Marketplace Partner Digest
Welcome to the February edition of the Marketplace Partner Digest. This month’s roundup brings together the most important Microsoft Marketplace updates, program changes, and partner‑focused resources to help you strengthen your co‑sell motions, optimize your listings, and accelerate revenue through Microsoft Marketplace. Inside, you’ll find insights from Microsoft leaders on Marketplace’s role in driving partner profitability, key updates to specializations and Partner Center workflows, new App Advisor capabilities to streamline publishing, and a full lineup of upcoming events designed to support your Marketplace and AI go‑to‑market strategies. Whether you're planning your next offer, refining operations, or prepping your teams for FY26 execution, these updates will help you take clear, actionable steps to grow your business. Microsoft Marketplace as a modern growth engine A recent Marketplace blog post from Microsoft’s own Darren Sharpe explores how Microsoft Marketplace has become a core engine for business growth—enabling earlier co-sell alignment, accelerating deal velocity, and expanding partner reach through ecosystem channel-led sales motions. Unlocking scalable growth through Microsoft Marketplace Register for the February 18 Marketplace office hour: How to build a Microsoft Marketplace channel practice In his blog post yesterday, Mason McCoy, Director of Partner Experiences at Microsoft, highlighted why Microsoft Marketplace has become a true profitability multiplier for partners. As organizations build AI first strategies, Marketplace is accelerating how partners scale solutions, reach customers, and shorten time to value. To better understand the overall value of Marketplace, we asked Omdia to study the partner revenue opportunity. The Omdia study found that among partners that sell through Marketplace (compared to direct go-to-market and sales motions): 88% report revenue growth 75% close deals faster 69% secure larger deals 👉 Unlocking the profitability multiplier: Maximizing revenue with Microsoft Marketplace 👉 Explore the full Omdia report App Advisor updates Choose the right offer type when publishing your solution App Advisor now helps partners quickly determine which Marketplace offer type best aligns with their solution, business model, and go-to-market approach. With App Advisor, partners can: Receive scenario-based offer type recommendations Save time during planning and pre-publishing Reduce uncertainty when aligning to the right Marketplace motion Read how to leverage App Advisor from Microsoft's Brady Bumgarner 📱Try App Advisor for yourself Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program updates SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization ⚙️Microsoft is updating the SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization to make it more accessible while maintaining strong capability standards. Key changes: 🔽 Lower ACR requirement: ACR threshold reduced from $30,000 → $7,500 over three months. ⚡ Streamlined skilling verification: Required Microsoft learning coursework can now be validated directly within Partner Center, eliminating the need to provide evidence during the third-party audit. Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization ⚙️The skilling requirements for the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization will change in January 2026. Microsoft is updating this specialization to make it easier to obtain. Key changes: ❌Technical Assessment removed: The Azure VMware Solutions (AVS) Technical assessment requirement will be removed from the skilling requirements ❌ Broadcom Certification requirements removed: The Broadcom certification requirements will also be removed, which were previously checked as a portion of the audit 👉 Learn more Partner Center updates Smarter referral submissions The first phase of enhancements to the Referrals workspace launched in January and will continue over the coming months. A couple noteworthy updates include: ⚙️ Automated completeness checks Inbound co-sell referrals now undergo automated validation to ensure required data is included before they progress—no additional partner action needed. This update improves data quality and lays the groundwork for future capabilities such as: Real-time referral insights Quality scoring More intelligent routing 👉 Learn more ✅ Marketplace purchase intent now mandatory for API-submitted co-sell referrals As of January 5, the "Marketplace Intent" field is required for all API and connector‑based submissions of IP co-sell opportunities. This field captures the customer’s intention to purchase via Microsoft Marketplace, with accepted values: Yes; No; Have not decided This change improves data consistency, downstream reporting, and alignment with Microsoft field sellers. 👉 Learn more Events Ultimate Partner session with Microsoft’s Cyril Belikoff On January 13, Ultimate Partner hosted a livestream conversation where Omdia’s Chief Analyst Jay McBain unpacked his 2026 predictions across cloud, AI, co‑sell, Marketplace, and broader ecosystem shifts, while Microsoft’s Cyril Belikoff, VP of Commercial Cloud & AI Marketing, outlined key Microsoft changes coming in 2026 and how partners can align their go‑to‑market strategies to stay ahead. 🎥 Watch on demand Marketplace office hours Microsoft continues to host regular Marketplace office hours for both partners and customers. We've highlighted the most recent topics below. To register for upcoming sessions and find a list of past events available on demand visit the Marketplace training and events calendar. 💡Tip: Forward these session links to relevant team members within your organization. Marketplace reporting in Partner Center Streamed live on January 21, 2026, Justin Royal and David Najour Jr. kicked off the new year with a focused walkthrough of Microsoft Marketplace reporting in Partner Center. The session broke down how partners can use the Insights and Earnings workspaces, which roles and permissions unlock access, and how to interpret the most important reports—including Earnings, Customers, Orders, Usage, and Revenue—to better understand performance and identify growth opportunities across their Marketplace motions. This session is great for alliance managers, sales operations and finance teams. 🎥 Watch on demand Cloud cost optimization for customers Streamed live on January 28, 2026, this session—presented by Kristyn Maddox and Justin Royal—focused on practical strategies customers can use to optimize cloud cost and improve workload performance. The conversation walked through actionable techniques and Microsoft cost management tools built into Azure portal that help organizations take control of resources, reduce unnecessary spend, and ensure their cloud environments are operating efficiently. This session is great for FinOps leaders and IT directors. 🎥 Watch on demand Upcoming events Register for the next Partner Marketplace office hour for partners scheduled February 18, 2026 Inside Azure IP co-sell: What high-performing software developers do differently February 25, 2026 Join guest speaker Barbara Treviño, Labra, to get an inside look at signals Microsoft uses to evaluate Marketplace and Azure IP co-sell readiness. 📅 Microsoft AI Tour February brings a series of in‑person opportunities for partners to connect with Microsoft experts through the Microsoft AI Tour. 📍February 2026 Tour Locations: 🇸🇦 Riyadh — February 11 🇧🇷 São Paulo — February 11 🇲🇽 Mexico City — February 12 🇬🇧 London — February 24 🇩🇪 Munich — February 25 🇳🇴 Oslo — February 25 🇪🇸 Madrid — February 26 👉 Find your city and register Partner actions for February Top 5 actions to take this month Align GTM and sales teams on the Omdia Microsoft Marketplace findings to sharpen FY26 Marketplace motions. Use App Advisor before publishing any new offers or offer updates. Update your co-sell submission workflows to ensure Marketplace Intent is captured. Re-evaluate specialization plans in light of updated SAP on Azure and AVS requirements. Register for relevant events—especially AI Tour stops and Marketplace office hours.IP Co-Sell best practices: What high performing SDCs do to accelerate Microsoft Marketplace success
