Amazon Web Services launched its partner network this morning. Without boring you with the details, let me just get to what really matters about this news.

It simply means that AWS is making it a little bit easier for people to build apps or use the ones in the new AWS App Marketplace. It means that AWS is moving further up the stack.

It’s not just about the infrastructure anymore. It’s about how to differentiate a core service to integrate PaaS and marketplace environments.

For partners, the game is about giving them reason to bring their enterprise customers to AWS.  They want technology partners that provide the underlying layer and the consulting partners to put it together.

At its core, this is AWS’ first app strategy.  This could eventually mean providing AWS partners with their own PaaS or dev environment to build and deploy custom apps that leverages the ecoysstem of technology vendors.

Onboarding ISVs gives AWS a channel to sell into small and large companies.  They can work with ISVs to gain enterprise adoption for the apps offered in the marketplace itself. The marketplace also serves as an incentive for ISVs to use AWS for hosting custom apps.