How NEXTGEN enhanced momentum in the AWS ecosystem
NEXTGEN was born 10 years ago with the cloud era in mind, building its business model around the unique demands of taking enterprise software and cloud solutions to market. Recognising the rapid pace of change in the SaaS and enterprise software space, NEXTGEN developed a channel services model that would support both technology vendors and reseller partners from the very start of the sales funnel through to solution delivery.
But in the competitive AWS ecosystem, staying ahead means more than having strong capabilities – it requires absolute alignment, support, and a blisteringly clear plan. That’s why NEXTGEN turned to the AWS Partner Transformation Program (PTP), delivered by align.me, to sharpen their go-to-market focus, strengthen alignment with AWS, and create a roadmap for accelerated growth.
SNAPSHOT:
The challenge
As an AWS partner, NEXTGEN already had strong capabilities and a clear commitment to helping their partners succeed in the cloud. But in a fast-moving market, even the best teams can hit roadblocks: key stakeholders not aligned, forgotten plans, and the nagging reality of “we don’t know what we don’t know about AWS.”
Without complete visibility into AWS’s go-to-market priorities, it was hard to know exactly where to focus. NEXTGEN knew they needed a way to create clarity, alignment, and momentum. That’s where the AWS Partner Transformation Program came in.
The PTP was the most professional process I’ve seen. The scope, style, input from the AWS executives, and also the way align.me facilitated it was exceptional.
The strategy
To create clarity, alignment and momentum, AWS engaged align.me to run a Partner Transformation Program (PTP).
The AWS PTP is a sponsored growth program specially designed by AWS and align.me to accelerate partner success resulting in the sale of cloud consumption.
“To date, more than 600 growth businesses from 48 countries have participated, achieving on average a doubling of pipeline after 12 months.” – Hugh Macfarlane, CEO – align.me
As a distributor, NEXTGEN’s focus was on both channel acquisition (recruiting new partners) and on go-to-market processes (recruiting new business) for those partners.
Across six sessions, align.me’s strategic Funnel Coach™ guided the NEXTGEN team through a highly collaborative process, built around finding and fixing any foundational gaps in selling and delivering at scale.
The workshops created space for deep discussion, pushing leaders from NEXTGEN and executives from AWS to answer fundamental questions:
As a distributor, NEXTGEN’s role was clear: align with AWS’s GTM strategy, bring their own firepower to reinforce it, and develop sharp differentiation strategies to take to market.
The result
For NEXTGEN:
For AWS:
NEXTGEN has since repeated the PTP exercise, this time with a focus on recruiting and growing their portfolio of independent service vendors. As a result, NEXTGEN has achieved a successful exit in a sale to Exclusive Networks – a large European distributor.
Looking ahead
For NEXTGEN, the PTP was not just a one-off planning exercise, it was the launchpad for an ongoing rhythm of collaboration and growth. The initial 100-day sprint proved the value of having every senior executive involved from the outset, building true buy-in and a single source of truth that the whole business could rally behind.
That alignment has carried forward well beyond the sprint. Today, teams across the software advisory, data insights, digital marketing, and other business units are moving in lockstep to take AWS opportunities to market. Internal platforms are being developed, initiatives are moving faster, and the collective agreement forged during PTP continues to guide decisions.
The advice to other leaders considering the program? Involve your senior executives early, foster participation, and recognise that the real magic happens when momentum doesn’t stop at the 100-day mark.