Barbara Treviño (BT) is Director of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances at Labra. She is a seasoned partnership leader with more than a decade of experience across sales, partner operations, alliances, enablement, programs, and cloud marketplace go-to-market. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For Solution Development Companies (SDCs) building on Azure, Marketplace listing and IP Co-Sell eligibility are foundational milestones. But the SDCs who accelerate fastest—and generate meaningful traction with Microsoft—are the ones who understand that eligibility is only the beginning. Drawing from a decade working across the Microsoft ecosystem and leading Marketplace and Co-Sell readiness across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, I’ve seen a consistent pattern: high-performing SDCs prepare differently. They approach readiness as a strategic, architectural, and operational effort—not just a form submission. This article highlights what those SDCs do differently, why it matters, and the signals Microsoft looks for when evaluating partners beyond the checklist. Eligibility is the starting line—not the win SDCs often assume that once their offer is live and their IP Co-Sell submission is approved, Microsoft sellers will engage and pipeline will follow. In practice, Microsoft evaluates far more than the required fields. Seller confidence depends on deeper indicators of readiness, including: Technical alignment with Azure Architectural clarity in how the solution runs Customer outcomes that map to Azure value themes Consistent messaging across Marketplace assets SDC maturity in supporting joint customer conversations These factors influence whether a Partner Development Manager (PDM) or account executive sees a path to meaningful co-sell engagement. What high-performing SDCs do differently Across clouds and across maturity levels, top-performing SDCs consistently demonstrate five distinct behaviors: They lead with architectural clarity Azure‑aligned architecture is one of the strongest signals of technical readiness. High‑performing SDCs provide clear diagrams and narrative context that show exactly how their solution complements Azure services. They align their narrative to Microsoft’s sales motions Microsoft sellers need a replicable story. The strongest SDCs use language, outcomes, and framing that match how Microsoft positions value internally and externally. They present relevant customer evidence The best SDCs focus on customer outcomes that reinforce Azure consumption, modernization, or workload migration—not generic case studies. They sequence their readiness intentionally Rather than uploading every asset at once, high performers focus on what’s required now, save optional materials for later phases, and minimize rework cycles. They prepare for what happens after approval Eligibility is a threshold. Momentum requires internal readiness for co‑sell motions, customer engagement, and Marketplace operations. Why readiness staging accelerated IP Co-Sell approval Most delays during IP Co-Sell review come from misalignment—not missing assets. Common issues include: Architecture that contradicts the listing Evidence that doesn’t reinforce the solution’s value Positioning that isn’t Azure-aligned Assets uploaded “just in case” instead of intentionally Internal teams unprepared for post-listing motions High-performing SDCs move faster not because they rush, but because they prepare strategically. How Labra supports SDCs through SCAP-M Labra’s SCAP-M (SaaS Co-Sell Accelerator for Microsoft) program focuses on the deeper readiness drivers that influence Microsoft engagement, including: Azure-aligned reference architecture development Marketplace and solution-story coherence Customer evidence refinement Readiness sequencing to reduce review cycles Internal preparation for post-approval co-sell motions This is where structured support has the greatest impact—accelerating both eligibility and long-term field engagement. How can you learn more? Join me on February 25th for a live session where we will take a deeper look at: What Microsoft evaluates beyond the form How readiness staging reduces delays Where SDCs unintentionally create friction Why architecture, evidence, and narrative matter for seller adoption Practical insights drawn from Labra’s multi-cloud experience A live Q&A will follow for SDCs interested in accelerating their Marketplace and Co-Sell motion on Azure. Follow this link to add the session to your calendar: Inside Azure IP co-sell: What high-performing software developers do differently - Microsoft Marketplace Community If you miss the live session- don't worry, you can use the same link to view a recording of the session. High performing SDCs succeed in Azure’s IP Co-sell program because they treat readiness as a strategic initiative – not an administrative task. By aligning architecture, narrative, and customer evidence with Microsoft’s expectations, SDCs accelerate approvals and increase field engagement.Unlocking the power of Partner Center reporting: Why these insights matter for Marketplace success
For publishers in the Microsoft commercial marketplace, having the right data at the right time is essential. Understanding how customers engage with your offers, how revenue flows through billing and payout cycles, and how subscriptions or usage evolve over time directly influences your go‑to‑market decisions, financial planning, and customer management strategies. During a recent Microsoft webinar focused on Partner Center reporting, David Najour from the Marketplace Fast Track team walked partners through how these reporting tools work—and more importantly, why they are a critical part of operating effectively in the marketplace. This article distills the heart of that session, shifting away from step‑by‑step walkthroughs and instead exploring the purpose of each reporting workspace, how they support publisher operations, and the real value they bring to your marketplace business. To get the full depth and demos, we still recommend watching the complete session—but this overview will help you understand the strategic value these reports offer. Why Microsoft built reporting Workspaces into Partner Center Partner Center is the operational hub for managing your relationship with Microsoft—from listing offers to managing customers to getting paid. Because marketplace transactions involve multiple processes (ordering, invoicing, usage, payouts), Microsoft organizes reporting into two dedicated workspaces: Insights and Earnings. Each workspace answers a different business question and serves a different operational audience. The Insights workspace is your business intelligence engine—designed to provide a multidimensional view of how your marketplace business sales are performing. Meanwhile, the Earnings workspace is your financial source of truth, detailing what Microsoft owes you, what has already been paid, and what adjustments or deductions apply. Together, they create a full picture of both commercial health and financial outcomes. The Insights workspace: Your commercial visibility engine The Insights workspace houses the dashboards publishers rely on to understand how offers are performing across customers, geographies, channels, and billing models. It is the foundation for growth analysis, forecasting, customer intelligence, and product decision‑making. Far more than a collection of numbers, it is a structured lens into how your marketplace business behaves over time. Revenue reporting: The unified story of Marketplace performance The Revenue dashboard is often regarded as the centerpiece of Insights, because it gathers data from orders, usage, customer activity, invoicing, and payout progression into a single view. For publishers, this unified model provides the clearest indication of which offers are gaining traction, who your most valuable customers are, and how different sales channels or billing models shape revenue flow. It also reflects the nuances of marketplace billing—for example, the distinction between Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA/MCA-E) customers. EA transactions become eligible for payout once billed, whereas MCA-E transactions only qualify after the customer pays their Microsoft invoice. This difference directly influences Publisher’s payout timing and makes the Revenue dashboard an indispensable tool for evaluating earnings. More information about the Insights revenue dashboard can be found here: Revenue dashboard in Microsoft Marketplace analytics - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn Order intelligence: Understanding your subscription footprint SaaS publishers depend on subscription lifecycle clarity. The Orders dashboard provides visibility when subscriptions start and end, whether they are set to auto‑renew, and how quantities