AWS Marketplace adds third-party services to manage your SaaS

Amazon has announced that software vendors and support partners can now resell third-party professional services. That means customers can purchase the SaaS products they need along with the implementation, assessment, training and support required for the software. 

The AWS Marketplace is a storefront for software that works with Amazon’s cloud services, from developer tools to business applications. Up until now, the implementation and support of that software has been handled separately, outside of AWS. But with the launch of Channel Partner Private Offers (CPPO), third-party companies will bundle their services in the same place as the products, so customers only need to deal with one storefront and one bill for their cloud computing needs.

Here’s how it works. SaaS vendors on AWS Marketplace will authorise independent software vendors, consulting partners and channel partners to offer ongoing support and management. Those approved third parties can then tailor their pricing and contracts to customers.

That gives enterprise customers the scope to buy the SaaS option they need while at the same time choosing a company to support and manage the software. AWS highlights that customers can look for localised support and expertise, or work with trusted partners that already know their business.

AWS charges fees for vendors listing their services on the Marketplace, although those charges were lowered earlier this month.

Related: What is infrastructure as a service (IaaS)?

Easier SaaS contract renewals

At the same time, Amazon announced two new features that make it easier for business to renew SaaS contracts.

Previously, customers have to start a deal as soon as they book it, meaning that you’d need to wait for an agreement to come to an end before starting a new deal. A new renewals dashboard makes this easier to manage by showing all agreements in place and when they’re coming to an end, filtered by channel partners or what’s due in the next 30, 60 or 90 days.

Alongside that is the option for future-dated agreements, which means SaaS contract and CCP agreements can be rolled over ahead of time.

Expanding the AWS marketplace

Amazon’s software store currently lists over 10,000 products and serves over 310,000 customers. It’s reportedly worth over $1 billion in sales, making it the leading cloud infrastructure platform. Numbers from Synergy Research Group estimates AWS has 32% of the market, followed by Microsoft Azure on 23% and Google Cloud on 10%. This new third-party option makes AWS even more attractive to customers and could consolidate that lead.

Opening up the service could also help AWS get ahead of concerns that the “big three” have locked up cloud computing.

In 2023, UK regulator Ofcom initiated an investigation into Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the UK market, which will see the Competition and Markets Authority consider whether there’s a level playing field for cloud providers. Amazon already took aim at Microsoft, pointing out how its rival makes it harder to switch away from Azure. 

For more on how Amazon’s Channel Partner Private Offers work, Amazon published a blog walking through the setup. The post shows what channel partners and ISVs need to do within the AWS Marketplace Management Portal.