How to choose the right Marketplace offer type for your AI app or agent
Selecting the right Microsoft Marketplace offer type is one of the most important—and often most complex—decisions when bringing AI apps and agents to market. In this latest Marketplace blog article, you’ll learn how different offer types align to AI delivery models and why this choice directly impacts architecture, security boundaries, customer experience, and monetization strategy. The article breaks down key considerations across SaaS, Azure Managed Applications, containers, and virtual machines, helping software development companies understand how to balance control, scalability, and operational ownership. It also highlights how offer type decisions influence where AI workloads run, how data is managed, and how customers deploy and interact with your solution. If you’re building or publishing AI solutions in Microsoft Marketplace, this guidance will help you make informed decisions early—before development, security, and go-to-market plans are locked in. Read the full article: Marketplace Offer Types for AI Apps and agents: SaaS vs Managed App vs ContainersHow to design production-ready AI architectures for apps and agents on Microsoft Marketplace
As organizations accelerate the development of AI-powered applications and agents, moving from prototype to production requires a strong architectural foundation. This article explores what it takes to build AI solutions that are ready for enterprise deployment through Microsoft Marketplace—where reliability, security, scalability, and operational readiness are essential. Learn why “production-ready” architectures are critical to meeting customer expectations, how early design decisions impact long-term success, and what patterns software development companies should consider when aligning solution architecture with Marketplace offer types. The article also highlights key considerations around ownership, runtime environments, and operational responsibilities that shape how AI solutions are deployed and supported. Whether you are building your first AI app or scaling an existing solution, this guidance provides a practical foundation for designing trusted, enterprise-ready offerings that customers can confidently run in production. Read the full article: Production ready architectures for AI apps and agents on Marketplace | Microsoft Community HubWhy building secure AI apps and agents early matters for Microsoft Marketplace
Security is a foundational requirement for publishing and scaling AI apps and agents on Microsoft Marketplace. As AI systems become more autonomous, they introduce new trust boundaries across prompts, identity, integrations, and runtime behavior. This article explores why security must be designed in from the start—and how clear guardrails, identity controls, and enforcement help reduce risk, streamline Marketplace review, and build customer trust. Learn what it takes to create Marketplace‑ready AI solutions that are secure, scalable, and enterprise‑ready. Read the full article: Securing AI apps and agents on Microsoft Marketplace | Microsoft Community HubDesign AI guardrails to support and secure enterprise-ready apps and agents in Microsoft Marketplace
As AI-powered apps and agents become more autonomous, clearly defined guardrails are essential for helping protect sensitive data, control system behavior, and meet Marketplace certification and enterprise security expectations. This article explores how software companies can design enforceable guardrails that enable safe AI autonomy—supporting reliability, scalability, and customer trust from day one. Read the full article: Designing AI guardrails for apps and agents in MarketplaceJoin Marketplace at Microsoft Build!
The Marketplace team will be at Microsoft Build, June 2-3 in San Francisco, CA! We hope you'll join us in the Hub to meet with experts on how to build, publish, and monetize apps and agents with Microsoft Marketplace. "Favorite" the Marketplace lightning talk which covers the start-to-finish publishing process and highlights benefits and incentives available from Microsoft for software developers: Monetize apps and agents with Microsoft Marketplace Check out the full catalog to explore sessions across the topics: Cloud Platform & Data, Developer Tools & Frameworks, Apps & Agents, Model Training, Windows, and Responsible AI. Can't make it to San Francisco? You can always register for the digital experience. See you there!Why governance is essential for scaling AI apps and agents in Microsoft Marketplace
As AI apps and agents become more autonomous and integrated across enterprise environments, governance is no longer a secondary consideration—it is foundational to building solutions customers can confidently adopt and operate at scale. In this Microsoft Marketplace blog, learn how governance transforms powerful AI capabilities into controlled, accountable solutions by establishing responsibility for system actions, defining acceptable behavior boundaries, and enabling ongoing review and auditability. The article outlines how effective governance for AI apps and agents spans three core dimensions—policy, enforcement, and evidence—ensuring that AI behavior in production environments remains intentional, explainable, and aligned with customer expectations. For software development companies building and publishing AI-powered solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, readiness is increasingly defined not by raw technical capability, but by control, accountability, and trust in real-world deployment scenarios. If you’re designing, publishing, or scaling AI solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, this guidance can help you strengthen enterprise trust and ensure your apps and agents are built for long-term operational success. Read the full article: Governing AI apps and agents for Marketplace | Microsoft Community Hub
