AWS targets the fastest-growing segment, SMEs
Let’s talk straight: small and medium-sized enterprises are the fastest-growing market for cloud adoption right now. AWS is going after this group not because it’s trendy, but because it’s practical. We’re seeing year-over-year growth in SME cloud adoption of over 100%, according to Ruba Borno, Vice-President of Specialists and Partners at AWS.
In many cases, SMEs are adopting cloud infrastructure faster than the enterprise sector. Why? They’re more agile. Less legacy baggage. More room to move. AWS recognizes that and is building out infrastructure, technical, operational, and partner-based, to meet those rising demands.
This segment represents significant untapped value. While large enterprises have already committed substantial resources to cloud, SMEs are entering a massive transformation phase. That’s where smart investment is headed. Leaders thinking ahead should recognize that the SME segment is no longer “small.” It’s high-velocity and scaling fast.
If you’re operating in B2B, SaaS, or even industrial solutions, the implication is clear: align your cloud services, support models, and delivery operations to serve this group. They’re building digital-first foundations without needing to break down outdated systems first, faster deployment, faster feedback, faster iteration. That’s how market share shifts, and AWS knows it.
AWS doubles down on channel partners to scale SME access
You don’t build global platforms solo, you scale through partnerships. AWS gets that. That’s why the company is putting weight behind a partner-first strategy to reach SMEs. Programs like the Small Business Acceleration initiative are not experiments. They’re how AWS plans to grow, by enabling systems integrators and distributors who already understand the local business pulse.
AWS isn’t just using legacy playbooks. It’s building partner-led territories. It’s giving regional players full control to lead go-to-market efforts in ways that actually connect with customers. The feedback from partners so far? Strong. That tells us the model works for the people closest to the customers.
This is also about efficiency. Partners bring reach, cultural fluency, and speed that centralized models rarely match. When a distributor or systems integrator already knows the pain points of an SME in, say, Poland or South Africa, they can propose tailored solutions with no learning curve. That’s impact at scale.
For senior executives weighing their go-to-market approach, this should be a North Star. Build around trusted networks. Enable them. Get out of the way when necessary. AWS isn’t over-engineering this, it’s creating programs that scale what already works. That’s a good formula for execution.
Partner specialization is driving results, AWS’s SMB competency strategy
This is about precision. AWS isn’t just expanding its partner network, it’s refining it. The company launched an SMB Competency program to certify partners who are equipped to serve small and medium-sized businesses more effectively. The results are clear. According to Ruba Borno, Vice-President of Specialists and Partners at AWS, partners that achieved this competency grew 30 percentage points faster than others. That’s a measurable difference, built on capability, not market luck.
What’s important here is that AWS didn’t stop at issuing certifications. It compared performance across geography, company size, and customer base. The faster growth wasn’t a fluke. It showed what happens when competence aligns with demand. The partners who leaned into the SMB-specific expertise delivered faster market impact. That tells us the specialization works.
C-suite leaders should see this as a strong signal. In a competitive environment, broad access is no longer enough, you need partners with focused skills, tailored enablement, and verified outcomes. AWS isn’t rewarding volume; they’re rewarding precision, results, and readiness to execute on behalf of diverse, fast-growing SMBs.
If you want to grow in this space, you need to build the expertise or partner with teams that have it. That competency isn’t a marketing badge, it’s an operational advantage that converts faster growth across every region it touches.
Unlocking cloud’s full potential requires better partner enablement
AWS understands something too many overlook: cloud migration across industries is still far from complete. Ruba Borno says it clearly, 80% of workloads that can move to the cloud haven’t yet. That’s not a problem. That’s an opportunity, and AWS is investing to close that gap.
To do it, they’re significantly improving how partners onboard onto the AWS ecosystem. This is hands-on enablement. Faster onboarding, better tools, smarter training. All of it designed to remove friction and increase partner productivity, so they can support more customers with less lag time.
Enterprise workloads, government systems, healthcare platforms, they all take time to migrate. Often, the bottleneck isn’t the customer. It’s the partner pipeline. That’s what AWS is fixing, so that businesses ready to make the move aren’t stuck waiting for qualified support.
Executives should focus here. You can’t scale if your delivery infrastructure is fragmented. AWS is laying down programs that make its entire partner community more capable. The benefit? Broader reach, faster deployments, and more consistent delivery, especially across smaller, still-developing cloud markets.
The message is simple: there’s still massive headroom in cloud adoption, and AWS is moving to meet it with smarter partner expansion and enablement. If you’re not aligned with that direction, you’re falling behind.
EMEA, and especially the UK, is delivering strong channel growth for AWS
Momentum in the EMEA region is real, and it’s accelerating. AWS channel partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are reporting strong year-over-year performance, driven by increased investment and support from AWS itself. According to Ruba Borno, Vice-President of Specialists and Partners at AWS, this isn’t isolated. She made it clear: “EMEA has been one of our fastest-growing regions,” and the UK is a standout contributor within that upward trend.
Partner accreditation is expanding fast. More distributors and resellers are becoming certified and deploying across AWS Marketplace. That directly increases the total volume of AWS-backed services available in-market. What’s happening now in EMEA isn’t just indicative of a successful regional push, it’s a signal that AWS’s partner-first strategy is scaling in mature and early-stage digital markets alike.
For C-level decision-makers, the business logic is straightforward. The regional ecosystem approach AWS is building gives speed, localized service, and compliance coverage. This makes adoption easier and faster for customers navigating regulatory complexity or legacy infrastructure. It reduces the burden on AWS’s core teams while elevating the output from partners on the ground.
If you’re looking at regional expansion or cross-border enterprise accounts, EMEA is a model to watch. The system is working, and the partner activity proves it. The UK, in particular, is evolving into a high-capacity node in AWS’s global delivery framework, proof that strong public and private sector engagement, paired with a mature partner ecosystem, drives repeatable growth.
Leadership teams that want to align with AWS’s trajectory should be investing, either through certification, collaboration, or regional expansion. The opportunity isn’t theoretical. It’s operational and already in motion.
Key highlights
- SME cloud growth is accelerating: AWS is seeing over 100% year-over-year growth in SME cloud adoption, signaling a major shift in where the next wave of cloud demand is coming from. Leaders should direct strategic resources to align with this fast-growing segment.
- Partner-led strategy is driving scale: AWS is expanding SME reach via systems integrators and distributors through territory-led initiatives. Executives should invest in strong local partner networks to build scalable, high-touch models for SME engagement.
- Specialization beats scale alone: Partners with AWS’s SMB Competency grew 30 percentage points faster than others. Prioritizing specialized certifications can unlock faster growth and improve service precision in competitive SME markets.
- Cloud migration remains an open opportunity: AWS reports that 80% of eligible workloads still haven’t migrated to the cloud. Business leaders should accelerate digital transformation strategies and partner enablement to close the cloud adoption gap.
- EMEA and UK deliver strong channel ROI: AWS is seeing strong partner-led growth across EMEA, particularly in the UK. Regional leaders should model expansion efforts on AWS’s EMEA execution to capture similar momentum in adjacent global markets.
