By all means, many companies hire an AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) to help them manage and optimize their AWS workloads. As a result, businesses put a lot of trust in their cloud service providers. Technically, the AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Program validates AWS Partners with a proven track record and experience, providing end-to-end AWS solutions to customers.
These seamless AWS services are offered at any stage of the cloud journey, including planning and design, building and migration, operations and support, and automation and optimization. Be that as it may, to achieve the AWS MSP designation, you must complete an extensive independent audit—this will ensure that your business health and technical capabilities meet a high bar.
But what does that mean? And why should you consider hiring one if you don’t already have one in place? One way is to connect with AWS Managed Service Provider Partners. As such, you can drive innovation, meet business objectives, and get the most out of your AWS services by partnering with technically validated AWS Partners. You can find some specialized partners to get started.
In addition, you’ll also be able to explore AWS Partner profiles (including Hitachi, Reply, eCloudvalley, Megazone Cloud, 2nd Watch, Logicworks, AllCloud, Accenture, NorthBay, and Eviden), their service solutions, case studies, and location details. After all, you can join the AWS Partner Network (APN) at no cost—by creating your AWS Partner Central account. But learn more about MSP first.
Understanding What An AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) Offers
On the one hand, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startup businesses, the largest fortune-five brands, and leading government agencies—use AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster.
Generally, an AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) is a service provider that offers managed services for AWS. This means they provide support and maintenance for customers who want to use AWS but may need more resources or expertise to do so independently. They also guide you on how best to use AWS, such as recommending the services most suitable for your business.
Additionally, an MSP can help you with any issues you might encounter while using the platform, whether setting up an instance or troubleshooting an error message when trying to connect an application via an API gateway. Suppose you are considering whether or not to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to power your business. In that case, it’s essential to understand all the benefits.
As well as the essential reasons for working with an AWS Managed Service Provider. We recommend enrolling in the Services Path (AWS Partner Tiers) as a great MSP. For one, it’s specifically designed for organizations that leverage AWS to deliver consulting, professional, managed, and resale services. Build your MSP practice upon achieving AWS Advanced or Premier Services Tier.
The basic steps to get you started:
- Work with your AWS Partner Manager and Solutions Architect to review and prepare your self-scoring checklist assessment.
- Before submitting your application, ensure your organization’s partner scorecard is current in Partner Central.
- Once the program requirements are met, you will only see the AWS MSP Program application in your scorecard.
- Upon meeting the vital requirements, you can apply to the AWS MSP Program in Partner Central by navigating to the Program Apps.
- For step-by-step guidance on how to apply for the MSP Program, refer to the Program Guide available in Partner Central.
- You will be re-evaluated annually to ensure you continue to meet updated AWS MSP Program standards.
If you are already in, review the program requirements outlined in the AWS MSP Program Guide available in Partner Central. Still, you can connect with your AWS Partner Manager to discuss your MSP business model, define milestones and timelines, and establish a successful MSP practice. On that note, an MSP offers several benefits over managing your AWS account for your business.
Including:
- Time Savings: An MSP can help you get up and running with AWS quickly, which means less time spent getting acclimated to new technology and more time focused on growing your business. They also provide expertise in areas such as security and compliance.
- Cost Savings: An AWS Managed Service Provider will help you use only the resources necessary for your business. This means lowering costs by eliminating unused services or unnecessary subscriptions. This can save you a ton of money over time since MSPs typically charge per hour for their services instead of monthly fees, as most cloud providers do.
- AWS Recognition: Generate demand for your offering and increase your visibility with customers and AWS Sales. Primarily, this happens through the AWS Partner webpage listings and APN Blog New Partners posts. You’ll also get an AWS Partner badge highlighting your specializations.
- Financial Incentives: Unlock additional funding, credits, and discounts based on specialization.
