AWS Competency Program

Highlight your AWS technical expertise and specialization to differentiate your business

What is the AWS Competency Program?

The AWS Competency Program is designed to identify, validate, and promote AWS Partners with demonstrated AWS technical expertise and proven customer success.

Attaining an AWS Competency helps you market and differentiate your business to AWS customers by showcasing your skills in specialized areas across industries, use cases, and workloads. AWS Partners are vetted, validated, and verified against a high bar to achieve the AWS Competency designation.

Discover program benefits, application process, available competencies, and success stories from AWS Competency Partners below.

AWS Competencies Help You Differentiate Your Business

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AWS Competency Partner Benefits

Increase visibility with customers and AWS

Gain visibility with customers and AWS field teams by being showcased across AWS webpages including AWS Partner Solutions Finder.

Also, receive an opportunity to create co-branded case studies with AWS, and be featured on the APN Blog and social media.

Gain go-to-market support

Become eligible to participate in co-branded marketing and digital campaigns such as The Next Smart.

Promote your offerings to AWS customers through AWS Solutions Library and get access to generated leads through the APN Customer Engagement (ACE) Program.

Access additional funds and discounts

Receive additional Market Development Funds (MDF) as an AWS Competency Partner.

Also qualify for increased discount through the AWS Solution Provider Program, which further enables you to re-sell your offerings to AWS customers.

Promote your business at events

Engage in promotional activities at AWS-hosted and 3rd party industry events through the AWS Sponsorship program.

Receive an AWS Competency Partner badge that can be used in joint marketing efforts to showcase your AWS expertise.

AWS Competency Partner Journey

If you haven’t already registered your company with the APN, join the APN by creating your AWS Partner Central account at no cost. As an AWS Partner, you may apply for one or more AWS Competencies by demonstrating your company’s technical expertise and customer success. Follow these steps to get started on your AWS Competency Partner Journey.

Step 1: Meet Requirements
Step 2: Identify the AWS Competency
Step 3: Apply for the AWS Competency
Step 4: Promote Your Business

Step 1: Meet Requirements
For businesses that provide software products that run on or are integrated with AWS:
- Join the AWS ISV Partner Path to adopt the best practices laid out in the AWS Well-Architected Framework, and conduct an AWS Foundational Technical Review (FTR) to meet the AWS foundational bar
- Upon meeting the AWS foundational bar and payment of the APN annual fee, choose and apply for an AWS Competency that aligns best with your technical expertise.
For businesses that provide professional, consulting, and managed services:
- You must be an AWS Advanced or Premier Consulting Partner to apply for an AWS Competency, explore AWS Consulting Partner Requirements »
- You can check your AWS Partner tier status in the Partner Scorecard on AWS Partner Central
Step 2: Identify the AWS Competency
Choose an AWS Competency that aligns best with your technical expertise and business needs.
- Select an AWS Competency for industry, use case, or workload
- Meet the requirements outlined in the Validation Checklist for your chosen AWS Competency
- Start with the APN Navigate for AWS Competency track available to help you meet AWS Competency requirements
Step 3: Apply for the AWS Competency
Once your firm has met the AWS Competency requirements outlined in the Validation Checklist, you may apply for your chosen AWS Competency.
- Complete and submit your self-assessment through your APN Partner Central account
- AWS will review your application for adherence to program requirements and contact you directly, as needed
- A technical reviewer will work with you to prepare, schedule, and complete the technical validation of your offering over the phone
- Once your technical validation is complete and open action items have been resolved, AWS will contact you with a final decision on your program application and partner with you on next steps
Step 4: Promote Your Business
Upon achieving your AWS Competency designation, you will receive a welcome kit detailing AWS Partner Badge instructions and a customized PR template. You may leverage various go-to-market activities to promote your business as an AWS Competency Partner.
- Leverage co-branded marketing campaign resources available on APN Marketing Central, such as The Next Smart marketing assets
- Eligible to validate and promote your solutions through the APN Solution Space Program
- Learn more about co-branding opportunities with AWS
- Get access to generated leads through the APN Customer Engagement (ACE) Program

Partner Testimonials

“Our AWS Networking Competency gives our customers confidence that they’re in the right hands and they’re working with a qualified partner that can get the job done.”

- Frank Cabri, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Aviatrix

“Having a seal of approval in the form of an AWS Security ISV Competency was very important to us. As a new startup, having validation that our solution is actually secure and that our workloads have been checked out was critical to our success."

- Maryam Lahiji, Senior Alliance and Partner Marketing Manager, Orca Security

“The AWS Competency Program is a really tough program to get into so it feels like you’ve really achieved something. Being accredited by having the AWS Retail Competency means our retail customers and prospects can feel confident in the knowledge that they can rely on our solutions built on AWS infrastructure.”

- Martin Sutton, Business Development Director, Peak

AWS Competencies

Identify the AWS Competency that aligns best with your technical expertise. Start your AWS Competency Partner Journey with APN Navigate resources, available for select AWS Competencies.