The Partner Channel Magazine Fall 2016

TPC: That’s pretty fast development work for them. How would you say that AppSource is different from
competitive vendors’ app platforms?
JD: The one thing we’re doing differently in AppSource is that we have the ability to surface the ISV’s app right inside
Microsoft first-party products through an in-app gallery. For example, when a business user is using Microsoft
Power BI or Microsoft Dynamics CRM, we can surface the ISV’s app in the context of the product to increase the
likelihood of the user deciding to trial the ISV’s app.
TPC: That’s a big value add to somebody who is evaluating an add-on solution. What’s the process for a
Partner to have their solution listed in AppSource?
JD: The first thing is to review the app listing criteria to ensure the app is a fit for AppSource. We then look to
confirm the app is targeted at a business user, employs Azure Active Directory for single sign-on and authentication,
is a true SaaS line-of-business app, and that the Partner has the ability to offer a free trial and provide support. Next,
the Partner completes the application form at appsource.microsoft.com.
The information Partners provide gives us the initial scoping for the solution and profiles which Microsoft
platform the Partner’s app is based on (i.e. Azure, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Power BI, etc.). After the application,
we match the Partner up with the appropriate Microsoft platform team to ensure the app meets the underlying
platform criteria. The onboarding and publishing can take a number of weeks.
The main thing people ask is about the criteria and getting help working through that. (Editor’s note: See full
list of criteria on the next page.) There is a communication cadence throughout the publishing process that lets a
Partner know exactly where they are in the process.
TPC: Once a Partner has published an app, can they easily make changes?
JD: Each Partner receives a unique page on AppSource to promote their app. This is where they can communicate
the value proposition of their app through video, feature and functionality details, links to their website, and other
information to promote the app in the way that makes the most sense to their target business users.
If the ISV modifies the underlying app, they would need to come back to the publishing process.
TPC: Barb Edson shared a little about this in our feature interview this quarter (see page 14), but as the
person in charge of marketing this service, what’s on your radar?
JD: We’ll continue to drive momentum with a cadence of communication and blogs identifying new ISVs and apps
that are coming onboard from the Microsoft Dynamics, Azure, and Power BI communities.
Our global marketing campaigns will be inclusive of AppSource driving awareness and demand. We also have goto-market
programs designed to help our Partners be successful. For example, once the ISV meets certain criteria,
they get access to more and more marketing benefits.
TPC: That’s a great amount of promotion. Shortly after WPC, we hosted a call for our Members. Dynamics
365 and AppSource were, no surprise, big parts of the conversation. One question was whether ISV solutions
developed for SMB products such as Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV could be
included in AppSource. Can you share some information on that?
JD: While AppSource does include apps built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, apps built on Microsoft Dynamics GP
are not listed on AppSource as Microsoft Dynamics GP is an on-premises solution. AppSource supports ISV apps
built on top of first-party SaaS/PaaS business apps.
TPC: Thanks for clarifying that. A pretty cool story that was shared at WPC was that of AvePoint and the
number of leads they received in the first week of AppSource. How have the leads been tracking since that time?
JD: There was definitely a peak around WPC, and it’s now more of a steady stream of leads to ISVs. We have two
types of trials on AppSource, customer-led and Partner-led. Customer-led allows a business user to trial the app
immediately on AppSource. A great example of a customer-led trial is AvePoint’s Citizen Services SaaS app. A
Partner-led trial requires the ISV to reach out to the customer to complete the trial experience.
TPC: I noticed that when I did a trial of a Starbucks gift card app within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The
Partner did a great job of following up, by the way! Has the need to have a trial available been an obstacle
for many Partners?
JD: Partners do need to offer a free trial for their app, but they don’t need to have one that is provisioned
automatically from AppSource, i.e. a customer-led trial. We want to make sure that a Partner has the flexibility to
determine the best approach for the trialing of their app. And a number of ISVs offer Partner-led trials which allow
the ISV to schedule time with the customer to complete the trial.
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