Microsoft Marketplace projected to be $300B partner revenue opportunity by 2030
Microsoft Marketplace is projected to be a $300B partner revenue opportunity by 2030, according to a commissioned study by Omdia. For partners who sell through Marketplace, the study found: • 88% see revenue growth • 75% close sales faster • 69% get larger deals Read the full report here to learn how Marketplace will drive opportunities for both software companies and channel partners in the coming years.Boosting cloud and AI ROI: The power of Microsoft Marketplace
Maximizing return on investment in cloud and AI requires more than technology—it demands smarter procurement and streamlined deployment. This article explains how Microsoft Marketplace helps organizations accelerate adoption, reduce costs, and unlock innovation. Learn how Marketplace simplifies purchasing, enables flexible billing, and provides access to thousands of solutions that drive measurable business outcomes. Read the full article hereUnlocking growth: The channel-led Marketplace opportunity
The Microsoft Marketplace is creating new ways for partners to scale and grow. This article explores how channel-led strategies can accelerate customer acquisition, expand reach, and drive revenue through marketplace transactions. Learn why embracing marketplace collaboration is critical for future success and how partners can leverage these opportunities to deliver greater value. Unlocking growth: the channel-led Marketplace opportunity | Microsoft Community HubCommunicating the value of Microsoft Marketplace
Helping customers understand the true value of Microsoft Marketplace is key to driving adoption and success. This recent article shares practical approaches for framing conversations around business outcomes, cost optimization, and innovation. Learn how to position Marketplace as a strategic enabler, highlight its role in accelerating procurement, and demonstrate measurable impact for your customers. How we talk about the value of Microsoft Marketplace with customers | Microsoft Community HubAccelerate your Marketplace success
Selling through Microsoft Marketplace doesn’t have to be complex. In our blog, From listing to sale: Microsoft Marketplace made easy, guest author Kyle Heisner from Suger shares actionable guidance to help you streamline the process—from creating a compelling listing to closing deals efficiently. Explore best practices, proven strategies, and insights that can help you maximize visibility and drive revenue. Read the full article here: From listing to sale: Microsoft Marketplace made easy | Microsoft Community HubHow AI closes requirements gaps, and how Modern Requirements and Microsoft Marketplace can help
In this guest blog post, Asif Sharif, CEO of Modern Requirements, explores where DevOps workflows fall short and how teams can better manage requirements with Copilot4DevOps, Modern Requirements4DevOps, and Microsoft Azure DevOps.AI-powered maintenance management with Microsoft Azure
Welcome to another edition of our Partner Spotlight series, where we showcase the innovators transforming maintenance and field service operations through the Microsoft Marketplace. Each feature uncovers the unique journey of a partner leveraging the Microsoft ecosystem to deliver AI-powered solutions and transactable offers that simplify enterprise adoption and accelerate digital transformation. In this article, I connected with Benjamin Schwärzler from Workheld, a Vienna-based SaaS provider redefining maintenance management for asset-intensive industries. We explore their origin story, their evolution as a Microsoft partner, and how they’re helping organizations bridge the gap between shopfloor execution and strategic decision-making—all within a secure, Azure-powered environment. About Ben [BS]: Benjamin Schwärzler is the CEO of Workheld, a Vienna-based SaaS company redefining how industrial enterprises manage maintenance and field service operations. With a strong background in digital transformation and enterprise software strategy, Benjamin has led Workheld’s evolution from a start-up to a trusted Microsoft partner serving global industry leaders such as voestalpine. Under his leadership, Workheld has become a pioneer in digital shopfloor enablement—combining AI-driven insights with seamless execution to improve efficiency, transparency, and safety in industrial maintenance. His work focuses on bridging the gap between operational excellence and digital innovation, empowering technicians and managers alike with intuitive, data-driven tools. Benjamin is passionate about advancing smart manufacturing and asset management through technology partnerships and ecosystem collaboration. His strategic vision has positioned Workheld at the forefront of Microsoft’s Marketplace, where it now serves as a reference case for how industrial SaaS providers can accelerate enterprise adoption through transactable marketplace solutions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [JR]: Tell us about your organization. [BS]: Workheld is a leading SaaS provider focused on digital solutions for maintenance and field service operations. Founded in Vienna, Austria, Workheld empowers industrial enterprises to plan, execute, and analyze maintenance and asset management processes with full transparency. Our platform, from within a secure, Microsoft Azure-based environment unites digital work orders, smart scheduling, and AI-driven insights—bridging the gap between the shopfloor and strategic decision-making. [JR]: What inspired the founding? [BS]: Workheld was born from a simple observation: while industrial production processes had undergone massive digitalization, maintenance operations remained largely analog. We saw an opportunity to create a solution that not only digitizes workflows but also connects people, data, and machines in a way that drives measurable efficiency gains. [JR]: What does your app do, and who is it designed for? [BS]: Workheld serves asset-intensive industries such as manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure. Workheld Flow connects maintenance teams, planners, and managers in one unified platform—delivering visibility from the field to the executive level. We started as a digital work order system and have grown into a full-fledged maintenance and asset management platform. Today, Workheld is an ecosystem—connecting technicians, planners, and management dashboards, with seamless integration into ERP systems and industrial IoT data streams. We help companies overcome fragmented communication, manual reporting, and inefficient resource allocation. With Workheld, teams can schedule, document, and analyze maintenance tasks in real time—reducing downtime and enabling data-driven decisions. [JR]: What technologies or Microsoft services does it leverage? [BS]: Workheld is built on Microsoft Azure, leveraging services such as Azure App Services, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Active Directory for secure and scalable operations. We are also integrating Azure AI Services for intelligent recommendations and predictive maintenance insights. [JR]: Can you describe your journey in publishing a transactable offer? Why did you decide to publish transactable, and what challenges did you face? [BS]: Enterprise customers increasingly want trusted, secure, and simplified procurement. By publishing a transactable offer, we aligned with our customers’ Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) and eliminated procurement barriers—making it easier for enterprises to buy and deploy Workheld within their existing Microsoft ecosystem. Navigating the technical and legal aspects of the transactable setup required close collaboration with Microsoft’s partner success team. We leveraged Microsoft’s resources, including Marketplace Rewards and technical documentation, to streamline the process and ensure compliance. [JR]: What publishing advice would you give to new partners? [BS]: Invest early in making your offer transactable—it dramatically increases customer trust and speeds up enterprise sales. Collaborate closely with Microsoft’s Marketplace team and focus on aligning your solution with customer MACC priorities. [JR]: How are you using AI in your app development? [BS]: We are incorporating Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Machine Learning to power intelligent assistant features within Workheld—such as AI-guided troubleshooting, natural language work order generation, and contextual recommendations during maintenance execution. Microsoft’s AI documentation, Azure partner webinars, and early access programs have been instrumental in helping us integrate and test AI components efficiently and responsibly. [JR]: What business outcomes have you seen from integrating AI? [BS]: AI reduces reporting time for technicians by up to 60% and enhances the accuracy of maintenance insights. It also allows managers to identify recurring issues faster, improving asset availability and reducing downtime. [JR]: What business impact have you seen since publishing on the Marketplace? [BS]: The Marketplace has transformed how we approach enterprise deals. Our first six-figure transaction with voestalpine demonstrated that Marketplace deals can accelerate procurement, align with customer MACC targets, and enhance trust across IT and procurement departments. [JR]: How has transacting directly on the Marketplace influenced your strategy? [BS]: It has become a key pillar of our go-to-market approach for enterprise customers. We now plan all major deals with Marketplace alignment in mind, enabling faster approvals and improved positioning within Microsoft’s co-sell ecosystem. [JR]: What key takeaways would you share with other partners? [BS]: Success in the Marketplace is about customer alignment and ecosystem thinking. It’s not just a sales channel—it’s a trust signal. Publishing a transactable offer opens the door to larger enterprise opportunities and deeper collaboration with Microsoft. [JR]: How has your Marketplace experience shaped your roadmap? [BS]: The Marketplace is now central to our global expansion strategy. We’re extending our platform with AI and IoT capabilities to further strengthen our position as the go-to maintenance management solution within the Microsoft ecosystem. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Resources Join ISV Success - Build and publish applications and agents faster with powerful AI developer tools, consultations, and technical guidance—then grow your sales through Microsoft Marketplace Join the marketplace community - Access resources for every stage of the journey on the Microsoft Marketplace, provide feedback, and engage with other partners and Microsoft subject-matter experts focused on your success. Microsoft Marketplace - Your trusted source for cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents Paths for partnership - Learn more about the ways you can partner with us—from building and selling solutions to differentiating your business with a Solutions Partner designation.Unlocking growth: the channel-led Marketplace opportunity
The technology industry is in the midst of a transformation, and nowhere is this more evident than in the evolution of cloud marketplaces. Microsoft’s unified Marketplace—bringing together AppSource and Azure Marketplace—has become the trusted destination for customers and partners to discover, transact, and scale cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents. But what’s truly driving momentum is the way software companies and channel partners are coming together to capture new opportunities. A new era of partnership The story begins with a simple observation: cloud marketplaces aren’t just about listing products—they’re about building relationships and accelerating growth. Microsoft’s ecosystem, now boasting over 500,000 partners and tens of thousands of solutions, is seeing explosive growth. Deals brokered through collaboration between software companies and channel partners are not only more frequent, but also 75% larger than average. The multiplier effect is real: for every dollar transacted, software companies see an additional $1.75 in value, while channel partners are seeing a remarkable $6.26 for every dollar. Why is this happening? The answer lies in the changing nature of technology buying. Today’s buyers prefer digital-first, integration-driven experiences. They want to discover, try, and deploy solutions with minimal friction, and they expect seamless interoperability. The marketplace is evolving to meet these expectations, supporting everything from product-led growth to seller-led and ecosystem-led go-to-market strategies. The value comes when Microsoft Marketplace is the mechanism of co-building and co-selling, in conjunction with a Microsoft Channel Partner. Here, customers get the perfect balance of agility and innovation, with good governance, guardrails and best practices, along with software lifecycle management and advisory services delivered through channel-led private offers. The mechanics of channel-led selling with Microsoft Marketplace Microsoft has built the marketplace to be an accelerated platform for innovation for our customers & partners – recently introducing the new globally available channel feature, resell-enabled offers - making it easier for channel partners to manage the entire lifecycle of a customer relationship. The partner led features of Marketplace —private offers, multiparty private offers, CSP private offers, and now resale-enabled offers—give partners full control over pricing, terms, and delivery, while streamlining the contracting process. The result? Faster deal velocity, increased profitability, and the ability to scale globally. Building a Marketplace practice Success in this new landscape requires more than just technical know-how. It’s about building a new business practice—starting with a strong foundation of leadership and ownership, enabling teams with the right processes and operational muscle, executing with clear reporting and visibility, and finally, scaling with dedicated resources and a vendor-light approach. Partners who embrace this journey are seeing significant new net business and deeper engagement with both Microsoft and their customers. The future: AI, services, and the power of moments As generative AI and agentic AI reshape the industry, services are growing even faster than products. Most deals now involve multiple partners, each contributing at different moments along the customer journey—from consulting and design to implementation and renewal. Marketplaces are becoming the platform where these moments are orchestrated, data is shared, and value is multiplied. A platform for partnering The Microsoft Marketplace is more than a storefront—it’s a platform for partnering, innovation, and growth. Whether you’re a software company looking to expand your reach, or a channel partner ready to build new practices, the opportunity is clear: embrace the marketplace, leverage new mechanisms, and unlock the multiplier effect. I covered the channel-led marketplace opportunity in my session at Microsoft Ignite this year. You can watch the full session and hear firsthand how industry leaders are navigating the channel-led marketplace opportunity, discover practical strategies for building your own marketplace practice, and get inspired by real-world examples of innovation and growth within the Microsoft ecosystem. Dive deeper into the mechanics, the mindset, and the momentum that are shaping the future of partner-driven success. Access the full session here: Executing on the channel-led marketplace opportunity for partnersDiscover how SharePoint Embedded can transform software solutions for your customers
