If you're planning a cloud migration and haven't looked at AWS MAP funding, you're likely leaving significant money on the table.
What Is the AWS Migration Acceleration Program?
The AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) is a structured funding and support framework from Amazon Web Services designed to reduce the cost and risk of migrating workloads to AWS. It combines financial incentives — in the form of AWS credits — with technical expertise, tooling, and methodology to help businesses migrate faster and with greater confidence.
For SMBs and mid-market companies, MAP funding can offset 25% to 50% of total migration costs depending on the scope and structure of the engagement. For larger enterprise workloads, the offsets can be even more substantial.
The catch? Most businesses never claim it — either because they don't know it exists, or because they work with partners who don't know how to unlock it.
What Does AWS MAP Actually Fund?
MAP funding covers more than most people assume. Here's what the program actually offsets:
Partner services (labor costs)
MAP credits apply against professional services from an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner — architecture design, workload assessments, migration execution, re-platforming, and post-migration optimization. This is the biggest line item for most migrations, and MAP directly reduces it.
AWS infrastructure costs
During the migration window, AWS issues credits offsetting the cost of running workloads — compute (EC2), storage (S3, EBS), databases (RDS, Aurora), and networking consumed during migration.
Tooling and assessments
Access to AWS migration tools — Migration Hub for tracking, Application Discovery Service, Database Migration Service (DMS), and Server Migration Service (SMS). Partners use these as part of the engagement at no additional cost to you.
Training and enablement
MAP engagements often include AWS training credits and access to AWS Skill Builder, ensuring your internal team can operate the new environment confidently after migration.
Who Qualifies for AWS MAP Funding?
AWS MAP eligibility is assessed at the engagement level, not just the company level. Here's what AWS looks at.
Company criteria
- Workloads must be migrating to AWS — MAP does not fund hybrid or multi-cloud migrations where AWS isn't the destination.
- New to AWS, or expanding significantly — existing heavy AWS users typically don't qualify for the same credit levels.
- Annual contract value thresholds apply — funding is tiered. Smaller migrations qualify for lighter funding; larger, well-documented migrations unlock the maximum offsets.
Workload criteria
AWS assesses the size, complexity, and strategic value of the workloads being migrated. Priority is given to:
- On-premises server migrations (physical or virtual)
- Legacy database migrations to managed AWS services (RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB)
- Application modernization workloads (re-platforming to containers, serverless)
- SAP workloads migrating to AWS
- VMware environments transitioning to AWS
Partner criteria
To unlock MAP funding, the engagement must be delivered through an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner or higher. This is not optional — AWS does not release MAP credits for migrations delivered without a qualified partner.
Working with an AWS Advanced Tier Partner like Meyi Cloud — which holds both the AWS Advanced Tier Services designation and the AWS SMB Services Competency — ensures your engagement is structured correctly to qualify and maximize the available offset.
The Two Phases of a MAP Engagement
MAP is structured in two phases. Understanding both is critical to maximizing your funding.
Assess & Mobilize
Often fully funded — no out-of-pocket cost
- Migration Readiness Assessment (MRA) against the AWS Cloud Adoption Framework
- Inventory and analysis of your current environment
- Business case with projected costs, risks, and ROI
- Migration strategy via the 7 Rs (Rehost, Replatform, Refactor…)
- A phased migration plan aligned to business priorities
Migrate & Modernize
Where the bulk of MAP credits deploy
- Partner labor for migration execution
- AWS infrastructure consumed during the migration window
- Testing, validation, and cutover activities
- Post-migration optimization (typically 90 days)
Key point: Companies that skip Phase 1 or treat it as a formality often fail to unlock the full Phase 2 funding. A thorough, well-documented assessment directly correlates to larger credit approvals.
How to Structure Your Engagement to Maximize the Offset
Not all MAP engagements are equal. How you structure the engagement significantly affects the credits AWS approves. Here's how experienced MAP partners approach it.
Document everything in Phase 1
AWS approves credits based on documented evidence — server counts, database sizes, licensing costs, current spend, projected AWS spend, and business outcomes. The more detailed the Phase 1 documentation, the higher the credit approval. Rushed assessments result in lower funding.
Scope the migration aggressively
MAP credits are tied to the scope of workloads migrating. A 50-server migration qualifies for more than a 10-server one. Define the full scope upfront and phase delivery across it to maximize your eligible credit pool.
Use AWS-preferred migration patterns
Credits are more readily approved for migrations that follow AWS best practices and use native tooling (MGN, DMS, SMS). These signal to AWS that the engagement is structured correctly.
Engage the right partner
The single biggest lever. MAP credits flow through partners, not directly to customers. A partner with a strong MAP track record and the standing to submit proposals on your behalf carries more weight in the approval process.
Start before you need it
MAP approvals take time, and funding must be committed before migration work begins — retroactive credits are not issued. Start the conversation at least 6–8 weeks before you want work to begin.
A Real-World Example: How the Numbers Work
Consider a mid-market SaaS company migrating 80 on-premises servers, three SQL databases, and a file storage environment to AWS.
The actual offset varies based on workload size, AWS approval, and engagement structure. But for well-scoped engagements delivered through a qualified partner, offsets in the 40–60% range are achievable.
Common Mistakes That Cost Companies Their MAP Credits
- Waiting until migration has started. Credits can't be applied retroactively. If work has begun without MAP approval, you've lost the funding window entirely.
- Working with a non-qualifying partner. Only engagements through AWS Advanced or Premier Tier partners qualify. Choosing a cheaper, unqualified partner often costs more once MAP credits are excluded.
- Underestimating the assessment phase. The MRA and business case are the funding justification, not paperwork. Phase 1 is the highest-leverage activity in the engagement.
- Scoping too narrowly. Customers who scope only the servers they "definitely" want to move miss the chance to include the full environment and maximize the eligible credit pool.
Why Work With Meyi Cloud for Your MAP Engagement
As an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner with the AWS SMB Services Competency, Meyi Cloud is qualified to deliver MAP engagements and unlock AWS migration funding for SMB and enterprise customers. We've structured MAP engagements across Europe and North America — SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and logistics.
Phase 1 done right
Thorough MRAs, accurate business cases, and maximum credit documentation to unlock the largest possible Phase 2 funding.
Execution with AWS-native tooling
MGN, DMS, Control Tower, and Landing Zone Accelerator — migrations structured the way AWS rewards.
Post-migration optimization
Cost governance, security hardening, observability, and AI readiness built into the engagement.
Full-stack delivery
Cloud architecture, DevOps, security, and data modernization in one engagement — not handoffs between vendors.