- Expertise Engagement: Enhance your technical capabilities and build a co-sell strategy for your specializations with AWS experts. An MSP provides 24/7 support for all aspects of your cloud infrastructure so that no problems go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Simply put, an MSP allows you to utilize the capabilities of your AWS solutions fully. Upon achieving your Managed Service Provider designation, you will receive a welcome email outlining the benefits you can take advantage of, including your AWS Partner Badge. The email guideline with the AWS Partner benefits will help you maximize the recognition and early access features.
You also have an opportunity to engage with an AWS expert, get some financial incentives, and find ways to upskill on AWS that you gain through the program. Drive visibility and showcase expertise to your customers with benefits earned across specializations. In particular, this is based on your field, industry, and analyst recognition, AWS Analyst Relations priority selection.
The Best Practices To Find The Right AWS Managed Service Provider
The first step to finding the right AWS Managed Service Provider for your business is ensuring they have the right experience. You want someone who knows what they are doing and can help you get off the right foot with your new cloud services. Next, ensure this provider is a good fit for your business. Is their pricing reasonable? Do they offer 24/7 support? How long have they been around?
When researching potential partners before signing on with one of them, these are all questions to ask. Finally, check their references and reviews from previous clients so that you know what kind of work they do before hiring them yourself. The right AWS Managed Service Provider helps you to gain a market edge with strategic technical, product, sales, and marketing insights.
A GTM Acceleration Workshop is designed for MSP Partners to create and strengthen their go-to-market strategy and drive demand generation. In this case, you can work with AWS teams to highlight your specialization and run partner-led lead generation webinars. As well as increase your chances of receiving referrals through the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program.
Usually, Marketing Development Funds (MDF) are awarded per specialization achieved to help drive demand generation and go-to-market activities. Equally important, Specialized Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) Funding is for eligible applications, services, and workloads related to your specializations. Remember, not all AWS Managed Service Providers are the same.
Other Additional Points:
- Scalability And Flexibility: As your business grows, your AWS infrastructure needs may evolve. An MSP can help you scale up or down as needed, ensuring your cloud resources align with your changing requirements. They can also provide recommendations and implement best practices for optimizing your AWS setup.
- Security And Compliance: AWS MSPs often have dedicated teams specializing in security and compliance. They can help you design and implement robust security measures, conduct regular audits, and ensure that your AWS environment meets industry-specific compliance standards.
- Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity: An MSP can help you set up disaster recovery solutions and backup strategies to safeguard your data and applications in case of unforeseen events. This ensures business continuity and minimizes downtime in the event of a disaster.
- DevOps And Automation: MSPs can assist in streamlining your development and operations processes through DevOps practices and automation. They can help you leverage AWS tools and services like AWS CodePipeline and AWS CloudFormation to automate your deployment pipelines and infrastructure management.
- Proactive Monitoring and Management: An MSP continuously monitors your AWS environment to identify and address performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, or potential issues before they become critical problems. This proactive approach helps maintain the stability and reliability of your systems.
- Access To Advanced AWS Services: AWS is a vast and rapidly evolving platform with numerous advanced services and features. An MSP keeps current with the latest developments and can advise you on leveraging new AWS services to optimize your applications and workflows.
- Training And Knowledge Transfer: While managing your AWS infrastructure, an MSP can train your in-house IT team, helping them build the necessary skills to handle specific tasks independently. This knowledge transfer empowers your team to take over particular responsibilities, reducing dependence on external support.
- Focus On Core Competencies: By offloading AWS management to an MSP, your business can focus on its core competencies and strategic initiatives. This can improve productivity and innovation by allocating more resources to your primary business goals.
A reliable and experienced MSP can be a valuable partner in your cloud journey, helping you make the most of AWS and driving your business forward. Take the time to evaluate different options and find one that aligns with your business needs and goals. Additional technical capability discount offered upon becoming an AWS Distributor and AWS Solution Provider, based on your specialization.
