Choosing an AWS Partner: Three Factors to Understand Now
The Amazon Web Services universe, like the Milky Way after the Big Bang, continues to expand at an exponential rate. Today, hundreds of thousands of enterprises have moved their mission-critical workloads into the AWS Cloud, and are enjoying big-time benefits that include greater speed and scalability; fewer security risks; and substantially less cost than if using an on-premise environment or co-location center.
With this expansion comes a galactic array of AWS Partner companies, whose sole purpose is to serve as a facilitator between businesses and AWS. AWS Consulting and Technology Partners are all required to go through a rigorous certification process to be able to boast their AWS Cloud readiness.
Though this vetting process ensures that all partners meet a minimum level of standards, there are key distinctions and differences between the AWS partners that could make the difference in the efficiency and efficacy with which your workloads are migrated, optimized and managed.
To make an informed decision about your AWS Partner choice, here are three areas of distinction that we recommend evaluating before signing on the dotted line:
AWS Focus: Is the partner you are evaluating solely devoted to the AWS Cloud universe? With hundreds of new AWS-exclusive tools being released, and constant improvements and tweaks being rolled out, it’s important to select a consultant that is committed to constant understanding and improvement of the AWS Cloud.
At Blue Sentry, we are 100 percent committed to AWS and to helping companies achieve full and transformational cloud maturity on the platform. We do not sell ANY other competing services, and were “born in the cloud.”
Competencies: Does your partner hold certifications and competencies in the functional areas that are most relevant to your mission-critical workloads? AWS offers more than two dozen different competencies to its partners, though it’s not common to find a partner that specializes in multiple competencies, due to the investment a partner has to make into resources, training, and expertise to earn such distinctions. At Blue Sentry, we have earned AWS DevOps and Migration competencies, and are just one of 20 AWS 3.0 Next Gen audited and certified Managed Services partners.
AWS Pro Engineers: Does the partner’s commitment to currency extend to its engineering team? The highest distinction — “All 5” — is reserved for those engineers who have earned all five of AWS’s current pro certifications, which include:
- AWS Certified Developer — Associate
- AWS Solutions Architect — Associate
- AWS SysOps Administrator — Associate
- AWS Solutions Architect — Professional
- AWS DevOps Engineer — Professional
Though there certainly are other factors to evaluate when selecting an AWS Cloud partner, these three are among the most critical — and finding a partner that is committed to excellence in these areas will help to ensure the best possible result.
Ready to start the AWS Cloud migration discussion? Click now to reach out today.