Microsoft Marketplace Rewards FY26: Partner incentives, Azure sponsorships, and growth strategies
As Microsoft continues to expand its commercial marketplace ecosystem, the Microsoft Marketplace Rewards program introduces powerful new FY26 incentives for software development companies and channel sellers. From Azure sponsorships to co-sell enablement and performance-based marketing benefits, this program is designed to accelerate partner growth and drive cloud solution adoption. In this article, we break down the key updates, eligibility criteria, and strategic actions partners can take to maximize their presence and profitability in the Microsoft commercial marketplace. Marketplace Rewards Overview The Marketplace Rewards program is available to all participants in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program who publish and sell software in the Microsoft Marketplace and now includes channel partners who are enrolled in multiparty private offers (MPO). Whether you are publishing your own solution or reselling third-party offers, the program is structured to recognize and support your contribution to Microsoft’s ecosystem. Rewards are based on Marketplace Billed Sales (MBS) over the trailing 12 months. As performance increases, partners gain access to benefits that enhance visibility, marketing reach, and seller engagement. To get started, software companies should ensure their offers are transactable and channel partners should enroll to sell multiparty private offers. Monitoring performance through the Revenue Dashboard in Partner Center is essential to track progress and unlock benefits. Performance-Based Benefits Marketplace Rewards are tiered based on billed sales, with each level unlocking specific benefits designed to amplify brand visibility and accelerate demand generation. For example, reaching $100K in billed sales qualifies a partner for press release support featuring a Microsoft quote and $10,000 in Azure Sponsorship which can be used to sell future marketplace offers. At $500K, partners can participate in a Marketplace Rewards testimonial. A $1M threshold unlocks the opportunity to publish a partner or customer success story. At $8M, partners gain access to Microsoft seller webinars and Azure sponsorships of $200,000. These benefits are designed to reward high-performing partners and provide strategic marketing and sales support aligned with Microsoft’s go-to-market initiatives. Azure Sponsorships Azure sponsorships offer free Azure usage to customers, helping partners and resellers accelerate deal closure and adoption. These sponsorships are available for EA and PAYG subscriptions only and are not applicable to CSP or MCA agreements. The duration of the sponsorship depends on deal size. Deals under $100K qualify for a 90-day sponsorship, while deals of $100K or more are eligible for 180 days. For deals under three years, the sponsorship amount must not exceed 3% of the Total Contract Value (TCV). To take advantage of this benefit, submit requests using the Azure Sponsorship Submission Form. Co-Sell Enablement Partners and channel sellers who meet co-sell criteria gain access to Microsoft’s global sales force. This includes opportunities to participate in internal webinars and receive direct seller engagement. To qualify, offers must be transactable and correctly tagged in Partner Center. Documentation should clearly articulate the value proposition and include compelling customer success stories. By aligning with Microsoft’s co-sell strategy, partners can significantly expand their reach and accelerate pipeline development. Getting Started To activate Marketplace Rewards and Azure sponsorships, software companies must publish a transactable offer in Microsoft marketplace and channel partners must first enroll in Multiparty Private Offers. Monitoring performance in Partner Center is critical to understanding eligibility and tracking progress. For onboarding support, channel partners are encouraged to contact channelready@microsoft.com. Microsoft’s FY26 Marketplace Rewards program presents a strategic opportunity for software development companies and channel sellers to grow their business, increase visibility, and deepen engagement with Microsoft. By aligning go-to-market strategies with marketplace performance goals, partners can unlock resources that accelerate success. To explore the full program details and hear directly from Microsoft experts, watch the Marketplace Rewards for FY26 – Office Hours Recording
Maximizing success in the Microsoft Marketplace: FY26 strategies for software development companies
Staying competitive in today’s software marketplace requires more than just innovative products, it demands strategic alignment with the platforms and programs that drive visibility, sales, and partner support. Microsoft’s Partner Office Hours, held on August 28, 2025, provided software development companies with a comprehensive overview of the latest updates to the Microsoft Marketplace ecosystem. The session highlighted new investment opportunities, streamlined partner benefits, and actionable guidance for maximizing success through certification, incentives, and collaborative programs. For companies building and selling applications on Microsoft’s platform, these insights are essential for navigating FY26 and beyond. Certified Software Designation: Unlocking the top level of investments from Microsoft Marketplace benefits Microsoft is streamlining access to the top level of investments and benefits partners receive through the Certified Software Designation program. This designation is now the primary