or reservations evolve. Because the auto‑renew indicator is only visible here across Partner Center reporting, this dashboard becomes essential for managing renewals, reducing churn, and supporting customer success motions. More information about the Insights orders dashboard can be found here: Partner Center Orders dashboard in Microsoft Marketplace analytics - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn For teams focused on retention, forecasting, and renewal management, the Orders dashboard is one of the most operationally valuable tools available. Usage Insights: Making sense of consumption‑based models For metered or usage‑based offers, understanding consumption trends is foundational. The Usage dashboard enables publishers to see real metered activity and interpret how consumption translates into billed revenue. This helps teams identify adoption patterns, detect anomalies, and support customers before usage drops—or before a period of increased consumption turns into a surprise invoice. More information about the Usage Insights dashboard can be found here: Usage dashboard in Microsoft Marketplace analytics - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn Customer intelligence: Connecting the dots The Customer dashboard links transaction activity to the organizations purchasing your solutions. Because customer identifiers remain consistent even when names change, this dashboard becomes vital for mapping revenue to specific organizations, and their customer details More information about the Customer dashboard can be found here: Customers dashboard at Microsoft Marketplace analytics on Partner Center - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn The Earnings workspace: Your source of financial truth While Insights helps publishers understand the “why” behind commercial performance, the Earnings workspace answers a different but equally critical question: What has Microsoft actually paid us, and what is eligible for payout? This workspace is relied on heavily by finance and accounting teams because it contains the authoritative record of payments Microsoft has sent or will send, complete with: Payment IDs that match bank remittance statements, Payout dates and statuses, Withholding tax details (when applicable), and Store service fee taxes or adjustments. Earnings also reflect Microsoft’s payout policy: it includes EA transactions and only MCA-E transactions that customers have fully paid. Unpaid MCA-E transactions remain outside the Earnings view until it becomes eligible. This helps prevent reconciliation errors and clarifies why revenue totals in Insights may exceed what’s visible in the Earnings dashboard at any given point. For any publisher reconciling revenue to payouts—or managing financial reporting cycles—this workspace is indispensable. More information about the Earnings dashboard can be found here: Earnings in Partner Center - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn Why these reports matter for Marketplace publishers Marketplace success depends on understanding both the commercial and financial sides of your business. Microsoft designed these reporting capabilities to help publishers: Make data‑driven product and sales decisions With clear revenue, usage, and customer insights, teams can pivot offers, target high‑value accounts, and optimize go‑to‑market activities based on real patterns—not assumptions. Support customers through their lifecycle Subscription and usage analytics make it easier to identify renewal opportunities, anticipate support needs, and maintain strong customer relationships. Strengthen financial control Earnings reporting provides the clarity needed to reconcile payouts, communicate with internal finance teams, and verify tax or fee deductions with confidence. Align internal teams around a single source of truth Whether you’re in sales, marketing, engineering, finance, or operations, these dashboards provide shared visibility into the same metrics and definitions, reducing confusion and improving cross‑team decision‑making. The bottom line: Better reporting leads to better Marketplace outcomes Partner Center reporting is more than a backend tool—it’s the intelligence layer that helps publishers understand performance, forecast revenue, support customers, and confidently manage financial operations. The marketplace introduces unique billing and payout considerations, and these reports translate that complexity into actionable insight. If you want to see how these dashboards work in practice, with live examples and Q&A discussion, be sure to watch the full webinar session available on Microsoft Marketplace Community site. The live demonstrations provide additional context and are especially useful for teams new to marketplace reporting or looking to optimize their internal processes. Watch the recording here: Office hours for partners: Microsoft Partner Center reporting - Microsoft Marketplace CommunityDecember edition of Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest
Microsoft Ignite 2025 - Marketplace highlights Microsoft Ignite was packed with announcements and insights for Marketplace partners. From new commerce capabilities to AI-driven innovations, here are some key takeaways: Global expansion of Microsoft Marketplace - Microsoft announced that the reimagined Microsoft Marketplace, which launched in the U.S. earlier this year, is now globally available. This expansion includes new APIs for distribution partners, enabling them to link their own cloud marketplace with Microsoft’s, opening significant opportunities for software companies in SMB and mid-market segments. 🎬 Watch a recorded webinar with TD SYNNEX on the power of distribution to accelerate SMB marketplace sales. Global availability of Resale Enabled Offers - This capability allows software development companies to and channel partners to resell software solutions directly through Marketplace, simplifying transactions, expanding reach, and scaling revenue. 👉 Read more about this announcement and get started Introducing App Accelerate - A unified offer that brings together incentives, benefits, and co-sell support across the Microsoft Cloud. App Accelerate provides end-to-end technical guidance, developer tools, and go-to-market resources so software development companies can innovate and scale. Previews are beginning now, with full availability planned for 2026. ✅ Sign up to receive updates Enhanced Partner Marketing Center - Discover, customize, and launch campaigns faster with intelligent search and AI-powered tools—all on one connected platform. The current Partner Marketing Center will remain available as the new and enhanced Marketing Center platform launches in early 2026 with 24 campaigns-in-a-box, aligned to FY26 solution plays. ✨ Get ready for the new era of partner marketing Frontier Partner badge – New customer-facing badges recognize top services, channel, and software development company partners that are driving AI transformation with customers and offer them an opportunity to differentiate themselves from the competition. 🛡️Differentiate your AI-first leadership Catch up on Microsoft Ignite sessions Ignite 2025 delivered powerful insights and announcements for Marketplace partners, and now you can catch up on the sessions you missed. Explore these recorded keynotes to learn about new capabilities, partner programs, and strategies to accelerate growth through Microsoft’s ecosystem. Ignite opening keynote Ignite partner keynote: Powering Frontier Partnerships Additionally, we’ve compiled recordings of relevant Marketplace partner and customer sessions so you can watch on-demand. Revisit Marketplace-focused sessions and resources. Just look for the ✨ icon below. Partner sessions: PBRK415 Grow your business with Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Find out how the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program helps you grow with new benefits, designations, and skilling opportunities. This session covers updates like the Frontier Partner Badge, Copilot specialization, and streamlined Marketplace engagement—all designed to accelerate your AI transformation journey. PBRK416 Accelerate Growth through Partner Incentives Explore how Microsoft is boosting partner growth with streamlined incentives, AI-first strategies, and new designations like Frontier Distributor. This session covers expanded investments in Azure Accelerate, Copilot solutions, and security practices—plus insights on how to capitalize on evolving programs and co-sell opportunities. PBRK417 