Individuals with AWS Certifications at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level. This new requirement will help to ensure products built on AWS follow AWS best practices and improve a partner’s time to market.

Launched Opportunities

In the past, we have required Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) at each APN Tier. Now, we are replacing that requirement with the number of Launched Opportunities.

APN Partners must maintain a total number of newly Launched Opportunities over a rolling 12-month period with a total combined MRR minimum. All Opportunities are to be tracked and managed through the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Responses

We are requiring APN Partners to have a specific number of customers submit responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within your APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing. This creates a direct line of communication between AWS and AWS customers, where customers can share more information about their successful experiences with APN Partners.

Technical Baseline Review for APN Technology Partners

In order for APN Partners to achieve Advanced tier status, they must complete a Technical Baseline Review. These reviews connect APN Technology Partners with AWS Partner Solutions Architects (PSAs) for a review of their applications, infrastructure, and operational processes.

Partner Business Plan

New this year, we will have all APN Advanced and Premier Tier Partners complete a Partner Business Plan to identify and track objectives relating to membership in the APN. Business plans will be validated by an AWS partner development contact.

CHANGES FOR APN CONSULTING PARTNERS

Select Tier (Formally Standard Tier)

What’s New:

  • AWS Foundational Certified Individuals: Two (2) unique individuals must obtain the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.
  • Launched Opportunities: In the past, we have asked for monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of $1,000. In place of this requirement, we are now asking for three (3) Launched Opportunities over a rolling 12-month period with a total combined estimated MRR minimum of $1,500. All opportunities are to be tracked and managed via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central.
  • Customer Satisfaction Responses: Five (5) customer responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within the APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing.

What’s the Same:

  • APN Program Fee of $2,500
  • AWS Accreditations: Two (2) AWS Technical Professional Accreditations; Two (2) AWS Business Professional Accreditations
    AWS Certifications: Two (2) Technical Certified Individuals at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level.
  • Publicly Referenceable Customers: Previously, we required two (2) customer references at the Select tier. We are now only requesting a single reference. Publicly referenceable customers refer to Launched Opportunities designated as publicly referenceable via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. Details relating to publicly referenceable opportunities may be displayed in AWS marketing materials, the Partner Solutions Finder (PSF), and AWS web pages.

Advanced Tier

What’s New:

  • AWS Foundational Certified Individuals: Four (4) unique individuals must obtain the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.
  • Launched Opportunities: In the past, we have asked for monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of $50,000. In place of this requirement, we are now asking for 20 Launched Opportunities over a rolling 12-month period with a total combined estimated MRR minimum of $10,000. All opportunities are to be tracked and managed via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central.
  • Customer Satisfaction Responses: 20 customer responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within the APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing.
  • Partner Business Plan: New this year, we will have all APN Advanced and Premier Tier Partners complete a Partner Business Plan to identify and track objectives relating to membership in the APN. Business plans will be validated by an AWS Partner Development contact.

What’s the Same:

  • APN Program Fee of $2,500
  • AWS Accreditations: Four (4) AWS Technical Professional Accreditations and four (4) AWS Business Professional Accreditations are required for the APN Advanced Tier, which is less than our previous requirement of eight (8) AWS Business Professional Accreditations and eight (8) AWS Technical Professional Accreditations.
  • AWS Certifications: Six (6) Technical Certified Individuals at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level. This year, three (3) of these six (6) must be Professional or Specialty Certifications. In the past, we required two (2) Professional Certifications and did not count specialty certifications.
  • Publicly Referenceable Customers: Previously, we required six (6) customer references at the APN Advanced tier. We are now only requiring two (2). Publicly referenceable customers refer to Launched Opportunities designated as publicly referenceable via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. Details relating to publicly referenceable opportunities may be displayed in AWS marketing materials, the Partner Solutions Finder (PSF), and AWS web pages.

Premier Tier

What’s New:

  • AWS Foundational Certified Individuals: 10 unique individuals must obtain the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.
  • Launched Opportunities: We are asking for 50 Launched Opportunities over a rolling 12-month period with a total combined estimated monthly recurring revenue (MRR) minimum of $50,000. All opportunities are to be tracked and managed via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central.
  • Customer Satisfaction Responses: 20 customer responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within the APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing.
  • Partner Business Plan: New this year, we will have all APN Advanced and Premier Tier Partners complete a Partner Business Plan to identify and track objectives relating to membership in the APN. Business plans will be validated by an partner development representative.
  • Executive Business Review: This is a review of multiple aspects of an APN Partner’s relationship with AWS, such as key business and technical milestones, in an effort to measure the organization’s ability to maintain their APN Premier tier status year-over-year.

