Introducing the AWS Competency Compass™

Simplify the Journey. Accelerate the Win. Stand Out in the AWS Ecosystem.

Becoming an AWS-validated partner isn’t just a badge — it’s your gateway to bigger deals, stronger customer trust, and marketplace leadership.
But the path to Service Delivery Programs (SDPs) and Competency Certifications can be complex…Until now.

The AWS Competency Compass™ is your free, simplified, and powerful quick-reference tool — designed to help AWS Partners like you navigate the process confidently, avoid common pitfalls, and fast-track success.

Everything you need — timelines, documents, checklists, insider tips — all in one place.

Why Use the AWS Competency Compass™?

All-In-One Resource

No more hunting across different AWS pages. Access step-by-step guidance for every SDP and Competency track.

Simplified Methodology

We break down AWS processes into clear, actionable steps — so you know exactly what to do and when.

Document Checklists

Never miss a document again. Use our checklists to stay organized, prepared, and audit-ready.

Timeline Clarity

Understand what happens when — so you plan submissions and validations with precision.

Critical Watchouts

Learn from the experience of hundreds of partners. Avoid mistakes that derail most applications.

100% Free

Created for the AWS Partner community to accelerate your growth without any cost.

AWS Competency Compass

Trusted by Industry Leaders and Innovators

Customers especially like our collaborative approach.

Raj Sundaram

It’s been a privilege to have Sam Baba and Cusp Services as strategic advisors and growth partners to HexaCorp. Their impact on our journey extends far beyond sales enablement—they’ve been instrumental in helping us shape our vision to grow 10X over the next five years.

Sam brings a unique blend of expertise across sales strategy, technology, delivery excellence, financial planning, and entrepreneurial leadership. With his guidance, we’ve been able to sharpen our market positioning, create new service lines, improve operational discipline, and drive consistent revenue growth.

What sets Sam apart is his ability to seamlessly connect business vision with execution. He challenges us to think big, while anchoring every decision in real-world metrics and sustainable outcomes. From mentoring our leadership team to aligning our financial metrics and delivery frameworks, Sam and the Cusp Services team have become an integral part of our growth journey.

I strongly recommend Sam Baba and Cusp Services to any organization seeking to scale with clarity, focus, and a partner who genuinely cares about driving long-term success.

Kaushik Srinivasan, CFA

Sam has been a great mentor and coach in helping eMudhra narrow its focus on a partner led growth strategy. This has started working wonderfully well for us. He worked extensively with our team to help them navigate the large partner ecosystem, figure out what’s important and what’s not and how to drive closures. A true partner to any high growth organization needing an external consultative sounding board!

Tushar Ratanghayra

It gives me pleasure to recommend Sam as an organisational leadership coach / mentor to the leadership members.

I have known him while working closely with him during the #100 Days engagement his organization @CUSP had with Manorama Infosolutions.

He brought in unwavering energy, experience and patience in connecting the dots and sharing clear and actionable suggestions for the growth path.

Wishing him all the best in his entrepreneur journey

Dr. Santosh Pawar

I had the opportunity to engage with MB Sam and his firm, CUSP, for Partner Transformation Program and Revenue Growth Coaching — and the experience has been both insightful and outcome-driven. Sam’s strategic clarity, coupled with CUSP’s structured frameworks, helped us rethink our approach to scaling and executing high-impact growth initiatives.

What stood out for me was his ability to quickly understand our business context and offer highly relevant, actionable insights. His sessions were not just theoretical — they translated into tangible outcomes and a renewed clarity on how to scale effectively. Sam challenged our assumptions, sharpened our GTM focus, and aligned the team towards a clear growth trajectory.

For any founder, CXO, or business leader looking to accelerate revenue in a focused, sustainable way — I highly recommend working with MB Sam and the CUSP team. Their insights are actionable, and their commitment to impact is evident from day one.

Nilesh Vaghela

CUSP’s tailored approach, deep industry insights, and unwavering support have empowered us to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and drive meaningful growth. Thanks to Partner Transformation Plan, we’re now better equipped to adapt to changing market dynamics, forge stronger partnerships, and achieve our long-term objectives. Highly recommended for any organization looking to transform and thrive in today’s competitive landscape!

Giridhar V

Joseph, Rajeev and Sam are eminently knowledgeable folks in Sales, Marketing and GTM. Their wealth of experience working with corporates helps position an ISV for success. I would recommend their services for any ISV that is looking for a foot hold in Enterprise software market.

Kai Karlstrom

The team at CUSP was fantastic. What stood out was their availability and willingness to work with us throughout the whole engagement, feeling a genuine collaboration and partnership from day one.

Jim Mathew

The guidance our team received from CUSP during the PTP and beyond has been superlative and looking back I can say with conviction that both Joseph & Rajeev helped our team navigate through uncharted waters, find wind in our sails and truly accelerate our AWS Cloud business. The programme has been a big deal for us as over the last six months, we have been able to win and deliver some marque first of a kind mega Cloud deals with AWS and also establish StarOne IT as one of the trusted AWS partners in the country.

Umesh Shah

They come with a lot of experience which helps understand the directional change required for a growing organization

Vikas Bhonsle

Joseph and the entire CUSP team, I complement all of you for the relentless pursuit with Crayon in trying to get alignment between us and the AWS team. I know this journey has not been easy for you but you have been kind enough to extend the program to ensure some tangible value for Crayon and AWS. Many thanks for the same. There have been some great learnings for us which I am sure will help us grow the business in the months to come. You have enabled us to start on a segment of the market hitherto untouched by us. And that’s a clear upside for Crayon.

Raj Kamal Singhal

The efforts put into enhancing our credentials within Hyperscale environments and elevating them to the next level have been commendable. Moreover, your contributions in establishing robust processes, aiding in business plan development, and more have significantly shaped our success. The commitment to excellence and professionalism displayed by the CUSP team has not gone unnoticed. Your positive impact on Hitachi System India’s Cloud BU is deeply appreciated.