Partner: Connect, Plan, Win – Enhancing Co-sell Engagement Discover how to enhance collaboration, optimize joint efforts, and drive success in shared initiatives. Gain insights into improving interactions with Microsoft sellers and leveraging opportunities, along with guidance on proactive co-selling to align your goals with Microsoft's for sustained growth. PBRK418 Partner: Benefits for Accelerating Software Company Success Learn about the resources and benefits available for software development companies across all stages of the build, publish and grow journey in MAICPP. Whether you’re developing a new agent solution or working toward a certified software designation, there are targeted skilling opportunities, technical resources, and GTM benefits to help. Tap into new investments for AI apps and agents and hear from your peers on how they’ve used rewards such as customer propensity scores and Azure sponsorship. PBRK419 SI & Advisory Partner Readiness: Accelerating the Journey to Frontier Understand how Microsoft is empowering our SI and advisory partners to accelerate frontier firm readiness for our Enterprise customers by driving AI transformation with agentic solutions and services. ✨PBRK420 Executing on the channel-led marketplace opportunity for partners See how Microsoft’s unified Marketplace drives partner growth with resale-enabled offers, creating scalable channel sales and co-sell opportunities. This session shares practical steps to build a sustainable Marketplace practice and leverage the partner ecosystem for greater reach and profitability. PBRK421 Enabling a thriving partner ecosystem: New CSP Authorization Criteria Dive into what’s new for Cloud Solution Providers, including updated authorization requirements and designations that help you stand out. This session covers steps to choose the right tier, build trust as a customer advisor, and prepare for growth with AI-driven solutions and Copilot offerings. PBRK422 The Future of Partner Support: Customer + Partner + Microsoft Discover ‘Unified for Partners,’ Microsoft’s new support model designed for CSP partners to deliver customer success at scale. This session introduces the Support Services designation, offering faster response times, financial incentives, and integrated tools to strengthen your support capabilities. PBRK423 Partner Execution at Scale with SME&C Explore growth opportunities in the high-potential SME&C segment. This session highlights investments in co-selling, AI-first strategies, and what it means to become ‘customer zero,’ with examples of frontier firms driving innovation at scale. ✨PBRK424 Marketplace Success for Partners—from SMB to Enterprise Learn how to build, publish, and monetize AI-powered solutions through Microsoft Marketplace. This session shares a proven approach to align your Marketplace strategy with your sales motion and unlock new revenue opportunities. PBRK272 Accelerate Secure AI: Microsoft’s Security Advantage for Partners Explore Microsoft’s integrated security solutions and learn how to help customers strengthen their defenses in the AI era. This session highlights partner opportunities, resources to grow your security practice, and what it takes to lead as a next-generation security partner. Customer Sessions: ✨Microsoft Marketplace: Your trusted source for cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents | STUDIO47 Hear from Cyril Belikoff, VP of Commercial Cloud & AI Marketing, sharing the reimagined Microsoft Marketplace—the gateway to thousands of AI-powered apps, agents and cloud solutions—all built to accelerate innovation and drive business outcomes. Discover how customers benefit from faster deployment, seamless integration with Microsoft tools, and trusted solutions, and how partners can scale their reach, accelerate sales, and tap into Microsoft’s global ecosystem. Azure Accelerate in action: Confidently migrate, modernize, and build faster Join Cyril Belikoff for a rapid Q&A that spotlights real-world customer success and the transformative impact of Azure Accelerate. Hear how customers like Thomson Reuters achieved breakthrough results with our powerful offering that provides access to Microsoft experts and investments throughout your Azure and AI journey. ✨BRK213 Microsoft Marketplace: Your trusted source for cloud and AI solutions Discover how the reimagined Microsoft Marketplace is reshaping the future of cloud and AI innovation. In this session, we’ll explore how Microsoft Marketplace—unifying Azure Marketplace and Microsoft AppSource—empowers organizations to become Frontier Firms by streamlining the discovery, purchase, and deployment of tens of thousands of cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents. ✨BRK215 Boost cloud and AI ROI using Microsoft Marketplace As organizations embrace an AI-first future, cloud adoption is accelerating to drive innovation and efficiency. This session explores practical strategies to optimize cloud investments—balancing performance, scalability, and cost control. Learn how Microsoft Marketplace enables rapid solution deployment while maintaining governance, compliance, and budget discipline. Build a resilient, cost-effective cloud foundation that supports AI and beyond. Community Recap Partner of the Year Award Winners Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards in the Marketplace category! 🏆 Explore all winners and finalists Fivetran earned the top honor as Marketplace Partner of the Year for its innovation in automating data movement on Microsoft Azure, enabling enterprises to accelerate AI and analytics initiatives. Varonis Systems Inc. and Bytes Software Services were recognized as finalists for delivering exceptional solutions and driving customer success through Marketplace. What’s Coming Up AI-powered acceleration: Scale faster in Microsoft Marketplace 📆 Thursday, December 04, 2025, at 9:00 AM PST Microsoft Marketplace is no longer just a procurement convenience; it’s a strategic revenue engine. Dive into operational readiness, CRM-native automation, seller engagement, trust signals, and AI-enabled acceleration. Whether you're just getting started or looking to optimize your Marketplace motion, this session will provide you with information that will turn your first sale into a repeatable growth engine. Scale smarter: Discover how resale enabled offers drive growth 📆 Friday, December 05, 2025, from 11:00 - 12:00 PM GTM+1 Discover how resale enabled offers help software development companies to scale through the Microsoft Marketplace by simplifying transactions, expanding reach and accelerating co-sell opportunities. Chart your AI app and agent strategy with Microsoft Marketplace 📆 Thursday, December 11, 2025, from 8:30 - 9:30 AM PST Organizations exploring AI apps and agents face a critical choice: build, buy, or blend. There’s no one-size-fits-all—each approach offers unique benefits and trade-offs. Tune in for insights into the pros and cons of each approach and explore how the Microsoft Marketplace simplifies adoption by providing a single source for trusted AI apps, agents, and models. Office hours for partners: Marketplace resale-enabled offers 📆 Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 8:30 AM PST Tune in to explore resale enabled offers through Microsoft Marketplace. This recently announced capability enables software companies to expand into new markets globally, at scale, and without additional operational overhead. Dive deep into the workflow and requirements for these deals. Learn about reporting and best practices from those that are already selling globally with resale enabled offers. Microsoft Ignite will return to San Francisco next year 📆 November 17-20, 2026 Sign up now to join the Microsoft Ignite early-access list and be eligible to receive limited‑edition swag at the event. 💬 Share Your Feedback! We truly appreciate your feedback and want to ensure these Partner Digests deliver the information you need to succeed in the marketplace. If you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can continue to improve the content to best support you, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!Lock in marketplace terms for up to five years with multiyear contract durations
