Principal Experience · Cloud · Hyperscaler Partnerships · Co-sell
JIG-SAW: earning Google Cloud Premier Partner status.
How a Tokyo-listed cloud and IoT company turned three years of supporting Google Cloud customers into Sell & Service Premier Partner status, and how Rebar now helps companies reach the top tiers with AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud and co-sell through their marketplace teams.
This case study draws on work led by a Rebar principal in a previous advisory role.
The outcome
A Rebar principal helped JIG-SAW, a Tokyo-listed cloud and IoT company, earn Sell & Service Premier Partner status in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program, approved in October 2020. The status recognized a record JIG-SAW had built since 2017 by supporting Google Cloud customers and removing friction from how they bought, from paperwork to yen invoicing to cyber risk coverage. The same approach underpins how Rebar helps companies reach top-tier status and co-sell with hyperscalers today.
At a glance
Situation, complication, resolution
SSituation
JIG-SAW had been supporting Google Cloud customers in Japan since 2017, alongside its IoT and managed services business.
CComplication
Premier status is reserved for partners that can show a higher level of capability and past success. Being a capable reseller and service provider was not enough on its own; the record had to be visible and documented.
RResolution
The team built the case around customer outcomes and the services that made Google Cloud easier to buy in Japan, then worked the program requirements through to approval in October 2020.
01 · The challenge
Why is Premier Partner status hard to earn?
Hyperscaler partner tiers are designed to separate partners that occasionally resell cloud from partners that consistently win, implement and grow customers. The top tiers carry real benefits: more visibility with the hyperscaler's sellers, better standing in co-sell and stronger credibility with buyers.
Earning them means meeting the program's bar for capability and performance and proving it in the hyperscaler's own systems. For many companies the work is real, but the evidence is scattered, undocumented or not credited to them.
JIG-SAW needed to show Google Cloud that its customer base, services and results put it among its strongest partners.
02 · The approach
How did JIG-SAW reach Premier Partner status?
The team treated Premier as the outcome of a customer strategy, not an application. Make Google Cloud easier to buy and run for Japanese customers, grow that base, and make sure every success was recognized by Google.
Build the base
Provided implementation support to Google Cloud customers, building a growing book of companies running on the platform.
Remove friction
Offered free handling of application forms, free cloud-failure cyber risk coverage and yen-based invoicing, so buying Google Cloud felt local and low risk.
Make it visible
Aligned customer wins, services and capabilities with the program's Premier criteria so the record was credited and easy to review.
Earn and activate
Secured Sell & Service Premier approval in October 2020, announced it publicly and used it to grow Google Cloud business with more companies.
| Party | Role | What they needed | How the team addressed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud partner team | Approver | Proof of capability and past success | Documented customer base and services mapped to Premier criteria |
| Google Cloud sellers | Influencer | A partner that helps them land and grow customers | Services that removed buying friction for Japanese customers |
| Customers in Japan | End buyer | Simple, low-risk ways to buy and run cloud | Free paperwork handling, cyber risk coverage and yen invoicing |
| JIG-SAW leadership | Stakeholder | A clear return on partner investment | Premier status as a growth and credibility lever |
03 · The results
What did Premier Partner status mean for JIG-SAW?
Premier status gave JIG-SAW formal recognition from Google Cloud of its higher-level ability and past success. It strengthened the company's credibility with customers and its standing with Google's own teams as it worked with more companies to grow Google Cloud business.
Top-tier recognition
Sell & Service Premier Partner in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program.
Proof for buyers
A Google-validated signal of capability and past success.
Platform for expansion
Used to work with more companies on Google Cloud.
The lesson
Hyperscalers reward partners that make their customers easier to win. Remove the friction their buyers feel, make every win visible, and the tier follows.
04 · How Rebar helps today
How can a company reach top-tier partner status with AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud, and co-sell with their marketplace teams?
