Private Offers in Microsoft Marketplace: Advantages and Problem-Solving Insights

A private offer in the Microsoft Marketplace allows publishers to offer private, customized solutions to specific customers. These offers are designed for enterprise needs and provide several advantages:

• Negotiated Pricing: Publishers can extend special discounts and pricing not available in public offers.
• Private Terms and Conditions: Ability to tailor terms to a specific customer.
• Specialized Configurations: Publishers can customize Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Applications, and SaaS according to each customer's needs. They also offer early access to new product features.

Types of Private Plans Available

Private plans are available for various offer types, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Applications, Managed Services, SaaS offers, Dynamics 365 apps on Dataverse and Power Apps, Dynamics 365 Business Central, and Power BI Visual. These plans are only visible and purchasable by targeted customers. Publishers can reuse base images and/or offer metadata to create multiple private variations of a public offer, allowing the creation of private offers without publishing multiple versions of the same base image and offer metadata.

Known Issues in the Form of Questions

1. How do I control costs and understand my spending in the marketplace?

   • Engage your Microsoft account team for a detailed analysis of your environment, Azure subscription hierarchy, and EA setup.

2. What if marketplace purchases succeed but deployment fails?

   • This could be due to security policies blocking deployment in a specific Azure Subscription or Resource Group. Engage your Microsoft account team for a detailed review.

3. What if a purchase and deployment succeed initially but fail later without apparent cause?

   • Automated security scans may delete non-authorized resources. Investigate these scans and their logs for root cause and corrective action.

4. What considerations are there when troubleshooting Azure Subscription Hierarchy?

   • The hierarchy can be up to six levels deep, with security and RG policies affecting marketplace deployment and private plan audience.

5. If all else fails, what should be done?

   • Open a ticket and create a HAR file, a browser-generated log that traces API calls using HTTP. This file is essential for Microsoft CSS to proceed with troubleshooting.

In conclusion, private offers in the Microsoft Marketplace provide a valuable opportunity for publishers to offer tailored solutions to specific customers, with benefits like negotiated pricing, private terms, and specialized configurations. Understanding the types of private plans available and being aware of common troubleshooting scenarios ensures a smoother experience for both publishers and customers. This knowledge is crucial for leveraging the full potential of Microsoft's commercial marketplace and for navigating its challenges effectively.