How the AWS Marketplace Helps Businesses Accelerate Their Digital Transformation

IDC predicts that “by 2023, 75% of organizations will have comprehensive digital transformation implementation roadmaps.” This number makes sense, as, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shift to a remote operating model, many companies accelerated their digital transformation plans and will continue to do so over the coming years.

In this landscape, there’s no arguing the fact that digital transformation is now a necessity for businesses to stay afloat. But, we also can’t dispute the fact that these projects can be difficult, time consuming and expensive—especially in today’s world, where companies are battling complex IT infrastructures, limited resources and a pervasive skills gap. And herein lies the catch 22 for many companies: They need to execute digital transformation initiatives to stay in business, but they don’t have the knowledge or tools in-house to get started.

That’s why third-party consulting, professional and managed services partners are increasingly tapped to help businesses bridge gaps and reach their digital transformation goals. But, what you may not know is that certain cloud providers—like Amazon Web Services (AWS)—offer unique ways to engage with these partners through their very own “cloud marketplace.”

What exactly is a cloud marketplace? SearchITChannel defines it as an “online storefront operated by a cloud service provider” offering customers “access to software applications and services that are built on, integrate with or complement the cloud provider’s offerings.”

This marketplace model has become increasingly important for businesses in need of cloud-related services. A 2021 Forrester report found that 60% of customers appreciate “the convenience of marketplaces,” and predicted that 17% of the $13 trillion in business-to-business (B2B) spend would flow to marketplaces by 2023 — if not sooner. These numbers aren’t surprising, as cloud marketplaces provide a one-stop shop for businesses in need of expert products and services for virtually every step of their digital transformation journey.

In this post, we take a deeper dive into the value of cloud marketplaces, with a specific focus on the AWS Marketplace—and break down why it’s so valuable for today’s businesses.

Benefits of the AWS Marketplace

AWS describes its Marketplace offering as a “curated digital catalog that makes it easy for organizations to discover, procure, entitle, provision, and govern third-party software,” noting that customers “can also explore and buy professional services to configure, deploy and manage their third-party software.”

What this means is that AWS customers can purchase third-party software (e.g., pre-built solutions and Amazon Machine Images) and services (including advisory, consulting, professional and managed services) through the AWS Marketplace, rather than seeking out and conducting business with these third-party vendors directly or handling the tasks internally.

What are some of the key benefits of using the AWS Marketplace? There are several:

• The vendor vetting process is done for you. You don’t need to waste time vetting software vendors and services companies—AWS does the work for you. Each third-party partner selling products and services on the AWS Marketplace has the AWS stamp of approval. All you have to do is select the right offering for your business and get to work.

• AWS is a leader in marketplace offerings. in January of this year, Forrester named the AWS Marketplace a “Leader” in the “The Forrester New Wave™: Marketplaces For SaaS Sourcing, Q1 2022” report. In the report, Forrester notes: “AWS has broken new ground in areas that procurement cares about and offers a new way to streamline SaaS buying and thereby increase efficiency while lowering risk.” Knowing AWS provides not only a reputable, but distinguished, Marketplace, should help you remain confident that the software and services you buy through the platform will position your company for digital transformation success.

• Procurement is simplified. When you engage with a third-party vendor of any kind via the AWS Marketplace, you work with the new company, but all services and billing continue to go through AWS. This means you can avoid those long, drawn-out contractual talks and stop wasting time setting up complex onboarding processes. By purchasing services through the AWS Marketplace, procurement becomes fast and simple.

• There are opportunities for cost savings. AWS offers an Enterprise Discount Program (EDP), where companies commit to spending a pre-determined dollar amount on AWS, every year, and in turn, once that financial commitment is fulfilled, AWS offers discounted pricing on certain services. The AWS Marketplace comes into play here, because purchases made on the Marketplace count toward an organization’s annual spend commitment, helping EDP customers fulfill their financial agreement and get one step closer to unlocking those AWS discounts.

• Someone else will do all the hard work for you. When you leverage the AWS Marketplace, you have instant access to experts who can do the hard work for you. Navisite, for example, has been migrating and managing enterprise applications and databases to AWS since 2013. Today, we combine our best practices and expertise to offer a robust portfolio of services on the AWS Marketplace—from infrastructure management and migration, to cloud DevOps and professional services.

Navisite’s AWS Marketplace Presence

Navisite, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, has a significant presence on the AWS Marketplace. We offer infrastructure services, including for data analytics, operating systems, cloud migrations and security; professional services, including assessments, implementation services, managed services and ongoing support; and Cloud DevOps services to help companies modernize their applications on AWS.

Whether you’re tackling an on-premises-to-AWS migration, modernizing DevOps processes, moving from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, or anything in between, Navisite’s offerings on AWS Marketplace will help you accelerate and streamline your digital transformation projects, while saving you time and money and allowing you to reallocate strapped in-house IT staff to other projects.

When you’re ready to leverage the Marketplace, AWS and Navisite are a powerful combination that will help you digitally transform faster, easier and more cost-effectively. You can learn more about the full scope and breadth of services Navisite offers here.