Top-tier status is not a badge you apply for. Each hyperscaler now ties its upper tiers and co-sell programs to measurable evidence: revenue that runs through its cloud or marketplace, opportunities registered with its sellers, certified people and validated solutions. Rebar helps software and services companies build that evidence on purpose, get transactable on the marketplaces, and turn the hyperscaler's field sellers into a real source of pipeline.
| Hyperscaler | Program and tiers | Co-sell gate | Marketplace role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud | Google Cloud Partner Network, with Select, Premier and Diamond tiers introduced in 2026. Tier progress recognizes customer outcomes; confirm the applicable criteria with Google Cloud. | Co-sell-influenced opportunities worked jointly with Google sellers count toward tier progress. | Google Cloud Marketplace listings and private offers let customers buy against their Google commitments. |
| AWS | AWS Partner Network. Services partners progress through Select, Advanced and Premier tiers; software partners through Validated and Differentiated stages. | ISV Accelerate requires a generally available Marketplace listing, Validated or Differentiated status, 15 qualified ACE opportunities and 5 launched opportunities in 12 months. | AWS Marketplace private offers count as launched opportunities, and account managers are incentivized to co-sell through them. |
| Microsoft | Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, with solutions partner designations for services companies. | Azure IP co-sell eligible requires co-sell-ready status, USD 100,000 in Azure consumed revenue or marketplace billed sales over 12 months, and Azure technical validation. | A transactable Microsoft Marketplace offer is required, and IP co-sell eligibility is a prerequisite for MACC eligibility. |
Current program guidance checked in October 2026; separate from JIG-SAW’s 2020 achievement. Programs change often, so Rebar confirms current criteria at the start of every engagement.
Map the gap
Pick the right hyperscaler and track, then score the business against current tier and co-sell criteria: revenue, opportunities, certifications and validations.
Get transactable
Launch or fix the marketplace listing, private offer motion and co-sell collateral so customers can buy against their cloud commitments.
Build the evidence
Register every qualifying opportunity, route deals through the marketplace, and track certifications and customer wins against tier thresholds.
Activate the field
Build relationships with partner managers and account teams by territory and industry, so hyperscaler sellers bring you into deals rather than the reverse.
05 · What carries over
What can companies learn about hyperscaler partnerships?
Treat the tier as an outcome.
Build the customer record first; the status reflects it.
Remove buyer friction.
Services that make the cloud easier to buy earn seller attention.
Make every win count.
Register and attribute deals so the hyperscaler credits you.
Get transactable.
Marketplace offers are now the path into co-sell on every major cloud.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What did JIG-SAW achieve with Google Cloud?
JIG-SAW was approved as a Sell & Service Premier Partner in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program in October 2020 and announced it on November 20, 2020. It had supported Google Cloud customers since 2017.
What are the Google Cloud partner tiers today?
Google Cloud introduced a three-tier Partner Network for 2026: Select, Premier and Diamond. Progress reflects customer outcomes and contributions across the customer lifecycle. Confirm the applicable requirements with Google Cloud.
How do you qualify for AWS ISV Accelerate co-sell?
AWS lists requirements including a generally available AWS Marketplace listing, Validated or Differentiated status, at least 15 qualified ACE opportunities and 5 launched opportunities in the past 12 months, ACE eligibility, an Amazon Payee Central account, and completion of the required co-selling learning module.
What is Azure IP co-sell eligible status?
It is Microsoft's higher co-sell status for software offers. It requires co-sell-ready status, at least USD 100,000 in Azure consumed revenue or Microsoft Marketplace billed sales over 12 months, Azure technical validation and a transactable marketplace offer. It is also a prerequisite for MACC eligibility.
How does Rebar help with hyperscaler partnerships?
Rebar maps a company's gap to the current tier and co-sell criteria, gets its marketplace listing and private offers working, builds the evidence the hyperscaler credits, and activates relationships with partner managers and account teams so hyperscaler sellers bring the company into deals.
What does Rebar do?
Rebar is a CRO-led go-to-market firm based in Austin, Texas. It helps companies move from founder-led sales to a repeatable revenue engine, including first anchor customers, partner channels and new market entry.