Frequently asked questions

AWS Partner Solutions are automated reference deployments for key workloads on the AWS Cloud. Each Partner Solution launches, configures, and runs the AWS compute, network, storage, and other services required to deploy a specific workload on AWS, using AWS best practices for security and availability.

Partner Solutions are accelerators that condense hundreds of manual procedures into just a few steps. They are customizable and designed for production.

Partner Solutions include:

• A reference architecture for the deployment
• AWS CloudFormation templates (JSON or YAML scripts) that automate and configure the deployment
• A deployment guide, which explains the architecture and implementation in detail, and provides instructions for customizing the deployment

Partner Solutions also include integrations that extend the cloud-based contact center functionality provided by Amazon Connect with key services and solutions from APN Partners—for customer relationship management (CRM), workforce optimization (WFO), analytics, unified communications (UC), and other use cases.

Refer to the Partner Solutions catalog for a complete list of Partner Solutions. Check back frequently for updates—we regularly publish new Partner Solutions.

Partner Solutions can help save you time by eliminating hundreds of manual installation and configuration steps in the deployment of key technologies on the cloud. They implement AWS best practices, so they're designed with your security and availability needs in mind.

Here are some of the ways you can use Partner Solutions:

• To deploy the technology on AWS with the least amount of effort and time.
• To develop your own solutions, using patterns and practices from the Partner Solutions as a baseline.
• To accelerate solutions for your customers. The Partner Solutions are modular and customizable. You can speed up your deployments by using the default automation or by stacking on top of existing Partner Solutions. You can choose to build from the ground up, or you can deploy the workload into an existing virtual private cloud (VPC).

AWS Marketplace offers Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) for deploying software into your AWS account. Here are some of the differences between the two programs:

* AWS Partner Solutions use Marketplace AMIs whenever they are available. For example, the Trend Micro Deep Security Partner Solution uses the Trend Micro Deep Security AMI.

AWS Partner Solutions are automated, customizable reference deployments of a popular technology. Built by AWS solutions architects and AWS Partners, Partner Solutions are deployed in the AWS Cloud using AWS best practices.

AWS Solutions Consulting Offers are vetted solutions to common business and technical problems deployed with help from AWS Competency Partners. Some AWS Solutions Consulting Offers include an AWS Partner Solution as an accelerator to deployment in the AWS Cloud.

You are responsible for all costs related to the AWS services you use while running Partner Solution reference deployments, and for any license fees. There is, however, no additional cost for using the Partner Solution.

For pricing information, refer to the pricing pages for specific AWS services that the Partner Solution uses. After you deploy the Partner Solution, set up AWS Cost and Usage Reports to track your costs.

Most AWS Partner Solution reference deployments enable you to spin up a fully functional architecture in less than an hour. A few can take longer, depending on the scope of the deployment. For information about deployment times for specific Partner Solutions, refer to the deployment guides in the Partner Solution catalog.

Note: Estimated deployment times do not include the setup and configuration of any technical prerequisites.

AWS Partner Solutions provide automated deployments for DevOps, compliance, and Amazon Connect integrations, including:

• GitHub Enterprise
• Docker Enterprise Edition
• PCI DSS
  
• NIST
• SpiceCSM
• CallMiner Eureka

The Partner Solution catalog also includes Partner Solutions for technologies from Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle, as well as for security, blockchain, machine learning, data lake, and big data and analytics technologies. The following are a few examples:

• Trend Micro Deep Security
• Corda Enterprise
  
• Predictive Data Science with Amazon SageMaker and a Data Lake on AWS
  
• Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub (EDH)

Licensing requirements vary by Partner Solution, but whenever possible, Partner Solutions provide licensing options that give you the most flexibility and cost savings. Most Partner Solutions use the Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model. This means that you can use your existing licenses for SAP HANA, Microsoft software, and so on. Using this model, you can move your existing workload to the AWS Cloud without paying additional software licensing fees. Some Partner Solutions use trial licenses that you can upgrade to full licenses when you're ready for production.

For licensing information about specific Partner Solutions, refer to the deployment guides. For more information about using your existing licenses for Microsoft technologies, refer to the Microsoft License Mobility program.

Each deployment is discussed in detail in the guide that's provided with the Partner Solution. The deployment guide describes the architecture, implementation details, best practices, customizations, and extensions.

The Partner Solution templates are maintained in separate GitHub repos in the Partner Solution organization. If you have any technical questions or suggestions, post your feedback in the Issues section of the applicable Partner Solution repository.

Yes. You can modify Partner Solution settings to meet your requirements. For more information, follow the instructions in the deployment guides.

Customize the Partner Solution templates directly by downloading them from their respective GitHub repository. Share your code to make your customizations available to others. For more information, refer to the Partner Solutions Contributor's Guide.

To build a Partner Solution, we'll work with you to get it published. Contact us with your proposal. For more information, refer to the following resources:

• Partner Solutions Contributor's Guide
• Partner Solutions Builder's Guide
• GitHub repositories
  

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact us or post your feedback and questions through GitHub.

No. Partner Solutions support only the latest version (HEAD of main branch). Partner Solutions are constantly tested and patched. Because of the continuous release cycle, bug reports are allowed only against the latest main branch. The Amazon S3 bucket syncs with the main branch, which helps to ensure that customers who launch a Partner Solution always have the most up-to-date version.

Partner Solutions are designed to be modular and portable. You can freeze the content to a specific version or commit level by staging the content of the GitHub repository in a customer-owned bucket and updating the QSS3BucketName and QSS3KeyPrefix parameters. Fork the relevant repository and pull updates from upstream:main at your own release cadence.

Note: If you plan to do stack updates, you must stage the Partner Solution to achieve cohesion within nested stacks.