In this episode, we explore groundbreaking innovation in partner collaboration with Mickey Iqbal and Nidhi Gupta, who co-authored the first comprehensive ISV custom lens for the AWS Well-Architected Framework with Snowflake. This landmark achievement covers all seven Well-Architected pillars plus a new joint pillar for data governance and compliance, addressing the critical gap where cross-platform risks often fall through the cracks.

We dive into the challenges of bridging two distinct platforms - AWS infrastructure controls and Snowflake's data layer protections - into one coherent security and governance posture. Mickey and Nidhi share real-world examples of common misconfigurations, like wide-open Snowflake network policies sitting alongside restricted AWS security groups, and how their lens identifies these end-to-end vulnerabilities that neither team catches in isolation.

The conversation reveals how they revolutionized the development process using AI-assisted workflows, compressing what traditionally takes months into just ten weeks while improving quality. We explore the three distinct usage paths: the traditional AWS Well-Architected tool, interactive reviews through Kiro (AWS's AI-powered IDE), and native integration with Snowflake Cortex, meeting customers where they already work.

Particularly fascinating is their approach to cost optimization, showing how Snowflake's consumption model and AWS infrastructure pricing can create unexpected trade-offs, and how proper warehouse consolidation can simultaneously reduce both credit burn and data transfer costs. We also discuss the dedicated sustainability pillar - a first for joint ISV lenses - demonstrating how environmental impact and cost optimization align through smart architectural choices.

The lens has already proven its value in the field, with consulting partners adopting it as a shared framework and customers reporting it saved months of post-migration troubleshooting. This episode showcases a replicable model for deep partner collaboration that goes beyond co-marketing to codified best practices and integrated expertise.

Guests

- Mickey Iqbal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeyiqbal

- Nidhi Gupta - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-gupta-5b80874

Blog co-authors:

- Zahir Gadiwan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zgadiwan/

- James Sun - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-sun/

Resources

- Blog Post: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/architecture/introducing-the-snowflake-and-aws-custom-lens-for-the-aws-well-architected-framework/

Contact: aws-partner-unplugged-podcast-hosts@amazon.com

In this episode, we sit down with Carmen Puccio, Senior Manager of Worldwide Tech Partner Solutions Architecture at AWS, to explore how AWS works strategically with partners to create design wins and production-ready solutions. Carmen brings a unique perspective from his 15-year journey at Associated Press building large-scale systems to his 10 years at AWS working across migration, containers, and now partner solutions architecture.

We dive deep into what makes a successful design win - moving beyond sandbox experiments to validated, production-ready solutions that drive real customer value. Carmen explains how AWS's structured partnership approach delivers faster time to market, AWS validation credibility, and established revenue models at scale, contrasting this with partners working in isolation.

The conversation covers AWS's four strategic pillars for 2026: generative AI and agentic AI (including Agent Core's 2 million SDK downloads in five months), AWS Marketplace evolution with multi-product solutions and partner revenue measurement, technical differentiation through co-engineering, and regional expansion for data sovereignty requirements.

Carmen shares concrete examples from partners like Datadog's EKS add-ons, Workday and PGA Tour's Agent Core implementations, and the transformative impact of AWS Transform reducing modernization timelines by up to 4x. We also explore the new marketplace capabilities that allow partners to bundle multiple products and services, plus the game-changing partner revenue measurement tools launched in January 2026.

For partners listening, Carmen provides clear next steps: work closely with your PSA and PDM teams, leverage your partner plan as a go-to-market foundation, and maintain that crucial two-way conversation with AWS about emerging customer needs and market opportunities.

Contact:

E-mail: aws-partner-unplugged-podcast-hosts@amazon.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenapuccio/