NEXTGEN launches microsite for SMBs to accelerate cloud and AI adoption

NEXTGEN has launched SMB Hub, a dedicated microsite designed to help the three million-plus small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Australia and New Zealand, as well as technology leaders, understand how cloud, artificial intelligence and customer experience solutions can solve everyday business challenges.

Rather than focusing solely on technology, the hub provides practical guidance on improving productivity, automating manual processes, enhancing customer engagement and accelerating business growth.

SMB Hub is built on Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Small Business Acceleration Initiative (SBAI), a program designed for SMBs to find supporting AWS Partners across all AWS regions, and supported by an ecosystem of specialist partners.

The program combines education, market development, business assessments, advisory services, funding pathways and partner-led implementation to help SMBs confidently adopt new technologies and achieve measurable business outcomes.

Research conducted during the program's development highlighted that while many organisations recognise the importance of innovation, they are often overwhelmed by the complexity, cost and perceived risk associated with adopting new technologies. The initiative aims to address these challenges by providing a path from education and discovery through to implementation and ongoing success, supported by specialist AWS partners.

The multi-channel program incorporates digital media, industry publications, educational resources, webinars, executive thought leadership, nurture marketing and direct sales engagement.

Through strategic media and industry partnerships, the initiative is expected to reach approximately 1.5 million business and technology decision-makers across the ANZ SMB market, NEXTGEN claimed.

Alongside market awareness and education activities, NEXTGEN is executing a targeted outbound demand generation program powered by oSpace, its specialist intent-data platform, to identify organisations actively exploring cloud and AI solutions and connecting them directly with participating AWS partners.

The program launches with specialist AWS partners Arcanum AI (generative AI advisory), iCXeed (customer experience automation) and Fitzroy IT (cloud modernisation for SMBs), giving SMBs access to expertise across AI, cloud modernisation and customer experience solutions.

The initiative is also designed to continuously onboard and develop emerging AWS partners.

"SMBs want practical outcomes, not technology complexity," said Emma Davidson, VP of Cloud at NEXTGEN.

"By leveraging AWS’s Small Business Acceleration Initiative, NEXTGEN is bringing together AWS, specialist partners and targeted market development to make cloud and AI adoption simpler, faster and more accessible for SMBs across ANZ," Davidson said.

"Our channel-led model is unique because it combines awareness, education, demand generation and partner expertise into a single growth engine that benefits both customers and the partner ecosystem."

NEXTGEN plans to expand the initiative to additional technology categories and regional markets in 2027, building on the SBAI framework as a repeatable growth engine for the ANZ channel ecosystem.