We recently announced that we became part of the AWS Partner Network. For those who want to take the same path, we wanted to share our experience.

Microtica is a SaaS that automates the entire software delivery process, from setting up infrastructure on the cloud to delivering Kubernetes services and applications. Our product is completely based on AWS and our users need to have an AWS account to build infrastructure with it.

That’s why, since our MVP was completed and our product went live, we had a goal to become part of the AWS Partner Network.

The APN is Amazon’s global partner program that consists of tech and consulting companies that use AWS to build their products. This network has the goal to help you build, market, and sell your AWS-based product through constant business, technical, and marketing support. The fact that over 90% of Fortune 500 companies use APN Partner solutions means that we were always on the right track.

To become an AWS partner, you have to meet many requirements. We are now getting started with the select tier model.

Select Tier Requirements

• An annual fee. To be a part of the APN, you have to pay an annual fee of $2,500, which they return in $3,500 of AWS Credits.
• Your product should be available. If you have at least one product that’s available to customers, you’re good to go. Our product was already available for a few months when we applied to the program and we had several paying customers.
• Sign an NDA, which is a standard requirement.
• AWS Certification. To be a part of the AWS Partner Network, at least one team member has to possess an AWS technical certificate. Our CTO was the first one to obtain a certificate.
• Direct revenue. To become an AWS partner, your AWS annual billing should be at least $15,000. If not, you should have at least three launched opportunities with a minimal total MRR of $1,500. We had our annual billing larger than $15,000, so this requirement was easily checked.
• At least one public customer reference. We made a case study where we explained how our product helped the customer and why we particularly used AWS for that customer.
• Customer satisfaction responses. At the APN Partner Solution Finder, there’s an option called Rate this Partner. Here, we had to collect at least five customer responses explaining how they liked our product. Tip: A customer can be any person who uses the application, it doesn’t have to be a company.

We first opened a profile on the AWS partner website, and started filling these requirements. Then, we contacted them through their contact form. There were several meetings with the territory managers, partner developers, and product managers who reviewed our product. In the end, after reviewing our entire application, they contacted us to tell us the good news.

Why did we want to become an AWS partner?

As a startup, we saw many potential benefits of becoming a part of the APN.

• Business and technical guidance. AWS representatives are always available when we need some business or technical help. They offer many resources that could help us take our business to the next level, as the SaaS Factory program.
• New marketing channels. The network offers new marketing channels where we can promote our product, like the AWS Marketplace.
• More credibility. AWS offers many accreditations that can help us position as experts in the industry. Moreover, AWS representatives have tried and graded our product before we officially became an AWS partner. This means that AWS supports our product and believes it meets customer demands.
• Better products and services. The support from AWS enables us to improve our products and services. We believe this makes us a reliable vendor that offers its customers a complete solution. Thanks to the constant-evolving technologies AWS offers, we can always strive to improve customer experience.
• More connections. The network allows us to increase our visibility and get contact with a number of AWS experts who can help us improve.

Most importantly, our clients now have our and AWS’s full support in forms of AWS credits and knowledge to try new solutions based on Microtica.