How the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace is transforming the distribution of software and services

#AskTheCEO Podcast

Learn more about Microsoft's Commercial Marketplace: https://aka.ms/SellThroughMarketplace Paul Maher is the general manager of the Industry Experiences team at Microsoft, a group that helps partners drive technology innovation moving to the Microsoft Azure cloud and enabling online sales by using the Microsoft commercial marketplace as a new distribution model. As part of this discussion, we shared how a partnership with Microsoft, the use of the Azure cloud platform and services, and the commercial marketplace, empower Microsoft partners to innovate, while scaling and growing their business. Web: https://azure.com Twitter: @PaulJFMaher @Microsoft LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljmaher/ Microsoft's Commercial Marketplace: https://aka.ms/SellThroughMarketplace Contact Avrohom: Web: https://asktheceo.biz Facebook: AvrohomGottheil Twitter: @avrohomg Instagram: @avrohomg INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: [01:12] Cloud is a big buzzword nowadays, and everyone is jumping on the cloud bandwagon. However, the benefit of building solutions in the cloud is not just about technology innovation, but also the ROI from a business perspective. As someone who manages a team focused on industry, can you share some more information on the business ROI of building solutions in the cloud? [02:34] The driving force behind cloud. [02:47] Data is growing to 44 zettabytes by the end of 2020 and will grow to 163 zettabytes per year by 2025. [03:15] Analysts predict analytics to be a $200M global market by 2020. [03:31] 2020 will see $1T in IT spending related to cloud. [04:38] The business benefits of cloud: Cloud provides businesses with operational agility, quicker time to market, security, and reliability. [07:51] Cloud eliminates hardware refreshes and its associated maintenance costs. [08:25] Tell us about Microsoft’s online distribution model called the Commercial Marketplace. [09:15] B2B buyers prefer to gather their own information online and not interact with a sales rep. [10:22] The online marketplace is a distribution model for partners to see their software and services. [10:40] There are 2 storefronts. The first is called Azure Marketplace which is predominately suited for IT professionals looking for technology building blocks, like API’s, etc. [10:55] The second one is called Appsource, which is focused more on line of business software solutions. [14:55] Can you share a few stories that highlight how businesses have become extremely successful by partnering with Microsoft? [21:09] Covid-19 has impacted everyone, and we’re now living in what’s called the “new normal”. Can you share with us some of the work you’re doing to help partners succeed in today’s “remote only” world? [26:06] I’ve really enjoyed hearing the success stories about the Commercial Marketplace. For people considering joining the Microsoft Partnership, how transformative is the Commercial Marketplace in helping people scale and grow their businesses? [26:40] The Commercial Marketplace is as transformative for businesses as cloud is being from a technology perspective. [30:19] Where can people go to learn more about the Commercial Marketplace? Paul: They can go to https://azure.com and https://aka.ms/SellThroughMarketplace. [31:00] And how can people connect with you, personally. Paul: You can connect with me on Twitter at @PaulJFMaher and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljmaher/. [31:18] Do you have any parting words of wisdom to share with the audience? #AskTheCEO with Paul Maher