Explore practical use cases and actionable steps to make integrating enterprise grade document management into applications real and impactful. Hear what software development company partners are asking about implementing SharePoint Embedded, what they learned, and how their customers are benefiting. Read the full article: SharePoint Embedded guide for software companies: Use cases make it real for customersHow we talk about the value of Microsoft Marketplace with customers
At Microsoft Ignite 2025, we introduced the reimagined Microsoft Marketplace to our customers as your trusted source for cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents. This brief, 20-minute breakout session talked about how Marketplace is empowering organizations to become Frontier Firms by streamlining the discovery, purchase, and deployment of tens of thousands of partner solutions. You can watch the session on the Ignite site or on YouTube and read the synopsis below to see how our team pitches Marketplace to our shared customers. We encourage you to provide this and our other customer-focused session on cost optimization to your customers! They can watch a Marketplace demo and learn more at Microsoft.com/Marketplace. BRK213 Microsoft Marketplace: Your trusted source for cloud and AI solutions How Microsoft Marketplace empower the shift to AI-first Frontier Firms are leading the shift to AI-first. Microsoft Marketplace, as an extension of the Microsoft Cloud, is empowering this Frontier transformation by connecting our customers to our partner ecosystem. Marketplace is unique in that customers can discover and purchase solutions in our storefront, in Microsoft products, and through distributed marketplaces through channel partners. Marketplace offers the largest catalog of AI apps and agents in the industry (4,000+ and growing), including so many of the leading innovators in this category. We’re seeing incredible momentum with customers adopting Marketplace: 2X+ sales growth again this year, 75% increase in average spend, and ~2X increase in AI solutions purchased. Microsoft Marketplace value AI apps and agents for every use case Marketplace allows you to choose thousands of AI apps and agents that match your scenario and stack, which simplifies deployment and decreases time-to-value. When you need to ground your AI solution, Marketplace has more than 11,000 models to choose from to ensure you get fast, relevant, and accurate context. You have confidence that solutions integrate natively so that employees can get what they need in the flow of work when using Microsoft products. Comprehensive catalog across cloud solutions and industries As organizations transition to becoming Frontier Firms, it fuels more cloud adoption. Marketplace has the most comprehensive catalog of solutions. Additionally, there are a host of business applications that meet exact needs in functions like HR, legal, and project management. You can access everything from Microsoft – a business partner you know and trust. Solutions come from vetted Microsoft partners which gives peace of mind with purchase. As tech buying responsibilities grow outside of IT, Marketplace keeps teams on the same page while allowing them to get what they need and supports try-before-you-buy scenarios with trials and POCs. Everything your organization buys through Marketplace is consolidated in a single view. Maximize investments with a consumption commitment A Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) commits your organization to a certain dollar amount of cloud spend. When you fulfill that commitment, it unlocks discounts on Azure infrastructure. Microsoft is unique in that we offer a 100% match on eligible solutions through Marketplace with no limit. Today, 85% of Microsoft customers with MACCs are buying through Marketplace. We have 3,800+ eligible solutions and that number grows every day. Integrated experience from discovery to deployment You can find and deploy solutions in our storefront but also in the Microsoft products you know and use every day -- agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, apps in Teams, models in Microsoft Foundry, a host of solutions in Azure portal, and more. We’re continuing to build out capabilities that allow you to use AI for an even better Marketplace experience. For example, you can now get Marketplace recommendations using Copilot in Azure portal. As we look to make an AI-infused commerce platform, you’ll continue to see improvements here. Empower your channel, get the benefits of Marketplace We aim to empower customers to buy how they want to buy, whether that’s through us and our Marketplace or relying on the channel. If you procure technology through a channel partner, you can bring that partner to source Marketplace solutions on your behalf. One way to do that is through resale enabled offers, which allow partners to work together so software companies can defer the sales and integration of their products to their channel partners. This means your IT provider can better service you. We have several other channel-led Marketplace opportunities in our portfolio, and all a partner has to do is enroll.
