Search for an AWS partner in Egypt and you will find plenty of companies that call themselves one. Some are AWS Partners at a validated tier, some have registered with the AWS Partner Network and nothing more, and some simply resell or use AWS. The phrase "AWS partner" on a website does not tell you which.
This guide explains what an AWS Partner is, what the three Services Path tiers actually require, what a tiered partner can do for you that others cannot, how to check a partner's tier in a couple of minutes, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.
What an AWS Partner is
The AWS Partner Network (APN) is AWS's programme for companies that build, sell or deliver services on AWS. Joining it is free: any company can create an AWS Partner Central account and become a registered partner. Registration on its own says nothing about skills or track record.
What does carry weight is the tier. Consulting and services companies move through the AWS Partner Services Path, and each tier above registration (Select, Advanced and Premier) has requirements AWS checks: trained and certified people, real customer projects launched on AWS, and an annual fee. AWS shows the tier on the partner's public listing, under its validated qualifications.
AWS partner tier levels: Registered, Select, Advanced and Premier
Every partner starts as Registered: a free AWS Partner Central account, with nothing validated. AWS's Services Path sets Select as the minimum validated tier, and Advanced and Premier above it. These are the requirements AWS publishes for each, the minimum a partner must meet and keep meeting:
| Select | Advanced | Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accredited people | 4 (2 technical, 2 business) | 8 (4 technical, 4 business) | 20 (10 technical, 10 business) |
| AWS certified people | 2 foundational, 2 technical | 4 foundational, 6 technical (3+ Professional or Specialty) | 10 foundational, 25 technical (10+ Professional or Specialty) |
| Customer launches on AWS | 3, with at least $1,500 monthly recurring revenue in total | 20, with at least $10,000 monthly recurring revenue in total | 50, with at least $50,000 monthly recurring revenue in total |
| Other requirements | $2,500 annual APN fee | $2,500 annual APN fee, partner business plan | $2,500 annual APN fee, business plan, executive review, 3 AWS Competency or MSP-type designations, sustained for 6+ months |
Two things stand out. First, every tier requires launched customer opportunities: projects AWS has confirmed went live, not just certificates. Second, the jump between tiers is mostly about scale. An Advanced or Premier partner has done more projects with a larger certified team; a Select partner has proven it can deliver, at a smaller scale. Our guide to AWS partner tier levels covers what each tier unlocks and how tiers relate to Competencies.
What a tiered partner can do for you
The tier matters to you as a customer mostly because of what it unlocks with AWS. From Select tier upwards, AWS lists these benefits for services partners:
- Funding requests for your project. Select partners and above can request Partner Opportunity Acceleration (POA) funding for proofs of concept and migrations, paid as AWS promotional credits or as reimbursement. A registered-only partner cannot. Our guide to AWS POC credits explains how that works.
- Co-selling with AWS. Tiered partners take part in the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) programme: the partner registers your project with AWS, so your AWS account team knows about it and can support it.
- A validated public listing. The partner appears in the AWS Partner Solutions Finder with its tier, its number of certifications and its customer launches, all shown by AWS.
- A team AWS has checked. The certification and accreditation counts are verified, so there are at least some trained people behind the logo.
- Marketing funds, from Advanced. AWS lists Marketing Development Funds (MDF) for Advanced and Premier partners only. They pay towards the partner's own marketing, not your project, so they matter less to you than POA funding.
AWS adds that partner benefits are reviewed yearly and "may not be available in all geographies and markets". A good partner checks the current terms for your country before promising any funding. To see how partner funding sits alongside MAP and Activate, compare the AWS funding programmes; for migrations specifically, read MAP for companies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
How to check a partner's tier yourself
- Open the AWS Partner Solutions Finder at partners.amazonaws.com and search for the company's name.
- Look at "AWS Validated Qualifications". The tier appears under Partner Programs, for example "Select Tier Services". If the company is not listed, or no tier is shown, it is not a tiered partner.
- Compare the highlights. The listing shows the number of AWS certifications and customer launches. These come from AWS; the description text above them is written by the partner and, as the page itself says, "not verified by AWS".
- Check the badge matches. A tier badge on a website should name the same tier as the listing. Badges for a higher tier than the listing shows are a warning sign.
- Look for AWS Competencies if your project is specialised. Competencies, such as Migration or Security, are validated separately from the tier and listed on the same page.
Questions to ask before you hire one
- Who will actually do the work? Ask for the AWS certifications of the people on your project, not the company's total.
- What will it cost, in writing, before we commit? A partner should be able to estimate the migration effort and your future AWS bill before any workload moves. Our breakdown of what a cloud migration costs in Egypt shows what that estimate should cover.
- Which AWS programmes could apply to us, and what would each need? Expect an honest answer that includes "probably none" when that is the truth. Nobody can promise credits; AWS decides.
- What moves first, and how do we roll back? Sensible migrations start with the lowest-risk workloads and keep a way back at every stage.
- Who owns the AWS accounts? The accounts, and the credits applied to them, should be yours, not the partner's.
- What happens after go-live? Ask whether they run the environment afterwards, hand it over, or both, and what that costs.
Does a higher tier mean a better partner?
Not necessarily for your project. A higher tier means more certified people and more launched projects in total. It does not mean the team you get is better, cheaper or more attentive. Large Premier partners often focus on large enterprise accounts, while a Select partner may give a mid-sized company in Egypt or Saudi Arabia more senior attention.
What the tier does tell you is a floor: a Select partner or above has passed AWS's checks, has launched real projects, and can request AWS funding on your behalf. Below that floor you are relying on the company's own word. Above it, choose on the people, the plan and the price.
Next steps
If you are planning an AWS migration and want to know which programmes could cover part of it, our free credit eligibility check takes a few minutes. We come back with what could realistically apply and what each programme would need from you. You can also read how the main AWS credit programmes work before you talk to anyone.