In the United States, Microsoft’s cloud offering is undergoing a major overhaul. Azure Marketplace and AppSource are merging to form Microsoft Marketplace. The platform offers thousands of cloud services and more than 3,000 AI apps. Adobe, IBM, SAP, and Snowflake are among the launch partners.
Microsoft’s new Marketplace unifies Azure Marketplace and Microsoft AppSource into a single platform for cloud solutions, AI applications, and AI agents. The platform will first be available in the United States and will later be rolled out worldwide. According to early customers, configuration time can be twenty times faster than before. Siemens has also already seen an eightfold increase in customer adoption via Marketplace compared to before. These figures are from an early phase of the new platform, but they inspire some confidence.
Broad integration with Microsoft’s partners
The new Marketplace contains tens of thousands of cloud solutions across various categories. Data & analytics, productivity, and security are the most important permanent fixtures. In addition, Microsoft is introducing a new category for AI applications and agents, with over 3,000 solutions available.
All solutions offered integrate with Microsoft’s product portfolio, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Security. For companies with an Azure Consumption Commitment, purchases of eligible solutions count toward their commitments.
Major players
More than 90 partners are supporting the launch. Big names such as Adobe, Asana, Atlassian, IBM, Monday.com, SAP, and Snowflake have made their products available on the new platform. Microsoft has linked the Marketplace to its own channel ecosystem. Organizations can purchase solutions through their trusted cloud service provider or partner.
Microsoft has further expanded its collaboration with channel partners. Distributors such as Arrow, Crayon, Ingram Micro, Pax8, and TD SYNNEX are integrating the Microsoft Marketplace into their own platforms. A new feature called “resale enabled offers” is also in private preview. This option allows software companies to authorize channel partners to sell on their behalf through private offers.
Versus AWS and Google
Microsoft is turning Marketplace into a single front door for everything from regular applications to agents. It removes any confusion about where customers can purchase products. AWS has a discrete “agents & tools” category, but the surrounding environment is not as streamlined as what Microsoft now offers. The same applies to Google Cloud as to Microsoft: anyone in the tech giant’s ecosystem can easily purchase both conventional solutions and AI tools via the cloud platform to enhance Workspace or 365. That will not change with the move to Microsoft Marketplace, but it will become even easier.
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