Co-authored by Trevor_Yeats We’re excited to announce that the Microsoft marketplace now supports multiyear contract durations—enabling customers and partners to lock in terms and pricing for up to five years. New options include four and five-year terms for SaaS and Professional Services, and two, four, and five-year terms for Virtual Machine Software Reservations (VMSR). These contract durations are available globally across all marketplace-supported currencies. The value for your customers and for you With multiyear contract durations, customers can buy with confidence knowing they will have stability and continuity of service, making it easier to plan and forecast expenses and lock in substantial savings that often come with longer contracts. Partners benefit by supporting customers’ budget needs, strengthening customer relationships, reducing administrative burdens, and growing reliable revenue streams. “Our customers value five-year contracts for the stability and long-term value they provide. With multiyear contracts now available in Microsoft marketplace, we can better align with their operational timelines, reduce renewal cycles, and focus on building lasting relationships—while driving predictable revenue.” Sue Wilkinson, Global Director of Partners, IFS How it works To enable multiyear contract durations, software partners must take the following steps: Create a public offer with multiyear contract durations. Partners must ensure their public offers include extended contract terms before they can create private offers with those durations. Partners have two options: Update an existing public plan to support new options for extended durations (i.e., four and five-year options for SaaS offers and two, four, and five-year options for VMSR), or Create a new public plan that includes multiyear contract durations. Create private offers with multiyear contract durations. Once a public offer with multiyear contract durations is published, partners can configure private offers that leverage those durations. Notes: As of October 31, multiyear contract durations are available for CSP offers. Existing customer agreements cannot be modified mid-term to extend contract length. Customers must cancel their current plan and purchase a new one that includes the desired extended duration. Creating multiyear contracts with flexible billing schedules Partners can create private offers that combine multiyear contract durations with flexible billing options—like quarterly, semiannual, or bimonthly—making it easier to align with customer needs and streamline sales. “Microsoft’s recent launch of multiyear contracts and flexible billing has been a game changer, simplifying the buying process and enhancing the customer experience. We can now build private offers in the Microsoft marketplace in a more natural way that mirrors our contracts in the platform.” Sue Wilkinson, Global Director of Partners, IFS Learn more about flexible billing schedules and capturing the marketplace opportunity. Eligibility for multiyear contracts and how to get started Any company who is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program can sell on the marketplace with multiyear contract durations. Details are provided in our documentation, but at a high-level: Be a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (it’s free to join) Sign the marketplace publisher agreement Publish your public offer with multiyear contract durations. Sell private offers with multiyear contract durations. In addition, we have many support resources for partners depending on where they are on their marketplace journey. For example, software development companies can join ISV Success, within the Partner Program, for tools and resources that help them publish their solution and maximize reach through the marketplace. Learn more by visiting: Microsoft commercial marketplace transact capabilities FAQs: https://aka.ms/multiyear-FAQs
Announcing accelerated payouts to Microsoft Marketplace partners with MCA customers
Co-authored by Trevor_Yeats We’re excited to share that accelerated payouts are now available for partners making Microsoft Marketplace transactions with MCA (Microsoft Customer Agreement) customers. This new capability is designed to improve partner cash flow and make payments more predictable, with daily payouts that reduce the average time to receive funds. How accelerated payouts work Eligible partners will automatically get daily payouts for all offer types (SaaS, VMSR, etc.), pricing models (seat-based, metered), and deal types (public offers, private offers, private plans)—across all markets and currencies supported by Microsoft Marketplace. There is no action required by partners to benefit from accelerated payouts. Daily MCA payouts will show up as separate entries in the payments summary tab of your Partner Center earnings dashboard, right next to your monthly payouts. In addition, you’ll also see a new field called “estimatedPaymentDate” in the Earnings Report. Notes: Partners will not receive accelerated payouts for their very first payment from Microsoft. Accelerated payouts only apply after a partner has already received at least one payout. Partners may experience possible payout delays following a payment instrument change such as a change in bank or tax profile. Partners will continue to receive monthly payouts for EA transactions. Since payout times for EA customers are already compressed, daily payouts are not needed. How can a partner see all the payouts with transactions for a given month? Some partners reconcile their payouts monthly and would like to see all the payouts with transactions for a given month. Here’s how to do it: Option 1: Select custom dates Go to the Earnings Report In the upper right corner, you can filter by time period. Select “custom” and enter the start date and end date for a given month. Now you will be able to see all payouts with transactions for a specified month. Then select “Apply” in the bottom left. Note: this only shows customer transactions for the month you have selected. Option 2: Search for the first three letters of a month in Payment ID Go to the Earnings Report In the upper right corner, you can filter by payment ID. Type in the first three letters of a month and hit search. For example, for September, type in “sep” and you will be able to see all payouts with transactions for a specified month. Make sure you select the correct payment year. Then select “Apply” in the bottom left. Once you have applied filters, you can download the report. In the Earnings Report, select “Download Report”. Then select “Earnings – Marketplace” and you will be able to download a report with your custom filters. How to get started in Microsoft Marketplace Any company who is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program can sell on the marketplace and benefit from accelerated payouts. Details are provided in our documentation, but at a high-level: Be a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (it’s free to join) Sign the marketplace publisher agreement Publish your public offer and sell private offers as needed. In addition, we have many support resources for partners depending on where they are on their marketplace journey. For example, software development companies can join ISV Success, within the Partner Program, for tools and resources that help them publish their solution and maximize reach through the marketplace. Learn more by visiting: Payout schedules and processes - Marketplace publisher | Microsoft Learn https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/marketplace-offers/payment-thresholds-methods-timeframes#number-of-days-for-payments-to-reach-payout-accountMicrosoft Partner Center account structure: Best practices for long-term success
About the author: David Starr is the founder and CEO of Cumulus26, where focus is on accelerating customer's Azure Marketplace journey from onboarding to business success. He is a former Principal Architect at Microsoft working on Azure Marketplace and a 6-time Microsoft MVP in Developer Tooling. Why account structure matters in Partner Center When first creating a Partner Center account, many Software Development Company (SDC) partners I’ve worked with dive straight into creating their transactable offers without first considering how their accounts are structured. This often leads to confusion about account setup, creating multiple “orphan” accounts, and support incidents that can delay the publication of your software to the Microsoft Marketplace--or even result in losing access to Partner Center. This article examines Partner Center account structures and the primary decisions to make when setting up your company’s accounts in the portal. We’ll cover the following. Initial considerations: Individual accounts. Understanding organizational account structures and configurations. Working with important identifiers used in account management and support scenarios. Setting up for long-term successful management of your accounts. This article ensures you’ll know how to structure your Microsoft Partner Center account so that it supports your organization’s needs today and can scale with you as you grow. Understanding Partner Center account management After initially creating your account, it’s tempting to skip user management and move on to other tasks in the portal. This can lead to the common mistake of failing to assign multiple account administrators right away. The predictable outcome is that if an account administrator leaves your organization, your staff could lose the ability to administer-- or even access-- Partner Center. This may sound intuitive upon reading it, so why mention it? It’s because I have worked with many publishers who failed to do this and were later unable to get the access they needed. This leads to time spent resolving support incidents, which can delay publishing your solution. Before diving into setting up an account, it’s helpful to understand there are three different accounts involved: Microsoft accounts, Azure Entra ID accounts, and Partner Center accounts. Although, the Microsoft account is essentially an extension of the Azure Entra ID account. In short, you must have an Azure Entra ID account to have a Partner Center account. These account types are shown in the image below. Each has its own features and capabilities. It is worth noting while you do need an Entra ID account, you do not need an Azure subscription, which allows creation of services like databases or virtual machines. This can be an important point for Azure administrators who provide accounts strictly for use with Partner Center. Setting up an Azure tenant in Partner Center Azure accounts for your organization are stored in tenants, which provide identity, security, and account management through Microsoft Entra ID. At least one tenant must be associated with Partner Center to manage the portal’s accounts. This allows those with accounts in the tenant to also have accounts in Partner Center. You may associate a pre-existing Entra ID account with Partner Center, or you may create one if needed. Regardless of which technique you use, you can manage users and permissions for Partner Center after configuring your tenant. User accounts After configuring your tenant, head over to the user management screen in Account settings, then select User management in the left side menu. As we mentioned earlier, the next account you’ll want to configure is another Global administrator. If you created the Azure tenant you are working with, you already have Global Administrator permissions in Partner Center. Otherwise, you may need to contact your Azure administrator to get the permissions you need. This is why it’s common (and good) practice for organizations with pre-existing Azure tenants to have an Azure administrator initially set up Partner Center. Adding another Partner Center administrator For this next step, there are three options for adding that new person to Partner Center: Create new user – Used if there are no other user accounts in the tenant. Add existing user – Use this if there are existing user accounts in the tenant. Invite outside user – May be used for inviting someone from outside your organization to manage Partner Center for you. Regardless of which method you choose, since you are adding a second Global administrator, give them that role during account setup. This is the first role listed in the account setup process as shown here. Configuring partner global and location accounts Now that you have at least two global administrators, you can turn your attention to setting up your organizational accounts. There are two types in Partner Center. Partner global account (PGA) Partner location account (PLA) Structuring your accounts There is one PGA per SDC and one or more PLAs. A PGA is an overarching account containing contact and other information for your organization. Each PLA account represents a different location for the organization. A single PLA is created when you first create a Partner Center account. This may be enough for some organizations, but for many SDCs it’s a good idea to consider how you will organize the company and its products in the future. See the image below for a typical example of PGA and PLA structures, the information associated with them, and their roles. Some organizations may want multiple PLAs to represent different sales centers or divisions within the SDC. It’s also a good idea for smaller SDCs to consider future growth at this stage. Think about how and where your company may eventually do business. However, you do not need multiple PLAs to sell your solution in multiple countries--you can sell worldwide even if you have only one PLA. Both PGAs and PLAs have unique identifiers, examples of which are shown in the below image. You may need to access these when working with Microsoft. To do so, go to: Account Settings > Identifiers > Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Managing publisher accounts and identifiers Each PLA has one or more publisher accounts, which are established when enrolling in the Microsoft Marketplace program. Each publisher also receives its own set of identifiers, and it’s common to be asked for these in customer support scenarios. When creating a new publisher, you get to specify your publisher account’s primary ID, but a second Seller ID is automatically assigned for you. To access publisher IDs, visit: Account settings > Identifiers > Publisher Tax and payment profiles-- used by Microsoft to bill on your behalf and to pay you for customer purchases-- are associated with publisher accounts. Publisher accounts are sometimes used by different billing departments or to organize products into logical groups. See the image below for a typical example. As you can see, the account structure is straightforward. If you consider it in advance of setting up Partner Center, you will be more likely to avoid configuration mistakes and be set up well for future growth. Organizing offers and plans for marketplace publishing We’ve seen how to structure user and organizational accounts to ensure a great Partner Center experience. When it’s time to set up your products to sell in the marketplace there are two more entities involved, offers and plans. Offers represent your base software product and plans are used to sell one or more SKUs of the product. For example, Cumulus26’s AMPup solution for marketplace publishers may be our offer, and has different plans for team, professional, and enterprise versions. To support global software sales, each plan is associated with one or more global markets. For example, a US-based publisher may sell software in Canada, the UK, and Germany. Selling markets are designated for each plan. Of course, each offer and plan receives its own ID. For each, you must specify the ID as you create each entity, and I recommend planning a logical naming convention for these IDs as you may need to navigate marketplace features using them at some point. Now you have a complete picture of Partner Center structures from PGAs all the way to plans as shown in the image below, which represents a single-region seller. This turns out to be the most common Partner Center account configuration due to its simplicity and the needs of most SDCs. Conclusion: Building for scalability and support There is a strong relationship between Microsoft Azure Entra ID and Partner Center accounts. For many SDCs the simplest path to successful user management is to start with an Entra ID Global Administrator setting up your initial Partner Center account. Don’t forget the important first step of adding a second Partner Center account administrator. You are now ready to model your organization and products in Partner Center, from PLAs and PGAs to offers and plans. You also understand the ID structures of each entity. You can refer to this article for help on where to find them when needed. With a solid understanding of Partner Center user and organizational account structures, you are ready to begin configuring your users and organization in Partner Center. To learn more and ask questions, attend the How to structure your Microsoft Partner Center account for long term success | Microsoft Community Hub session on November 4th. If you are unable to attend, the session will be recorded for viewing after.Welcome to the FY26 Q1 Partner Digest!