pathway for software development companies to access Microsoft incentives, go-to-market support, and differentiation to Microsoft customers and Microsoft sellers. Partners can earn certification in solution areas such as Azure, Business Applications, Modern Work, and Security, as well as in industry AI categories like healthcare, manufacturing, and more. Solutions may be certified in multiple areas, increasing their visibility to customers and Microsoft sellers. Achieving Certified Software Designation enhances discoverability in the Azure Marketplace and unlocks additional benefits, including higher funding tiers, marketing assets, and seller engagement tools. The certification process requires partners to publish a transactable solution, demonstrate customer success, and meet technical requirements for interoperability with Microsoft Cloud. FY26 Partner Incentives: Expanded support for software development companies For fiscal year 2026, Microsoft has significantly increased its investments in partner incentives for the Microsoft Marketplace. The maximum payout for migration and modernization projects has risen from $50,000 to $175,000. New pre-sales incentives are available for architecture and migration planning, and system integrators (SIs) are now eligible for rewards when assisting with customer modernization. Starting January 2026, only certified software partners will be eligible for these incentives, making Certified Software Designation essential for accessing the full range of Microsoft Marketplace support. Marketplace Rewards: Accelerating sales and engagement Marketplace Rewards remain a cornerstone of Microsoft’s partner investment strategy. Any partner with a transactable solution in the Microsoft Marketplace can participate, and those who do typically see seven times more sales than non-participants. High value features include Customer Propensity Scoring, which uses machine learning to help partners prioritize leads most likely to close, and newly expanded Azure Sponsorships. Certified partners can now access up to $1 million in annual Azure sponsorships to help close deals and offset customer costs, with some tiers exclusive to certified partners. Co-Sell benefits: Enhancing collaboration with Microsoft sellers Certified partners can engage in Partner Reported Azure Consumed Revenue (PRACR), incentivizing Microsoft sellers to co-sell partner solutions. This mechanism helps software development companies become involved in more deals and supports sellers in meeting their quotas. From January 2026, only certified partners will be able to report PRACR, making certification essential for maximizing co-sell opportunities in the Microsoft Marketplace. Go-to-market assets: Customizable marketing support for partners Achieving certification unlocks a suite of marketing assets, including a custom video for campaigns, solution battle cards for seller enablement, solution briefs, play cards, badging, logo builder, and certified letters for RFPs. These assets are fully customizable, allowing software development companies to maintain their unique branding while leveraging Microsoft’s marketing resources. Microsoft’s FY26 updates to the Marketplace ecosystem present significant opportunities for software development companies to accelerate growth, improve visibility, and access expanded support. By pursuing Certified Software Designation, engaging with Marketplace Rewards, and leveraging new incentive programs and marketing assets, partners can position themselves for greater success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Staying informed and actively participating in community events like Partner Office Hours will ensure that software companies remain at the forefront of innovation and partnership within the Microsoft ecosystem. To learn more and access the full session recording visit: Certified Software Designations: FY26 Benefits Updates | Microsoft Community HubHow Silverfort leveraged Azure Marketplace to achieve rapid growth
In today's fast-paced business environment, the ability to close deals quickly and efficiently is crucial. Silverfort, a leader in identity protection, has demonstrated how leveraging the Azure Marketplace can significantly accelerate sales processes and drive substantial growth. In just two years, Silverfort went from $0 to over $10 million in Marketplace Billed Sales (MBS), showcasing the power of strategic marketplace utilization. About Jonathan Jonathan Nativ is Director of Strategic Alliances at Silverfort and is responsible for managing Silverfort’s partnerships with its Technical Alliances. For the past 16 years Jonathan has worked in various companies in technical and customer-facing roles. Prior to joining Silverfort in 2019, Jonathan worked at CyberArk where he built and managed the Training Services. At Silverfort Jonathan held various positions including Sales Engineer for EMEA & APAC as well as Sales Director for APAC. Who we are Silverfort is a cybersecurity company specializing in identity protection across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid networks. Their platform integrates seamlessly with existing Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions to provide comprehensive security without requiring changes to the systems. Key features of Silverfort include: Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Extends MFA to all systems and environments, enhancing security without disrupting operations Runtime Access Protection (RAP): Protects identities in real-time by integrating with IAM infrastructure Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR): Detects