What is AWS Foundational Technical Review?
AWS Foundational Technical Review is a framework that helps you identify and rectify any risks or concerns that might be present in your SaaS solution. A self-service review valid for two years, it helps you understand and implement AWS architected best practices to ensure that your solution meets AWS requirements from a reliability, safety and quality standpoint. The review comes at no additional cost and is conducted by an AWS Solutions Architect. No matter what stage of your cloud journey you are at, you can conduct this review for a better marketplace experience. Once you undergo the AWS Foundational Technical Review, you receive the Reviewed by AWS Badge which not only helps you gain credibility with customers, but also opens up AWS rewards and benefits. Not just a good to have, the AWS Foundational Technical Review, is also a prerequisite for some AWS programs that you might want to leverage or be a part of. If you want to co-build, co-sell or co-market with AWS, having AWS Well-Architected best practices is a must.Process of Foundational Technical Review (FTR)
While the process and intricacies of AWS Foundational Technical Review is unique to different types of solutions, on a broad level, there are 3 steps that you need to undertake to get AWS’ stamp of review:Undertake self review
Start by reviewing your architecture and operational practices following the FTR guide which can help you automate the discovery of problems with AWS partner network and solutions.Prepare your documents
Once you have reviewed your solution and have remediated the risks, prepare your review documentation and assets which include a brief description of your solution, an architecture diagram, etc.Submit FTR request
Finally, submit your FTR request for approval in the AWS Partner Central. Here, the AWS Solutions Architect (SA) will review your documents and if everything is in place, you will receive the Review badge.Benefits of FTR
Contrary to the initial outlook, AWS Foundational Technical Review is not just another compliance checklist that needs another tick mark. Rather, it is a comprehensive framework that can help you achieve tangible benefits and business outcomes in terms of reduced costs and increased revenue, directly optimizing your bottom line. Let’s look at some of the top benefits that come along with AWS Foundational Technical Review.Mitigate risks
The first benefit is directly aligned with the foundational objective of AWS Foundational Technical Review, revolving around its potential to help mitigate risks. If you look closely, FTR can help you mitigate risks at several levels, leading to cost optimization, across:- Reliability: Ensuring that there is high tolerance and data recovery
- Security: Preventing unauthorized access and vulnerability
- Operational excellence: Promoting streamlined and glitch free functioning
Increase customer stickiness
Mitigation of risks with AWS Foundational Technical Review has a direct impact on customer experience and stickiness. When your solution has high levels of reliability and operational excellence, chances of downtime are reduced significantly, leading to positive customer experience. Similarly, a strong security posture gives customers greater confidence and reduces the apparent risk of revenue and business loss. Overall, The ability to future proof your SaaS solution with AWS Foundational Technical Review ensures a high level of customer satisfaction, leading to greater trust, credibility, advocacy and stickiness.Participate in AWS Partner Programs
As a leading cloud marketplace, AWS runs several programs for its partners to help them boost their sales and visibility. Successfully completing the AWS Foundational Technical Review will enable you to get access to such programs and reap unparalleled rewards and incentives. Some of the benefits and program opportunities include:- Funding and credits
- AWS Competency Program to showcase your technical capabilities and proven customer success, validating your expertise in your area of specialization
- AWS ISV Accelerate Program to enable you to co-sell with AWS and accelerate sales cycle with incentives, greater visibility, co-sell resources and reduced listing fee for AWS digital catalog
Get Reviewed by AWS Badge for greater visibility
As mentioned before, once your review is successful, you receive a Reviewed by AWS badge, which is essentially your medal of honor as an AWS seller. This means that whenever a customer is looking for a solution in the Partner Solution Finder, your solution will be up there, easy to find and contact. Invariably, this is a way to exponentially boost your visibility and get more leads. Customers are more likely to engage with a solution provider that is reviewed by AWS because it gives a sense of confidence in the quality, reliability and security of the same. It provides you the validation that customers might seek when there are multiple solutions to choose from.Engage with AWS Solution Architects
Finally, while AWS Foundational Technical Review is a self-service framework, it gives you the opportunity to connect and engage with AWS Solution Architects, who can be great resources to help you improve your solution architecture. They come with comprehensive experience and expertise and can help you optimize your architecture and workload for maximum business impact.AWS Foundational Technical Review Checklist
Now that you understand that AWS Foundational Technical Review comes with several benefits, here is a quick checklist to help you get started. This will help you ensure that you don’t miss out on the basics:- Sign up with AWS Partner Network (APN)
- Select and enroll for the Software Partner Path
- Review your architecture with FTR guide
- Remediate the risks and implement other best practices
- Submit your request for FTR