Why to include Azure in your multi-cloud strategy
For software companies building on AWS, adding Azure isn’t just a technical decision—it’s a growth strategy. In this Marketplace blog, learn how replicating your solution to Azure can unlock access to Microsoft’s global seller network, enterprise customers, and commercial marketplace incentives that can reduce procurement friction and accelerate deal velocity. The article breaks down the business case, the role of Marketplace and co-sell, and the financial incentives available to partners—plus practical guidance on when and how to get started. Read the full article to understand why expanding to Azure is increasingly a go-to-market decision, not just an infrastructure one. Replicating solutions to Azure: The business case, the incentives, and how to get there fast | Microsoft Community Hub Learn more and join the April 2nd webinar for live Q&A Why Azure belongs in your multicloud strategy - Microsoft Marketplace CommunitySecuring AI agents in the agentic era
As AI agents take on more autonomous roles across enterprise applications, security must evolve just as quickly. In this article, explore a practical security playbook for the agentic era—covering key risks, governance considerations, and foundational principles for deploying and scaling AI agents responsibly. You’ll also learn why these security considerations matter for solutions built, published, and transacted through Microsoft Marketplace, where trust, compliance, and enterprise readiness are essential. Read the full article to understand what secure AI agent adoption means for today’s enterprises—and Marketplace publishers. Securing AI agents: The enterprise security playbook for the agentic era | Microsoft Community HubDo you want to publish a transactable offer but are finding it difficult to do?
Many SaaS companies want to sell through Microsoft Marketplace. But surprisingly few actually launch transactable offers. Why? Over the last few years, Microsoft has heavily invested in its commercial marketplace. For ISVs and SaaS companies, the opportunity is clear: Access Microsoft's enterprise customers Co-sell with Microsoft sellers Shorten procurement cycles Unlock Azure consumption commitments But despite the upside, many companies still struggle to publish transactable offers. Not because they lack great products. Because marketplace readiness requires new operational muscle. From working with companies exploring the marketplace path, three challenges show up repeatedly. 1. Offer Architecture & Packaging Most companies start with a product but the marketplace requires a sellable offer structure. That means translating your product into: SaaS offers Managed apps Private plans Metered billing models Azure-backed services Questions teams often wrestle with: Should this be SaaS, VM, or a managed app? What pricing model works in marketplace billing? How should enterprise customers purchase it? Without clear packaging, the publishing process stalls quickly. 2. Technical & Operational Readiness Publishing an offer is not just a marketing step. It touches multiple teams: Engineering Product Finance Legal Marketplace operations Some of the most common blockers include: Marketplace APIs and SaaS fulfillment integration Metering implementation Identity and tenant provisioning Azure resource deployment templates Testing and certification For companies new to marketplace infrastructure, the learning curve can be steep. 3. Internal Alignment & Ownership One of the biggest challenges isn’t technical. It’s organizational. Marketplace initiatives often sit between multiple teams: Partnerships Product Revenue operations Cloud alliances Sales leadership Without a clear owner, progress slows. Successful marketplace companies usually have a dedicated marketplace strategy owner or partner GTM lead driving execution. Why This Matters Now Enterprise buyers increasingly prefer purchasing through marketplaces. Reasons include: Faster procurement Existing vendor relationships Budget alignment with cloud commitments Simpler contract management Which means companies that enable marketplace transactions often see: Faster deal cycles Larger enterprise deals More co-sell opportunities with Microsoft But getting there requires navigating the early friction. The Question for the Ecosystem If your company is exploring Microsoft Marketplace — or already trying to publish an offer: What has been your biggest challenge? 1️⃣ Offer packaging 2️⃣ Technical integration 3️⃣ Internal ownership / alignment 4️⃣ Something else? Drop your experience in the comments. The more companies share what’s blocking progress, the easier it becomes for the ecosystem to improve the process. Comment with your biggest blocker or lesson learned from publishing a marketplace offer.