and responds to identity-based attacks in real-time Non-Human Identity (NHI) Security: Secures machine identities alongside human identities Authentication Firewall: Implements Zero Trust policies to prevent unauthorized access. Silverfort's technology is trusted by over 1,000 organizations, providing a high return on investment by simplifying and enhancing identity security. Achieving remarkable growth Silverfort's journey began with a clear vision: to harness the capabilities of the Azure Marketplace to streamline procurement and enhance sales efficiency. By integrating Silverfort’s offerings into the marketplace, they were able to reach a broader audience and simplify the purchasing process for their customers. This strategic move not only increased visibility but also facilitated faster deal closures, contributing to their impressive growth in MBS. Streamlining procurement One of the key advantages of the Azure Marketplace is its ability to simplify procurement. For Silverfort, this meant reducing the friction typically associated with traditional sales processes. Customers could easily find and purchase Silverfort's solutions directly through the marketplace, leveraging their existing procurement relationships with Microsoft. This streamlined approach allowed Silverfort to close deals faster and with less effort, ultimately boosting their sales figures. A case study: closing a seven-figure deal A prime example of Silverfort's success through the Azure Marketplace is their recent collaboration with Microsoft to close a seven-figure deal with a large oil and gas company in the UK. This deal highlights the significant impact of marketplace procurement on both the speed and size of transactions. The ability to procure through the Azure Marketplace played a pivotal role in this deal. By offering a seamless purchasing experience, Silverfort and Microsoft were able to expedite the procurement process, reducing the time required to finalize the agreement. Additionally, the marketplace's flexible pricing models and standard contracts provided the oil and gas company with the confidence and security needed to commit to a substantial investment. Driving larger deals The streamlined procurement process not only speeds up deal closures but also enables larger transactions. For Silverfort, the Azure Marketplace's ability to facilitate customized terms and negotiated pricing was instrumental in securing the seven-figure deal. This flexibility allowed Silverfort to tailor their offering to meet the specific needs of the oil and gas company, resulting in a more substantial and mutually beneficial agreement. Conclusion Silverfort's success story is a testament to the transformative power of the Azure Marketplace. By leveraging the marketplace's capabilities, Silverfort was able to achieve rapid growth, streamline procurement, and close significant deals with ease. Their journey from $0 to over $10 million in MBS within two years underscores the potential for businesses to enhance their sales processes and drive substantial growth through strategic marketplace utilization. As Silverfort continues to innovate and expand, their partnership with Microsoft and the Azure Marketplace remains a cornerstone of their success. For businesses looking to accelerate their sales and simplify procurement, Silverfort's experience offers valuable insights and inspiration. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to ask experts your toughest co-sell questions live on May 14 th at 9:00 AM PDT during the Co-Sell Coaching session – Register NowExciting updates to the ISV Success Visual Studio benefit!
We have some fantastic news to share with you. 🎉 The ISV Success Visual Studio benefit is getting an upgrade! Starting in March, you will still have access to Visual Studio Enterprise and Azure DevOps and we're rolling out a host of new training and community benefits that will supercharge your development experience. These exciting new benefits will be available in Partner Center, making it easier than ever to access everything you need to excel in your development journey. Here's a sneak peek at what's coming your way: New Training Benefits - Sharpen your skills with a variety of training courses tailored to help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving tech landscape with exclusive discounts on DevForge and DomeTrain. DevForge's expert led courses, featuring renowned educator Tim Corey. Unlock a library of developer upskilling resources, from comprehensive master courses to specialized trainings. Explore DevPass Dometrain Pro led by industry veteran Nick Chapsas, Dometrain courses are designed to teach you actionable skills and real-world practices, as if you were paired with a skilled senior engineer in a real modern company. Browse Dometrain courses New Community Benefits - Engage with like-minded professionals and get your technical questions answered in our vibrant community forums. Microsoft Q&A: Have a technical product question? Find it on Microsoft Q&A – the home for technical questions and answers at Microsoft. Microsoft Tech Community: Connect and engage with fellow users and Microsoft technical experts on best practices, design architecture and the latest updates. Developer Community: Post questions, find answers and share your knowledge in the Developer Community forums. Azure Community: Get help directly from the Azure team within these select forums. Concierge Chat: Available 27/7. Chat with us for assistance finding technical documentation product information or using your subscription benefits. Chat assistance is provided in English **Important ** Please be aware that, going forward, these benefits will not be available for previous versions of Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac. We're thrilled to bring you these enhancements and can't wait to see the amazing things you'll achieve with them. Stay tuned for more updates and happy coding!Unlocking the power of co-sell: what to expect in the upcoming webinar series with Rubrik and Tackle
