Closing the cloud skills gap for SMBs: How AWS Distributors are driving adoption and outcomes

Cloud computing has become an essential technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the globe. SMBs make up the backbone of the global economy, representing close to 70% of jobs and GDP worldwide according to the World Economic Forum [i].

As the shift to cloud accelerates, the global workforce has failed to keep up with six million cloud jobs unfilled globally [ii]. For SMBs, the cloud skills gap is even more pronounced. Only 10% of SMBs have dedicated IT staff, yet nearly 70% are using cloud-based business applications. SMB customers are looking to their trusted technology partners to help close this gap and unlock the full potential of the cloud.

The AWS Distribution Program serves as an extension of the AWS team through a partner community that helps SMBs with solutions to business and technical challenges ranging from platform and infrastructure, to business application solutions. Now, AWS Partners who work with AWS Distributors can help SMBs build cloud skills and innovate at scale by reselling AWS Skill Builder, our online learning center.

This blog showcases how AWS Distribution Partners and their downstream partners provide SMB customers with the essential solutions and cloud proficiency to achieve their transformation goals. Plus, discover steps you can take today to ensure success by adopting digital training from the experts at AWS.

Training delivers on the top business outcomes SMBs crave

Today, 68% of SMBs are actively investing in digital transformation to address their top objectives for increased growth, profitability, and innovation [iii]. Training is an effective strategy for SMBs that want to build competitive differentiation, drive revenue, and increase efficiency to combat rising costs.

Decision makers affirm the direct correlation between training and their desired goals for innovation and productivity, with 90% preferring training authored by developers of cloud solutions and services [iv].

To help, we offer AWS Skill Builder Team subscription, which includes more than 600 courses and as well as hands-on lab experiences, developed by the experts at AWS. AWS Skill Builder’s digital training experience provides the flexibility SMBs need to upskill and reskill their workforce in rapidly evolving technologies, such as generative AI.

In a smaller organization, the benefits of upskilling can also spread more quickly, resulting in outsized positive impact when giving employees multi-modal training choices to engage – their way.

“The upside for SMBs is that engaging their smaller, but more agile, workforce with training can have an immediate impact and uplift on practical skills,” says Claire Gribbin, Global Head of SMB at AWS. “By adopting AWS Skill Builder, SMBs can cost-effectively upskill staff with the convenience of digital training for all roles and levels.”

AWS Distributors specialize in SMB solutions

While the need for cloud skills is clear, enabling this level of training can be challenging for individual partners and SMB customers to coordinate. This is where AWS Distributors and partners provide immense value.

AWS Distributors have established relationships with 35,000 SMB organizations and their more than 10,000 trusted local partners. This makes AWS Distributors well-positioned to close the SMB skills gap by adding AWS Skill Builder resell to their value-added enablement tools.

“While the AWS Cloud makes innovation possible, it’s people who make it happen,” says Maureen Lonergan, VP, AWS Training and Certification. “The addition of the AWS Distributor Skill Builder resell equips our partners and customers with critical cloud skills to close their skills gaps, drive faster results, and strengthen their workforce, leading to business transformation.”

Any AWS Distributor not yet onboarded to resell AWS Skill Builder Team subscriptions can quickly apply to join and learn more about expanding their offerings to better serve SMB training needs.

Continuous learning opens doors to new revenue streams

With training as a catalyst, AWS Partners who work with distributors win significantly more business at a faster pace [v] and can drive cloud adoption while maximizing returns for both their practice and the customers they serve. Research from Canalys projects that 80% of global SMB technology investment is partner-delivered [vi], which underscores the enthusiasm for the new AWS Distributor resell capability.

AWS Distributors understand the power of learning from the experts, and are avid advocates of AWS Training. Now empowered to attach AWS Training to services and solutions means that their downstream partners can conveniently deliver the comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that drive better customers outcomes.

AWS Small and Medium Business Competency Partners can ask for AWS Skill Builder Team subscription from their preferred AWS Distributor – for their team and their customers.

AWS SMB Customers can now work with their trusted AWS Training Partner to easily bundle training and services in one simple procurement process. For questions about the AWS Training Partner Program for Distribution, please reach out to atp-distributor@amazon.com.

[i] World Economic Forum, Small Business, Big Problem, 2022
[ii] Draup, AI-powered Talent Intelligence Platform, 2023
[iii] Techaisle, SMB and Midmarket Analytics/AI adoption trends study, 2022
[iii] AWS re: Invent, A “better together” story: AWS Partners and AWS Distribution Partners, 2023
[iv] Enterprise Strategy Group, Understanding the Value of AWS Training to Organizations, 2023
[iv] Canalys, The SMB Market Represents 44% Of All Tech Spend and Is 80% Partner-Delivered, 2023