Becoming transactable on the Azure Marketplace means that Microsoft manages the payment for an ISV’s software license on behalf of the ISV. Transact offers are billed directly to Microsoft, which means the buyer must pay with their credit card or through the Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) program, where Azure customers can get discounts.
When Azure customers buy cloud services and participate in MACC, they sign a contract to spend a set amount of money over a specific time period, usually 1 year. At the moment, 1 USD = 1 Azure dollar. Azure commitments operate like a pre-loaded gift card. In the customer’s eyes, the money is already spent. Now they just need to find a worthwhile solution.
All charges appear on a customer’s Azure bill, which makes selling on the marketplace more reliable than going at it alone. After all, customers rarely default on their cloud bills, since that’s where much of their business is hosted.
How to become transactable: 8 steps
- Create a Partner Center Account. This is your home base for listing and transaction management.
- Undergo the Verification process. Prove that you meet the minimal legal, financial, and operational requirements to become a transactable partner.
- Meet the technical requirements. You must meet specific requirements set by Azure to ensure your tools are compatible with the platform so you offer a seamless UX. Requirements include meeting performance standards, security measures, compatibility checks.
- Setting up a landing page. After all the technical requirements are met, then you need to create a landing page or solution. Think of it like an online storefront in a mall of solutions – you need to stand out from the crowd.
- Set up billing. Azure’s billing solution is an asset for ISVs and other vendors, but setting it up can be tricky. Integrating billing data on your server with Azure’s system isn’t straightforward. You will need to be strategic when configuring your webhooks and API, as sellers are limited to 30 billing metrics. If you’re stuck on how to customize Azure’s billing system, Invisory can help you build a pricing plan that gives you and your customers the most flexibility.
- Go live. As soon as you have all the pieces in place, you can click “Go live” on the “Offer overview” tab to publish your software offer. Following this, your listing will go through a certification process, which can take a few days to complete.
- Align and scale. Becoming transactable is only the beginning. As soon as your listing is live, monitor marketplace metrics and gather customer feedback to refine your offerings. Keep your listing current with the latest product details and pricing to build trust. You will want to keep up-to-date on changes in Azure, as well as engage with marketplaces representatives to shape your medium-term and long-term strategy.
- Explore other hyperscaler marketplaces. After you’re live on Azure, consider listing your app on another marketplace to further boost your reach. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud marketplace is a good option for ISVs.
Learn more about becoming transactable in our “The Future is Transactable” eBook.