For ISVs, partnering with cloud providers is a powerful growth engine, opening doors to new customers, expanding market reach, and driving revenue. Co-selling is a key lever in this partnership, enabling ISVs to align with cloud providers like Microsoft to accelerate growth, strengthen relationships, and close larger deals. However, developing a successful co-sell practice doesn’t just happen overnight—it requires strategic alignment, scalable resources, and a deep understanding of partner incentives. To help you navigate this journey, Rubrik and Tackle are teaming up for a two-part webinar series designed to help you build, operationalize, and scale a strong co-sell strategy with Microsoft. In these sessions, you’ll learn how to: Develop a scalable co-sell strategy aligned with Microsoft’s goals Streamline your co-sell motion with workflows, CRM alignment, and deal-sharing strategies Strengthen relationships with Microsoft sellers and aligning with Azure’s consumption goals Led by Rubrik Head of Global Cloud Alliances Jasmine Kronk and Tackle’s co-sell experts, this webinar series will equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to co-sell with confidence. Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in each session: Session 1: Building a Winning Strategy to Accelerate Growth with Microsoft Date: February 24, 2025 at 9:30 am PST To successfully co-sell with Microsoft, ISVs need a clear strategy that aligns with Microsoft’s priorities, streamlines collaboration, and maximizes growth opportunities. In this session, experts will share key insights on how to operationalize co-sell, build strategic relationships, and leverage marketplace to accelerate revenue. Here are the top takeaways from this session to help you build a winning a winning co-sell strategy: Use Co-Sell as a strategic GTM motion. Co-selling with Microsoft is not just a checkbox activity; it's a fundamental go-to-market (GTM) strategy that can drive growth, increase deal sizes, and accelerate sales cycles. ISV should leverage co-sell partnerships to shorten sales cycles and close larger deals. Understand the value proposition. To succeed in the Microsoft ecosystem, ISVs must clearly define their unique value proposition. Aligning your solution with Microsoft’s priorities, like driving Azure consumption, creates mutual benefits and strengthens co-sell opportunities. Operationalize co-sell for scale. Streamlining internal processes is key to scaling co-sell efforts. This includes integrating CRM systems, defining deal-sharing criteria, and maintaining a structured approach to pipeline management. Regularly sharing deal updates, tracking performance metrics, and ensuring cross-team alignment helps optimize efficiency and collaboration. Measuring key indicators, such as deals won and revenue impact, ensures ongoing success. Build relationships with Microsoft stakeholders. Establishing a network of advocates within Microsoft is critical for driving future co-sell opportunities. By building trust and understanding, you can create an environment where Microsoft reps actively refer and promote your solutions to customers, ultimately generating more leads and sales. Leverage marketplace as a growth engine – Combining co-sell efforts with marketplace sales streamlines procurement for customers, improves accessibility, and accelerates revenue generation. Session 2: How to Operationalize and Scale Your Co-Sell Motion with Microsoft Date: February 26, 2025 at 9:30 am PST To scale their co-sell motion, ISVs need a structured approach that integrates co-selling into their overall GTM strategy, fosters alignment with Microsoft stakeholders, and prioritizes high-impact opportunities. In our second session, we share key strategies for operationalizing co-sell, from creating scalable resources to building cross-functional support. Here are the top takeaways to help you drive repeatable success and accelerate growth: Co-sell as a strategic element: Co-selling should be treated as a fundamental part of your go-to-market strategy, not just a one-off tactic. It’s about embedding co-sell into your broader sales approach to drive sustained growth. A strategic co-sell motion can accelerate sales cycles, increase deal sizes, and create longer-term partnerships. By making co-sell a core component of your GTM plan, you ensure it aligns with your broader business objectives and supports scalable growth over time. Align product-market fit: For co-sell success, your product must seamlessly integrate within your partner’s ecosystem and address critical customer pain points. It’s not just about having a solution that works technically, but one that directly ties into your partner's goals and creates clear value for the customer. This ensures both parties can demonstrate the solution’s unique value, which not only drives immediate sales but fosters repeatable success and strengthens your co-sell partnership. Understand mutual incentives: Co-selling is most effective when both parties benefit. To maximize this, you need to understand your partner’s motivations—whether that’s driving Azure consumption, hitting specific adoption targets, or achieving quota