AWS co-sell is among the most commercially valuable partnership programs available to cloud-native software vendors — a structured mechanism through which ISVs can access the enterprise customer relationships that AWS’s field sales organization has invested billions in building, in exchange for contributing to AWS’s own customer success outcomes by providing the software capabilities that complete the customer’s AWS-native solution architecture. For ISVs whose products run on AWS infrastructure, a well-executed AWS co-sell program can generate enterprise pipeline that direct outbound sales alone could not efficiently create at comparable cost.
AWS co-sell is the collaborative selling program through which AWS and ISVs enrolled in the AWS Partner Network jointly pursue opportunities within AWS’s enterprise customer base — using the ACE Pipeline Manager to share qualified leads and coordinate joint sales engagement between the ISV’s sales team and the AWS field sales organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AWS co-sell?
AWS co-sell is the collaborative selling program through which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and independent software vendors (ISVs) enrolled in the AWS Partner Network (APN) jointly pursue opportunities within AWS’s enterprise customer base — using AWS’s Opportunity Management system (ACE Pipeline Manager) to share qualified leads between AWS and the ISV, register co-sell opportunities, coordinate joint sales engagement between the ISV’s sales team and the AWS field sales organization, and track co-sell pipeline contribution and commercial outcomes.
How does AWS co-sell work mechanically?
AWS co-sell operates through AWS’s APN Customer Engagements (ACE) Pipeline Manager, the web-based platform within the AWS Partner Network through which ISV partners and AWS sales teams share and jointly manage co-sell opportunities. The co-sell process works in two primary directions. ISV-originated referrals (ISV to AWS): the ISV’s sales team identifies a qualified customer opportunity where their product runs on AWS and submits it into ACE Pipeline Manager requesting AWS field engagement; the relevant AWS account team reviews the submission and, if qualified, engages jointly with the ISV’s sales team. AWS-originated referrals (AWS to ISV): an AWS account team identifies a customer who needs a capability that an ISV partner’s product provides and shares the opportunity with the ISV through ACE Pipeline Manager, creating a warm introduction. In both directions, the co-sell opportunity is tracked within ACE Pipeline Manager with shared visibility into the opportunity status and joint sales activity for both parties.
What are the requirements to participate in AWS co-sell?
To participate in AWS co-sell, an ISV must first be enrolled in the AWS Partner Network (APN) as a software partner, with their product listed or in the process of being listed on AWS Marketplace. The specific co-sell tier and level of AWS field engagement available to an ISV depends on their APN partnership tier and their product’s AWS Marketplace status. ISVs with AWS Marketplace listings are eligible for co-sell ready status, which enables them to submit co-sell opportunities through ACE Pipeline Manager and receive AWS referrals. ISVs who achieve AWS ISV Accelerate designation — available to partners who meet defined revenue and pipeline thresholds and whose product is live on AWS Marketplace — receive dedicated AWS co-sell support including proactive field team engagement and access to AWS co-sell funding programs. The higher the partner’s APN tier and the more established their Marketplace presence and co-sell track record, the more proactive and dedicated the AWS co-sell support they receive.
What are the commercial benefits of AWS co-sell for ISVs?
AWS co-sell provides ISVs with several commercially significant benefits. Enterprise customer access — AWS’s enterprise field sales organization has relationships with the technology decision-makers at many of the world’s largest organizations; an ISV co-sell referral from an AWS account team introduces the ISV’s product into an enterprise account relationship that the ISV may not have been able to access through its own outbound sales efforts. Committed cloud spending alignment — customers who purchase through AWS Marketplace can apply their purchase against their existing AWS committed spend, removing a significant procurement friction point and accelerating deal cycle times. Deal acceleration — an AWS co-sell engagement where the AWS account team actively champions the ISV’s product can significantly compress the sales cycle. And field team trust building — consistent co-sell engagement builds working relationships between the ISV’s sales team and specific AWS field teams that generate ongoing referral flow over time.
How does ZINFI support AWS co-sell program management?
ZINFI’s UPM platform supports AWS co-sell program management through its centralized interconnect module, which provides bidirectional data synchronization between ZINFI’s partner pipeline management environment and the AWS ACE Pipeline Manager. ISV partners who manage their channel pipeline within ZINFI can synchronize their AWS co-sell opportunities between ZINFI and ACE Pipeline Manager — submitting co-sell opportunities to AWS and receiving AWS referrals without requiring the ISV’s sales team to maintain separate opportunity records in both systems simultaneously. ZINFI’s co-sell management module within the SELL pillar tracks co-sell opportunity status, AWS field engagement activity, and co-sell revenue attribution alongside the ISV’s other channel pipeline activity. And ZINFI’s business intelligence reporting layer produces the AWS co-sell program performance reports — co-sell submitted pipeline, acceptance rate, co-sell win rate, marketplace revenue contribution — that ISV channel leaders use to optimize their AWS co-sell program investment.