AWS Marketplace Solution Types: AMI, Container, and More
Whether you’re new or familiar with selling on the AWS Marketplace, you’re probably aware of solution types such as AMI (Amazon Machine Image), Container, Machine Learning, Professional Services, Data, and Free. If you’re getting listed on AWS Marketplace, you fall into one of these categories.
But what do they mean, exactly?
Here is a breakdown of solution types on the AWS Marketplace as well as details on how each type of solution has its own set of rules on if and how a customer purchases via committed spend.
AMI (Amazon Machine Image)
Simply put, AMI is a pre-configured virtual machine image that can be launched on Amazon EC2. Each AMI includes its own operating system, application server, software, and unique settings. Popular AMIs include Ubuntu, Red Hat, and Windows, which is owned by AWS’s biggest cloud competitor, Microsoft. AMIs offer end-to-end solutions and make integration with AWS seamless. In addition to offering an operating system like Amazon Linux, Windows Server, or Red Hat, each AMI contains software packages for the web server (e.g., Apache), databases (e.g., MySQL) and developer tools (e.g., Docker).
Some companies offer more specialized AMIs for specific applications or services. This usually occurs with more niche setups for databases and web servers.
Billing: AWS Marketplace customers can use committed spend, if they purchase AMIs through subscription-based pricing. Some AMIs offer a mix of subscription-based and hourly pricing.
Containers on AWS Marketplace
A Container on AWS Marketplace is simply a lightweight approach to packaging and distributing software applications. Containers usually integrate with Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS, which are container management services. Popular examples on AWS Marketplace include Redis Laps and Datadog.
Billing: Most AWS Marketplace customers procure container solutions through subscriptions or recurring licenses. To purchase a container using committed spend, AWS Marketplace customers might choose the subscription option, which can look like a monthly fee or a per-use fee, depending on the solution.
Machine Learning Solutions
Machine Learning is a broad category including solutions with pre-built models, algorithms, or managed services that integrate with your existing AWS cloud infrastructure and tech stack. Popular solutions in this category include NLP and predictive analytics.
Machine Learning solutions on AWS integrate with Amazon SageMaker, which offers tools for building, training, and deploying ML models. As the AI boom continues, we expect to see even more solutions available on AWS Marketplace in this category focused on automation, agents, and generative AI.
Billing: Most Machine Learning solutions are subscription-based or usage-based. Your solution will need to have regular payments (e.g., at least partially subscription-based) in order to qualify for committed spend burn down. Committed spend can be used to procure both managed ML services and pre-trained models.
Professional Services on AWS Marketplace
Firms like Deloitte and Accenture offer consulting, implementation, migration, and managed services on AWS Marketplace. With these professional services, AWS customers can get support, deploy, manage, and optimize their cloud infrastructure. Some common examples of expertise include cloud architecture, cloud security, automation, and other steps in the digital transformation journey.
Billing: By nature of professional services, terms tend to be highly customized, depending on the customer’s situation. Since 2022, AWS Marketplace customers have been unable to use their spend commitments on professional services.
Data Solutions on AWS Marketplace
In our world of big data, AWS Marketplace is a key player, with solutions such as datasets, data lacks, and data pipelines. These data solutions can be used for analytics, AI/ML, BI, and so much more. You will see solutions for structure, semi-structured, and unstructured data. AWS Marketplace allows customers to buy well known data solutions, such as Snowflake and Fivetran, as well as solutions from newer and lesser known ISVs.
Billing: Data solutions on AWS Marketplace can be procured through committed spend as long as the customer chooses subscription-based pricing or a similar recurring access model with regular payments.
Free Solutions
And finally, AWS Marketplace has free listings available as well, which can include a wide range of solutions. Popular ones include free-tier AMIs (freemium with the hope you upgrade), open-source tools, free datasets, learning tools, and more. In general, free tools have limited features, since companies are hoping you will upgrade to paid versions.
Are you interested in getting listed on AWS Marketplace but not sure where to start? Or are you listed on AWS Marketplace but not seeing success? Reach out today to discuss how Invisory can help you accelerate cloud marketplace success on AWS, from listing to last success.