goals. By aligning your co-sell strategy with these priorities, you create a win-win dynamic that fosters stronger collaboration and accelerates the deal process. Recognizing and addressing your partner’s evolving incentives ensures that both sides remain motivated to drive deals forward. Create scalable co-sell resources: To sustain and scale co-selling efforts, it’s critical to build reusable resources and processes. This includes developing playbooks, one-pagers, email templates, and other assets that can be quickly deployed across teams and regions. With these resources, sales teams spend less time creating new materials and more time engaging meaningfully with partners. Scalable resources streamline operations, maintain consistency, and support seamless collaboration, which ultimately drives more efficient and impactful co-selling motions. Prioritize high-value accounts: Rather than spreading your co-sell efforts across a broad spectrum of clients, it’s more effective to focus on high-value accounts. Start by identifying where your ideal customer profiles overlap with your partner’s customer base, and build upon these existing synergies. This focused approach allows you to dedicate time and resources to deals with the highest potential for revenue growth. It reduces wasted effort on low-impact accounts and increases your chances of closing more significant, higher-value deals with your partner. Join us to master co-selling Whether you’re just getting started with co-sell or you’re looking to optimize existing efforts, these sessions will provide actionable insights you can immediately apply to your strategy. Register now to secure your spot and take your co-sell strategy to the next level!ISV Success: New and expanded benefits for software companies with AI projects
As an ISV pursuing new AI solutions, you're changing the way businesses solve complex challenges and meeting the demand of global customers looking to do more with AI. That’s why we’re bringing new resources and financial incentives to ISV Success—benefits that are designed to help software companies build innovative AI applications and grow sales in the commercial marketplace. New AI benefits & incentives: 1. Technical guidance AI Envisioning Events - learn from our generative AI experts during interactive AI Envisioning Events with sessions designed for both business and technical teams. These monthly sessions will help you identify the most impactful AI use cases for your business and then create a development plan for execution. Check out our events page to sign up. AI Consultations - software companies in ISV Success also receive free AI-focused 1:1 consults to support scenarios that include extending Copilots, integrating AI services, and responsible AI practices. To accelerate development and uplevel your team, all participants can now access GitHub Copilot using Azure credits and take AI certification exams with free vouchers. 2. Expanded package for AI apps ISVs with high-potential AI projects will be upgraded from core to expanded package. With up to 50 hours of technical consultation and additional Azure credits, you’ll be set up to build and test new market-place ready apps. These ISVs also receive GTM benefits, including customer propensity scoring and Azure sponsorship to close deals, through marketplace rewards at an earlier stage. To find out if your project is eligible, schedule an Architecture Design Session or Architecture Review Session in Partner Center, or reach out to your Engagement Manager to learn more. 3. New advanced package with financial incentives ISV Success now offers a new advanced package for ISVs with a certified software designation. These ISVs are eligible for up to 100K in financial incentives to build and deploy AI and analytics apps. Additionally, there is an opportunity for ISVs to qualify for up to 50K in financial incentives to migrate end-customers to Azure-based applications. Visit the offer benefits page on the ISV Hub to learn more about the advanced package. To become eligible for certified software designations, partners must meet the following criteria: - Have a transactable offer in the marketplace - Undergo a technical review for interoperability with Microsoft products - Demonstrate a proven track record of customer success ISVs that qualify for the advanced package can access financial incentives in the incentives workspace. Note: these incentives have previously been available as part of the Azure Innovate and Azure Migrate and Modernize offers. Take advantage of these benefits For current ISV Success members, many of these benefits are available now in your Partner Center Dashboard if qualified. If you’re not enrolled and are ready to explore what ISV Success can offer your business, apply today to access our benefits package. Learn more by visiting the ISV Hub and chatting with our AI-assistant.Essential strategies and tools to maximize your marketplace growth
With over 100% growth in Marketplace Billed Sales and spending from customers with MACCs, the marketplace momentum on the Microsoft commercial marketplace we’ve seen is not slowing down. However, there can be no growth without our partners, as you and your customers hold the key.New FY24 Incentives for ISVs including richer earning opportunities
Our FY24 ISV incentives feature richer earning opportunities for driving billed sales of transactable offers on Marketplace and driving Azure consumption growth through core and strategic workloads. Please read this message carefully, review relevant links, and sign up for one of the upcoming ISV partner incentives webinars.