Stay up to date on the latest Microsoft Marketplace news, tools, and resources to help you grow your business. Subscribe to the Partner Digest label to never miss an update. 🚀 Noteworthy Highlights Introducing Microsoft Marketplace: Growth starts here. Turn your agents and other cloud-based innovations into sales, at scale, with Microsoft Marketplace. Learn more Updated Agreement: The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Agreement has been updated, effective September 22, 2025. Review now Partner Center Security: Multifactor authentication (MFA) is now required for Partner Center access. API enforcement beings April 2026. Learn more App Advisor Enhancements: Six new features help software developers build, publish, and sell apps faster and smarter on the Microsoft Marketplace. Explore now Fabric Extensibility Toolkit: Software companies can help customers bring apps to Fabric, speed development, and integrate workloads. Get started today Azure AI Foundry Updates: Now featuring GPT-5, OpenAI gpt-oss, Foundry Local support, and a new Browser Automation tool to help you build intelligent agents using natural language. Learn more Partner Center AI assistant: Now localized and smarter than ever with support for additional languages, providing quick answers to your day-to-day questions. Learn more Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Concierge: Your go-to resource for all program related desk engagements, streamlined and more impactful than ever. Learn more 🌟 Microsoft partner resources: New for FY26 MCAPS Start recap Microsoft kicked off FY26 with a bold vision for partner growth in the AI era. Nicole Dezen outlines how partners can lead with innovation and scale impact. Explore strategic solution areas, expanded MAICPP investments, and GTM support.👉 Read the full post New benefits & resources New AI-powered benefits and tools are here to help partners thrive. Julie Sanford details how to get Azure credits, Copilot seats, and custom GTM materials to accelerate agentic AI adoption.👉 Read the full post Blog Series & Playbooks: Catch up on our Cloud and AI Platforms blog series. Part one: Capturing the market opportunity Part two: Migrations & Modernizations Explore the latest Cloud and AI platforms and Agentic AI partner playbooks which includes key skilling resources, investments, win formulas and more. Unlock your Microsoft AI Cloud potential with Partner Skilling Hub: Visit our skilling hub for the latest training resources to earn designations and specializations. Explore the most recent skilling blog for key skilling-related announcements. Incentives ISV Success Advanced Package: Top-performing partners with Certified Software Designations can qualify for financial incentives to build AI solutions or migrate customers to Azure. The package supports every stage of ISV Success. Learn more. Migration Incentives: New end-customer migration incentives are now available to help software companies and advanced specialized system integrators securely and efficiently move software companies’ end customers to modern applications running on Azure. See Azure Incentives > ISV Engagements tab in the incentive guide for details. 🗓️ Events & Office Hours June-September recaps June: The Microsoft Marketplace Ecosystem Opportunity Explore how AI is reshaping solution development and customer engagement in this conversation with Cyril Belikoff, Microsoft’s new leader for Marketplace. Learn how the marketplace is simplifying procurement and accelerating growth. A “lightbulb moment” for the industry and the critical role partners play in delivering innovation on Microsoft’s platform. 👉 Watch the recording July: Marketplace Rewards FY26 Learn how channel partners can benefit from multiparty private offers and new rewards tier thresholds to unlock $200K in sponsorship. 👉 Watch the recording August: Co-Sell Blueprint & Certified Designations Gain real-world co-sell strategies and learn about Microsoft’s Customer Engagement Methodology from industry experts. Plus, get the latest on Certified Software Designation benefits for FY26. 👉 Watch the recording from Ultimate Partner session on Co-sell 👉 Watch the recording on Certified Software Designations and download the slide deck 📖Explore Microsoft Customer Engagement Methodology (MCEM) September: Migrate and Modernize Summit Our Sep 23-24 event is now available online to help services partners learn how agentic AI can boost their agility by moving to the cloud quickly and effectively. Catch the replay. Upcoming Events Microsoft AI Tour for Partners is back- Join a free, one-day event to accelerate your AI journey with sales best practices, growth opportunities, hands-on labs, and technical deep dives. Discover upcoming events in cities around the globe. Join the Fabric Global Hack (Sept 15–Nov 3, 2025) to build data and AI solutions with Microsoft Fabric, collaborate globally, and compete for prizes up to $10,000. Participants get 50% off Fabric certifications. Join us at the Azure Dev Summit from October 13-15, a Microsoft-sponsored event designed for developers, architects, and technology leaders. Explore the latest in Azure, .NET, and Microsoft AI, gain insights from inspiring speakers, and connect with peers driving innovation. Participate in AgentCon 2025 by Global AI Community—a global series of one-day conferences designed exclusively for developers building the future with autonomous AI agents. 🔥 Microsoft Ignite 2025 Microsoft Ignite 2025 will empower you to get the edge you need to drive impact in the era of AI. Join us in San Francisco or attend virtually from November 18-21 to bolster your knowledge, build connections, and explore emerging technologies. Hear from Microsoft executives and other leaders on their vision for AI. Explore the latest in Cloud and AI platforms, AI business solutions, and Security. Celebrate the winners and finalists of Partner of the Year Awards 👉 Register now and stay up to date with event news at Microsoft Ignite Unplugged. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Stay tuned to the https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/marketplace-blog/bg-p/MarketplaceBlog for upcoming recaps and new office hour announcements. 💬 Share Your Feedback! We truly appreciate your feedback and want to ensure these Partner Digests deliver the information you need to succeed in the marketplace. If you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can continue to improve the content to best support you, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!Join us at Microsoft's campus for the Ultimate Partner LIVE event!
The countdown is on - Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA on May 1st – 2nd is fast approaching, and you won’t want to miss it! This is the event for connecting with Microsoft executives, partners, and industry experts driving ecosystem growth and shaping the future. Join us as we take over the iconic Microsoft Conference Center for two action-packed days. It’s your opportunity to engage directly with Microsoft leaders, learn from expert panel discussions, immerse yourself in hands-on workshops, and experience a targeted partnering experience. Microsoft’s ongoing support of Ultimate Partner, along with its sponsorship of the Ultimate Partner LIVE event, highlights the importance of ecosystem-led growth. A special thank you to all the Microsoft leaders below who plan to take the stage and those who coordinate behind the scenes to make this event a success. Over 30 industry-leading speakers and award-winning partners will grace the stage and share insights that will shape the future of cloud go-to-market strategies. The two-day agenda will cover topics such as: Prepare Your Microsoft Business for FY26 The Marketplace Ecosystem Opportunity The State of the Marketplace Ecosystem Microsoft’s AI & Software Vision Forging the New World of Data & AI Defining the Marketplace of the Future for SMBs The Power of Partnerships: Building AI Together Perspective of a Microsoft Marketplace POTY Award Winner Embracing Change and Pivoting for Success Acre of Diamonds: How to Leverage the Opportunity with Microsoft Unlocking the Opportunity Through Ecosystem Thinking The Partner Perspective for Ecosystem Thinking Future of Distribution Co-Selling Journey Celebrating Microsoft: 50 Years of Tectonic Shifts And more! Why This Event is Critical: We are standing at a pivotal moment: AI is advancing faster than most organizations can keep up with. Accelerate Microsoft FY25 Q4 priorities and understand FY26 opportunities. Microsoft Marketplace is poised for explosive growth. Go-to-market success now demands tighter alignment and precision from partners than ever before. Why You Can’t Afford to Miss This Event: Exclusive Access to Microsoft Decision-Makers The executives setting the agenda for FY26 will be in the room. You’ll gain clarity on FY26. Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer & CVP Global Partner Solutions will kick us off, and you will hear from leaders across the Software, Services, Reseller, Marketplace, and Sales Organizations. Know exactly how to align your business, resources, and messaging to what Microsoft actually cares about this fiscal year. Interactive Workshops to Sharpen Your Skills How to co-sell smarter with Microsoft How to design GTM plays that convert How to win with commercial marketplace motions With Industry Experts like Reis Barrie, CEO of Carve Partners, John Jahnke, CEO of Tackle.io, Sam Gong, SVP Marketing at WorkSpan, Rebecca Jones, Chief Growth Officer of Bridge Partners, Erin Figer, Founder of Core Consulting, and leaders from The Partner Masters, Suger and more hosting immersive workshops, be prepared to learn and implement. Proven Frameworks for Delivering Results Vince Menzione will share his 7 Principles of Successful Partnerships—developed from working with top-performing partners across the ecosystem. Other experts will share frameworks for marketplace, co-selling, GTM, and more Networking Opportunities to Accelerate Your Business This will be a curated executive room where you'll connect with partner leaders, advisors, and Microsoft stakeholders in high-trust conversations that spark real opportunities. You’ll leave with a tighter, more strategic network—and future deals in motion. An Intentionally Designed Experience with Real-World Impact Every detail of this event—from the location in Redmond to the experience design—is built to support meaningful conversations, clarity, and action. What People Say: “What an incredible experience at the Ultimate Partner Live Executive Summit. Two days packed with relationship building, business growth, and learning – it felt like months of progress compressed into 2 days.” Steven Karachinsky, CEO at Ziro “Really loved the vibe and amazing conversations with the partners at the Ultimate event! I think you absolutely have the right formula to create impact for the entire ecosystem with such a gathering.” Sandy Gupta, VP, Ecosystems of Global Software Companies at Microsoft “The event was informative, insightful, and inspiring. Your ability to put into words the tectonic shift we are all experiencing is refreshing! Thanks for being the trailblazer by providing thoughtful content and curated partner experiences. We have all been craving this for so long.” Regina Manfredi, EVP, General Manager at Crayon Group US “Attending this event was like striking gold 🙂 As a startup founder focused on co-sell and partnership, the validation and insights I gained at this event were invaluable; the future of partnerships and alliances is clearly bright. Vince Menzione, you are truly a powerhouse, and I wish you continued success! Most importantly, thank you for streaming the entire event, was truly incredible.” Archana Vadya, Founder & CEO at PartneRite “A big shout out to Vince Menzione for bringing this scale event (Ultimate Partner LIVE in Dallas) to life! It was a mega effort, and the results were amazing. Just look at the abundance of LinkedIn posts! It was an absolute pleasure sharing the stage with so many incredible speakers and colleagues from Microsoft and several of our partners like WorkSpan, Carve Partners, BDO, EY, Archive360, Sage, PartnerTap.” Kevin Peesker, (former) President, SMC - Small, Medium, Corporate Business at Microsoft This will prove to be the most valuable two days for your business in the first half of 2025. Ultimate Partner LIVE is a premium, focused, two-day immersive experience that will equip you with the tools and insights to lead through change and drive measurable results in FY26. Register now and use code ULTIMATEVIP50 at checkout for an exclusive discount.Meet customer business needs with flexible billing schedules in the marketplace
Co-authored by Trevor_Yeats Today, we’re announcing that Microsoft now offers flexible billing schedules through private offers to better align with customer needs. Flexible billing schedules are available globally to all marketplace-supported currencies. Watch these demo videos to learn more about flexible billing schedules. The value for your customers and for you With flexible billing schedules, customers can buy with confidence knowing that private offers can be customized for virtually any contract value and billing timeline to align with their requirements. Partners can tailor customer private offers and multiparty private offers to meet those requirements. This streamlines sales and accelerates deal velocity. With over 100 partners in our private preview, we’re excited to make this capability publicly available. Many of these partners have achieved remarkable success, closing deals worth millions of dollars. “Flexible billing in Microsoft marketplace has significantly improved how our sales teams engage with customers. It allows them to meet each organization's and customer's procurement needs, whether it's aligning with fiscal year budgets or accelerating project timelines from evaluations to implementations. Additionally, it helps with managing cloud commitment benefits. This flexibility has made it easier for our customers to purchase and deploy solutions faster, without waiting for specific budgets to become available. We can now set up flexible billing schedules to accommodate their needs.” Brett Ferancy, Global Alliance Leader, Abnormal AI Example use cases See below for some real-world examples of how partners and customers are leveraging flexible billing. Variable pricing with specific dates. In this example, the customer pays a setup fee at the start of billing, followed by variable pricing throughout the contract to match consumption patterns and budget cycles. 3-year deal $80M total Notes Immediate charge when billing starts $2M Setup fee – 1 st month 01 Jan 2025 $5M Year 1 installment #2 15 Jul 2025 $3M Year 1 installment #3 01 Jan 2026 $10M Year 2 installment #1 15 Jul 2026 $10M Year 2 installment #2 01 Jan 2027 $20M Year 3 installment #1 15 Jul 2027 $30M Year 3 installment #2 Variable quarterly billing. In this example, the customer pays a setup fee at the start of billing, followed by variable pricing each quarter. 1-year deal $10M total Notes Immediate when billing starts $2M Q1 01 Jun 2025 $3M Q2 01 Sep 2025 $2M Q3 01 Dec 2025 $3M Q4 Delayed start for billing. In this example, the customer gets the first two months free, followed by varied payments throughout the contract to match budget cycles 2-year deal $25M total Notes Immediate when billing starts $0M Free – 2 months 01 Mar 2024 $10M Year 1 fee 15 Jan 2025 $5M Year 2 installment 1 01 Jul 2025 $10M Year 2 installment 2 How it works To start using flexible billing for private offers: The software partner creates a private offer in the marketplace. Currently flexible billing supports SaaS flat rate offers, VM software reservations, and professional services. Partner must choose “Customize SaaS plans and Professional Services” or “Customize VM software reservations” when creating a new private offer. On the configure pricing page, under “billing frequency,” the partner will select “flexible schedule when the contract duration is 1-year or greater.” The software partner creates the billing schedule with up to 70 installments up to $100,000,000 USD, or any of the currencies supported by marketplace, over the length of the deal. There is also an option to book an immediate charge when billing starts or delay the first charge to a date in the future. Private offers can have up to ten included product plans. Each plan has its own billing frequency and may include a unique flexible schedule. A flexible schedule does not apply to all plans included in the private offer and must be set up independently. The software partner can also create a schedule in their customer’s local billing currency using the market pricing template. The customer accepts and purchases the private offer with the flexible billing schedule. For a multiparty private offer, the process is the same except: The software partner sends the private offer to the channel partner. The channel partner adds their price adjustment percentage aligned to the flexible billing schedule and passes it to the customer. Eligibility Any company who is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program can sell on the marketplace through private offers with flexible billing. Details are provided in our documentation, but at a high-level: Be a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (it’s free to join) Sign the marketplace publisher agreement Publish your offer Sell private offers with flexible billing In addition, we have many support resources for partners depending on where they are on their marketplace journey. For example, software development companies can join ISV Success for tools and resources that help them publish their solution and maximize its reach on the marketplace. Get started with flexible billing on marketplace We invite you to start leveraging these new improvements to flexible billing today. Learn more by visiting aka.ms/flexbill-docs.
