As organizations embrace AI transformation, they are searching for next-generation applications that deliver real business value. McKinsey estimates that 67% of organizations will invest more in AI over the next three years.1 And software as a service (SaaS) spend is estimated to hit USD232 billion in 2024, up 18% from the prior year.2 There has been a comparable surge in investment and innovation from thousands of software development companies building with AI technology and looking to meet market demand. The proliferation of AI solutions means it can be challenging for customers to know what to buy and how to buy it to get the most out of their AI and cloud investments.
Identifying a single destination for decision makers to find validated solutions for their organization, industry, or function is a game-changer for them. With a comprehensive set of solutions vetted by Microsoft and ready to deploy on the Microsoft Cloud, the Microsoft commercial marketplace is designed to make it easier for organizations to discover, try, purchase, and manage their cloud solutions in the era of AI. By consolidating purchases through the marketplace, business leaders can have confidence that partner solutions run on Azure and are preconfigured to deploy seamlessly. The marketplace enables organizations to manage their cloud portfolio in a single place with a centralized view, helping to increase efficiency and ultimately accelerate transformation.
Discover an easier way to find the solutions you need
As Microsoft continues to invest in AI, more software development companies are building innovative solutions on the Microsoft Cloud AI stack and publishing them to the Microsoft commercial marketplace. With triple-digit annualized growth in AI and machine learning offers published,3 the marketplace offers a robust catalog that simplifies discovery of AI solutions such as copilot extensions, Microsoft Teams and Power BI plug-ins, Power Automate connectors, packaged SaaS applications, and more.
The marketplace also provides models as a service (MaaS) to help build AI applications faster and with the latest technology. Organizations can find cutting edge, ready-to-use models from partners like Cohere, Meta, and Mistral AI, as well as get the tools to work with large language models from partners like LangChain, Pinecone, and Unstructured. Models purchased through the marketplace can be deployed directly in Azure AI Studio.
There are also a growing number of industry-specific solutions, which today comprise more than 40% of partner revenue through the marketplace.3 Thousands of marketplace solutions are tailored to businesses in energy, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, media and entertainment, retail, transportation, and other industries.
Check out these partner solutions to see how the marketplace can support unique industry needs:
Many industry solutions are built on the Microsoft Industry Clouds, which help organizations further maximize their cloud portfolio. Microsoft Industry Clouds leverage industry-specific common data models for data interoperability across applications and platforms. This means data can move seamlessly in the Azure environment and be utilized for any number of tasks like training generative AI models.
To make it easier for businesses to confidently choose proven solutions, Microsoft introduced a new Solutions Partner with certified software designation. Partners obtain this designation for customer solution areas including Azure and Security but also for Industry AI solutions across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and sustainability. Designated Industry AI solutions have a demonstrated track record of customer success, align to Microsoft Industry Clouds, and have undergone a technical review to ensure the solution interoperates with Microsoft products and meets industry-specific AI requirements. While “certified software” badging is available in the marketplace today, filtering capabilities will soon be introduced to make it easier for organizations to identify these solutions.
The Microsoft commercial marketplace extends beyond a storefront to help organizations simplify purchasing so they can move faster. In a 2023 Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by Microsoft, Forrester Consulting found the marketplace improved time savings for the payments and finance purchasing teams by 30%, as those teams leveraged marketplace features such as automated invoicing and billing systems. Using the marketplace also reduced the time required to onboard new vendors by 75%, meaning new technology solutions could be deployed sooner. Vendors can submit required documentation and access guidance and tools directly in the marketplace, reducing the administrative burden of reviewing paperwork and walking vendors through new processes.
The ability to move faster doesn’t mean organizations sacrifice flexibility and savings. The marketplace supports free trials and proofs-of-concept so teams can evaluate solutions to ensure they align with business needs before investing. Licenses can also be turned on and off to assess value prior to making larger commitments.
Additionally, the marketplace allows organizations to purchase solutions in the ways that work best for them, whether that’s self-service online, through a preferred channel partner with multiparty private offers, or with a Microsoft account team. For businesses that require or request implementation services for their solution, professional services can now be added to a private offer, streamlining the buying experience by merging everything onto the Azure invoice.
For organizations with a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC), a contract that provides discounts on Azure infrastructure, they can count 100% of eligible marketplace purchases towards that commitment, ensuring more value for their investment. Azure benefit-eligible solutions have undergone additional technical validation from Microsoft and are easily identifiable directly in the marketplace.
The Microsoft commercial marketplace is accelerating the era of AI by helping organizations find and deploy the cloud and AI solutions they need in a way that simplifies purchasing, maximizes investments, and unifies data. As organizations across industries look to solve business and technology needs, the marketplace provides access to a comprehensive catalog of solutions and makes it easy to buy with confidence.
2 Custify, The Future of SaaS: Top Trends and Predictions in 2024 and Beyond, July 12, 2024.
3 Microsoft internal data
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