What’s the Same:

  • APN Program Fee of $2,500
  • AWS Accreditations: 10 AWS Technical Professional Accreditations and 10 AWS Business Professional Accreditations are required for APN Premier tier, which is less than our previous requirement of 20 AWS Business Professional Accreditations and 20 AWS Technical Professional Accreditations.
  • AWS Certifications: 25 Technical Certified Individuals at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level. This year, 10 of these 25 must be Professional or Specialty Certifications. In the past, we required eight (8) Professional Certifications and did not count specialty certifications.
  • Publicly Referenceable Customers: Previously, we required 10 customer references from the past 12 months at the APN Premier Tier. We are now only requesting six (6). Publicly referenceable customers refer to Launched Opportunities designated as publicly referenceable via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. Details relating to publicly referenceable opportunities may be displayed in AWS marketing materials, the Partner Solutions Finder (PSF), and AWS web pages.
  • Technical Program Validations: In order to be an APN Premier Consulting Partner, organizations must earn three (3) APN program validations in the AWS Competency, AWS Well-Architected, and/or AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program. One (1) of the three (3) validations must be for the MSP Partner Program or AWs DevOps Competency. New this year, APN Partners can obtain a validation from various global APN Programs, including AWS Competency, AWS MSP, or AWS Well-Architected.
  • Sustained Attainment of APN Premier Tier Criteria: Similar to the past, we are requiring APN Partners meet and maintain all the Premier tier requirements for at least six (6) consecutive months before they are eligible to apply for an Executive Business Review.

CHANGES FOR APN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

Select Tier (Formerly Standard Tier)

What’s New:

  • AWS Certifications: One (1) Technical Certified Individuals at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level.
  • Launched Opportunities or Direct Revenue: APN Partners must maintain direct revenue of $15,000 or have 3 Launched Opportunities with a total monthly recurring revenue (MMR) of at least $1,500. All opportunities are to be tracked and managed via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. For direct revenue, APN Partners must maintain a cumulative revenue total derived from AWS accounts that are owned by your organization over a rolling 12-month period. This includes AWS accounts used for internal production, test, or development workloads.
  • Customer Satisfaction Responses: Five (5) customer responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within the APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing.
  • Publicly Referenceable Customers: Previously, we required two (2) customer references, but starting in 2019 we are now requiring just one (1). Publicly referenceable customers refer to Launched Opportunities designated as publicly referenceable via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. Details relating to publicly referenceable opportunities may be displayed in AWS marketing materials, the Partner Solutions Finder (PSF), and AWS web pages.

What’s the Same:

  • APN Program Fee of $2,500
  • Product Listing: Must have at least one (1) product listed as being under general availability (GA) on AWS. Each product listing will be validated by an AWS partner development representative.

Advanced Tier

What’s New:

  • AWS Certifications: Four (4) Technical Certified Individuals at the Associate, Professional, or Specialty level. Two (2) of the four (4) must be Professional or Specialty Certifications.
  • Launched Opportunities or Direct Revenue: APN Partners must maintain direct revenue of $350,000 or have 20 Launched Opportunities with a total monthly recurring revenue (MMR) of at least $10,000. All opportunities are to be tracked and managed via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. For direct revenue, APN Partners must maintain a cumulative revenue total derived from AWS accounts that are owned by your organization over a rolling 12-month period. This includes AWS accounts used for internal production, test, or development workloads.
  • Customer Satisfaction Responses: 20 customer responses via the “Rate this Partner” function within the APN Partner Solutions Finder (PSF) listing.
  • Publicly Referenceable Customers: Previously, we required six (6) customer references, but in 2019 we are now requiring two (2). Publicly referenceable customers refer to Launched Opportunities designated as publicly referenceable via the Opportunity Management Tool in APN Partner Central. Details relating to publicly referenceable opportunities may be displayed in AWS marketing materials, the Partner Solutions Finder (PSF), and AWS web pages.
  • Partner Business Plan: APN Partners must identify and track specific objectives relating to their membership in the APN via a documented business plan. Business plans will be validated by an AWS partner development representative.
  • Technical Baseline Review: Learn more about the Technical Baseline Review process.

What’s the Same:

  • APN Program Fee of $2,500
  • Product Listing: Must have at least one (1) product listed as being under general availability (GA) on AWS. Each product listing will be validated by an AWS partner development representative.

Additional Information

As of April 1, 2019 APN Partners that upgrade to the next tier will be held to the 2019 APN Tier requirements listed here.

APN Partners that have an anniversary date between April 1, 2019 and December 13, 2019 will have until December 13, 2019 to meet the new requirements. APN Partners with an anniversary date between December 14, 2019 and March 31, 2020 will be held to the new APN Tier requirements on their anniversary date.

Here are a few resources you may also be interested in:

Next Steps

If you want to learn more, check out our webinar recording on the 2019 APN Program Overview in APN Partner Central, or reach out to your partner development contact.