Microsoft wants to help ISVs speed up dev times

Microsoft has lifted the lid on a partner program aimed at helping ISVs get their solutions out to market faster… Microsoft’s market of course.

The new program, dubbed "Business Applications ISV Connect", will help simplify the publishing process for ISVs for apps on Microsoft’s AppSource and Azure Marketplace, as well as promote those solutions to customers.

Microsoft had two main focuses for the program since previewing some elements earlier this year: reduce development time and speed up time to market, and invest further into its technology platforms, particularly Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.

The new technology features include pre-packaged elements like new APIs, business logic, entities and workflows for Dynamics 365 and PowerApps, allowing ISVs to connect line-of-business apps to data without building new integration points.

The program is built on a revenue-sharing model, which Microsoft said was to ensure it could reinvest back into ISVs, along with co-selling and co-marketing opportunities. Specifically, Microsoft said reinvestment will go towards giving partners access to customer-approved tenants, technical enablement and marketing support.

The program launches next week.

Microsoft will also launch ISV Studio, which gives partners insights into customer tenants, where their apps are installed, how they’re used and the install success rate.

On the topic of marketplaces, Microsoft is also rolling out new pricing models, rewards programs and a new route to market this month for companies that publish transactable offers to Microsoft’s commercial marketplace.

Partners that publish SaaS solutions and services built on Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 Power Platform or Azure, will be able to access tools and a single onboarding process to publish transactable offers in AppSource and Azure Marketplace. The offers will also be made available through Microsoft’s global reseller channel.

As for new pricing, Microsoft announced last month that partners would soon be able to create their own seat-based subscription services sold via the commercial marketplace or Azure Marketplace.