How AWS Premier Partner Cloudnexa Wrings 500x ROI From Its Case Studies
Cloudnexa needed to create customer case studies to maintain their top-tier AWS Partner status.
So they partnered with Case Study Buddy to get proof of their AWS competencies.
Cloudnexa Achieved
As an AWS Premier Tier Partner, Cloudnexa is committed to helping organizations establish a successful and unified cloud strategy that will drive innovation, accelerate business results, and deliver a competitive advantage.
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Challenge
Achieving AWS compliance requirements
Cloudnexa is an AWS Premier Consulting Partner. That means it’s an experienced and recognized leader in providing migration, professional, and managed services to customers looking to make a move to AWS.
To maintain its AWS Partner Network (APN) tier status and earn competencies, Cloudnexa is required to regularly demonstrate excellence via public case studies. This is a hard requirement for all AWS Partners, and the higher the tier the more proof required. Cloudnexa is a top-tier Partner.
CEO MJ DiBerardino explains, “Our goal is to produce six to eight case studies a year. To get a competency, you need two public case studies. We do multiple competencies. Also, APN’s guideline to top-tier Partners is to provide six public references.”
Creating case studies in-house
At first, Cloudnexa planned to produce case studies in-house. How hard could it be? But as the team started work on them, three obstacles slowed momentum to a crawl:
- Expertise. Cloudnexa’s team is comprised of skilled programmers—not content creators. So in-house case studies were serviceable, but they lacked strong hooks.
“We’re not writers. We’re not content creators. We’re a cloud engineering firm. So case studies created in-house became very programmatic and technical. It wasn’t until we brought in Case Study Buddy that it became more of a story.”
2. Time commitment. Case studies have a lot of stakeholders and moving parts. Managing each project took a lot of time for Cloudnexa. Each case study that went live took three months or more to complete.
“It was constant follow up, follow up, follow up, internally and externally. We didn’t have a structured interview process. And our engineers are busy, so it wasn’t a top priority.”
3. Customer buy-in. Before Case Study Buddy, asking a customer to participate in a case study was tantamount to a one-sided favor. It didn’t necessarily result in an asset that the client would be equally excited to share.
“The difference with Case Study Buddy is that our digital assets are now valuable to us and to our customers as well.”
Meeting deadlines
Cloudnexa’s deadline was looming. In a few months’ time, they were going to need to produce more than half a dozen case studies. Their APN status was at stake.
But as more client work came pouring in, case studies continued to take a backburner to serving clients.
MJ knew that creating case studies would be an ongoing challenge, and wanted to take the burden off of his team. So he partnered with Case Study Buddy to help capture and tell Cloudnexa’s success stories.
“We knew we didn’t want to bring it in-house. That would have been more overhead on us. Case Study Buddy started as a referral. Now we’ve been working them for three years.”
“If we did not [have case studies], we would not be able to progress our AWS partnership. We wouldn’t be able to join new programs or earn new competencies.”
MJ DiBerardino (CEO, Cloudnexa)
Solution
Compelling case studies created in a fraction of the time
Cloudnexa was impressed by our ability to adapt and overcome issues. MJ was especially impressed by our process, which took the onus off his team.
“The process is straightforward and, honestly, pretty simple. We give Case Study Buddy the name of the customer and the synopsis in a brief. They take it from there. When the draft is ready, we give a thumbs up. They took a three-month process and shortened it down to one month.”
Case Study Buddy’s involvement enables Cloudnexa’s engineers to focus on what they’re best at—helping customers move to AWS and reap the long-term benefits.
“Our engineers are just happy not to be bothered. This is one less thing on their plate,” MJ laughs.
Trust you can't put a price on
While MJ likes the easy process for his team, what he loves more than anything is the gentle handling of his customers.
Case Study Buddy has a light touch. We’re accommodating of busy schedules and respectful of time. And we always try to calm nerves and make sure interviewees are comfortable.
“Our customers are our livelihood. Being able to trust a vendor to interview them and ensure that it’s not going to make Cloudnexa look unprofessional, that’s a huge value. It’s a big trust factor that I’m not worried about with Case Study Buddy.”
But despite the white glove treatment, we don’t lose sight of our purpose. During the interview, every question is asked with intention. We drive to the heart of topics that Cloudnexa cares about—and the results that matter to its customers.
“It’s a challenge to find a vendor that you can trust with your customer, has a proven method, understands your goals and needs, and provides not only the content, but a fully-designed digital asset. That’s why we trust Case Study Buddy.”
Seven case studies. Six months.
After we’d proven our chops, it was time for a trial by fire. Cloudnexa was on a deadline. It was mid-April 2022, and they needed seven case studies, including a remote video testimonial, completed by mid-September.
Neither team wasted any time. Cloudnexa lined up the customers, and just as quickly, our team got to work. It was a big job, with tight turnarounds of four to six weeks each.
Some of the stories we captured for Cloudnexa, included…
How they helped M Booth move to AWS and save tens of thousands of dollars during the migration process
How they helped Coriell Life Sciences pass HITRUST certification and the revenue that came from that
How they helped Knightscope prepare for a 3PAO audit and achieve FedRAMP “In-Process” Certification
When the dust settled, Case Study Buddy delivered every single case study on time or ahead of schedule.
“Meeting deadlines—it’s the most important factor of all. We created a project plan from April to September and then we trusted that Case Study Buddy would deliver. They did. And it’s going to happen again this coming year,” MJ says.
MJ estimates that having Case Study Buddy write and produce case studies saved his team between 100–150 hours in 2022.
“The ‘set it and forget it’ type of offering is very valuable. Last year, we probably saved upwards of 100–150 hours.”
MJ DiBerardino (CEO, Cloudnexa)
Results
Putting the most powerful sales asset to work
Cloudnexa and Case Study Buddy have now been working together for over three years, and our stories live on their website, social media, and the AWS case study page.
The difference, according to MJ, is stark. Cloudnexa has the proof it needs for AWS Competencies, but just as importantly—it’s now able to quickly and effectively table proof of services and expertise during the sales process.
“I would also say we’re earning credibility faster now. Again, we had case studies, but they were programmatic—we weren’t getting the message across. Now, our stories dig into our experience and check that box faster in our sales cycle.”
Speaking of the sales team, they’re always eager for a new case study, especially if it showcases something new.
“The sales team just wants more and more, right? They know the value of it. We’re showing off our diverse services. And when we’re dealing with security and compliance on AWS, there’s no client that just takes your word for it. A high percentage, 90–100% of them, ask for materials that prove you have the capability to deliver.”
The ROI on a case study—like a lot of content—is notoriously difficult to track, but MJ says that if it helps you get a seat at the table, then it can pay for itself hundreds of times over.
“Does a case study directly help you close a deal? Probably not. But it gets you in the door. If you’re not sitting at the table, you miss the opportunity. From that perspective, if it helps you close one of these deals, the ROI on each case study can be as high as 400–500x.”
“Case Study Buddy has helped us share our customer success stories, experiences, challenges, and really spread the word on what Cloudnexa has been offering all these years.”
MJ DiBerardino (CEO, Cloudnexa)
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