Business challenges of ISVs

As an ISV, your key business challenges include reliability, cost optimization, security and compliance, and automation. You need to: 

• Ensure software can automatically recover from failure and scale to meet traffic demands.
• Find cost savings now. 
• Address security and compliance risks before they’re an issue. 
• Use automation and design future-proof systems to support growth.

How AWS helps ISVs address business challenges

The AWS Foundational Technical Review (FTR) (previously called the AWS Technical Baseline Review) enables ISVs to address these business challenges by identifying and remediating risks in their products or solutions. The FTR provides ISVs with specific guidance to adopt a subset of AWS best practices around security, reliability, and operational excellence to reduce workload risks. Successful completion of an FTR unlocks eligibility for programs, such as the AWS Competency Program, AWS Service Ready Program, AWS ISV Accelerate Program, and more.

To prepare for an FTR, the ISV needs to conduct an AWS Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR) to assess workload components hosted or running in their AWS account. The WAFR raises awareness of how an ISV’s product or solution aligns with the best practices around the pillars of the AWS Well-Architected Framework — including Security, Reliability, Operational Excellence, Performance Efficiency, Sustainability, and Cost — and provides recommendations on how to fix issues.

Once the WAFR is completed, the ISV is provided with a prioritized list of risks that need to be resolved to complete an FTR.