Working with the right AWS provider can make or break a company, but many companies discover that after a few years, what was once a great fit just doesn’t work anymore. Over time, your needs change, and the provider you’ve been with for years might not be able to provide what you need. Alternatively, maybe your AWS provider simply isn’t living up to your expectations, or perhaps your company is looking to redesign their cloud infrastructure.
When this happens, what are your options? The obvious answer is to begin searching for a partner which can better accommodate your company’s needs. Now that so many companies operate their services over the cloud, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Switching AWS partners can be notoriously difficult. The process is often hindered by partners being unresponsive to cancellation requests, and trying to free your company from the original provider may become an unnecessarily long and tedious process. Another unexpected issue companies face are the cancellation hidden fees.
The already convoluted switching procedure can become even more of a headache when your company’s solutions are spread out between several partners and among several regions.
It Can Be Done
Let’s look at a common example: a startup that’s experienced significant and/or rapid growth, with an AWS provider that can’t keep up. As a result, the provider is unable to cope with the startup’s growth and changing needs, which are now being neglected. To make things even more complicated, many startups have their solution deployed across multiple AWS regions and with several partners.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, they can’t afford any downtime, and need their service available 24/7 without investing vast resources in manpower and complex NOC management. Naturally, they’ll need to seek out a new partner.
We recently went through a similar process with a client, and put together a few tips to help others who are going through the same hurdles:
- Search for an AWS partner that can support your current and future needs – discuss forecasts and future growth, and ensure they are willing and flexible to adjust and adapt with you as you grow.
- Your monitoring system should always be at peak efficiency, and your teams must be available when you need them – if this isn’t the case, your partner needs to do better. Discuss these expectations openly and clearly.
- Make sure you have dashboards and reports to get timely insights into the cloud production status.
- Critical to ensuring 24/7 uptime – make sure you have a productive and competent NOC.
- Once you have a partner you’re interested in working with, validate them in the AWS partner finder.
- Aim for partners that are part of the AWS partner network (APN)to ensure their credibility.
It’s not easy to switch, but it can, and should, be done. Your top priority should be to keep operations running efficiently, and if that isn’t happening – bring it up with the partners who are responsible. If they can’t keep up, it’s worth taking the time and effort to switch. Failing to do so can lead to serious delays in development , unattended critical issues, delayed processes, failed or delayed milestones, and unnecessary costs. By clearly communicating your needs, and demanding they be met, you guarantee your company has the room it needs for growth and evolution. A transparent and candid relationship with your AWS partner will improve communication and help your AWS partner get the information they need to accommodate your needs to your satisfaction.