In Conclusion;
With an AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP), you can focus on your business while they handle all the technical details. This means you don’t have to worry about setting up and maintaining servers long-term. Instead, you can focus on what matters: growing your company. But take the time to evaluate different options and find one that aligns with your business needs and goals.
Partners with AWS Specializations gain early access to new product roadmaps and unlock more ways to engage with AWS experts, earn financial incentives, and upskill on AWS. Get priority listing in AWS Partner Solutions Finder and AWS Sales tools. Go to market faster and at scale with partner-ready templates, marketing playbooks, toolkits, and more (AWS GameDay Partner League).
Through the partner league, builders can experiment and upskill with AWS services to solve real-world customer scenarios in a risk-free environment—at no additional cost. With the AWS GameDay Quest Development Kit (QDK) and Co-Sell Bundle, create repeatable, co-sell events with the QDK—a unique sales toolkit that helps you highlight your service or software offering with AWS.
Sessions are available OnDemand globally, and you can connect with AWS experts directly through live Q&A—the series runs throughout the year. It helps you gain access to product roadmaps, an outlook of new feature releases and demos before General Availability (GA), and invitations to account mapping or strategy sessions with customized co-selling courses per your specialization.
Some Topmost Frequently Asked Questions Answered
1. What exactly does an AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) do?
An AWS MSP offers managed services for AWS, which includes handling the setup, configuration, monitoring, and management of your AWS infrastructure. They provide support, guidance, and expertise to optimize your AWS environment for performance, security, and cost efficiency.
2. How is an AWS MSP different from AWS Support from Amazon?
AWS Support from Amazon is a service provided directly by AWS, offering technical support for AWS products and services. On the other hand, AWS MSPs are external service providers that provide more comprehensive managed services, including managing your entire AWS infrastructure, ongoing optimization, and proactive monitoring.
3. Can I use an AWS MSP if I’m starting with AWS?
Yes, definitely! An AWS MSP can be an excellent asset for businesses new to AWS. They can assist you in getting started with AWS, help you design and deploy your infrastructure, and provide ongoing support as your cloud environment grows.
4. How much does hiring an AWS Managed Service Provider cost?
The cost of hiring an AWS MSP can vary depending on the level of service and the scope of support you require. Some MSPs may charge a flat fee or a monthly retainer, while others may bill hourly based on the services provided. It’s essential to discuss pricing and service agreements with potential providers to find a suitable arrangement for your budget and needs.
5. Can I still have control over my AWS environment with an MSP managing it?
Absolutely! An AWS MSP works collaboratively with you, and you retain complete control over your account. They act as an extension of your team, providing expertise and support while following your organization’s policies and guidelines.
6. What certifications should I seek in an AWS Managed Service Provider?
When evaluating an AWS MSP, consider looking for certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, and AWS Certified DevOps Engineer. These certifications demonstrate the MSP’s expertise in designing, managing, and optimizing AWS environments.
7. How do AWS MSPs ensure security and compliance?
Security and compliance are top priorities for AWS MSPs. They implement best practices, follow AWS security guidelines, and conduct regular audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities. Many MSPs also offer compliance-focused services to help you meet industry-specific regulatory requirements.
8. Can an AWS MSP help with migration from another cloud provider to AWS?
Yes, many AWS MSPs have experience in cloud migration projects. They can help you plan and execute a smooth migration from another cloud provider or an on-premises environment to AWS, minimizing downtime and ensuring a seamless transition.
9. What level of customer support can I expect from an AWS Managed Service Provider?
AWS MSPs typically offer 24/7 customer support to address any issues that may arise promptly. It’s essential to discuss the support level and response times with your chosen MSP to ensure it aligns with your business needs.
10. Can I switch to a different AWS MSP if unsatisfied with the services?
Yes, you can switch to a different AWS MSP if you are not satisfied with the services provided by your current provider. However, planning the transition carefully is essential to avoid disruptions to your AWS environment.
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