ISV offerings and incentives

Explore supported scenarios and benefits for partners developing software, also known as independent software vendors (ISVs).

Explore offerings and incentives tailored for ISVs

ISV Success continues to be the pathway for partners developing software within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program to build and innovate across the Microsoft Cloud and grow through the Microsoft commercial marketplace. Once enrolled, you can access core benefits including:

  • AI resources: Work to gain a competitive edge by developing intelligent apps safeguarded by industry-leading data privacy and security.
  • Consultations and support: Get the support you need with resources and 24/7 access to a global community of experts.
  • Developer tools: Accelerate innovation with platforms that help you streamline development, reduce costs, and go to market faster.

Introducing ISV Success Advanced Package

As announced at Microsoft Ignite the evolution of ISV Success now includes AI investments spanning hands-on technical enablement, credits for AI development tools, and expanded benefits for ISVs with AI projects. Our highest performing ISVs can also qualify for financial incentives to build and deploy AI-powered solutions or migrate end customers to Microsoft Azure-based solutions. With the ISV Success Advanced Package, ISVs who have attained a Solutions Partner1 with certified software2 designation can get the support they need across every stage of ISV Success.

Please note that active partners currently nominating through the Azure partner-led offerings for ISVs, including Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate, will not lose access to these incentives for the remainder of the fiscal year (through June 30, 2025). There will be no changes to the existing process for partners with active claims.

Check eligibility

Explore offerings and incentives tailored for ISVs

ISV Success continues to be the pathway for partners developing software within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program to build and innovate across the Microsoft Cloud and grow through the Microsoft commercial marketplace. Once enrolled, you can access core benefits including:

  • AI resources: Work to gain a competitive edge by developing intelligent apps safeguarded by industry-leading data privacy and security.
  • Consultations and support: Get the support you need with resources and 24/7 access to a global community of experts.
  • Developer tools: Accelerate innovation with platforms that help you streamline development, reduce costs, and go to market faster.

Introducing ISV Success Advanced Package

As announced at Microsoft Ignite the evolution of ISV Success now includes AI investments spanning hands-on technical enablement, credits for AI development tools, and expanded benefits for ISVs with AI projects. Our highest performing ISVs can also qualify for financial incentives to build and deploy AI-powered solutions or migrate end customers to Microsoft Azure-based solutions. With the ISV Success Advanced Package, ISVs who have attained a Solutions Partner1 with certified software2 designation can get the support they need across every stage of ISV Success.

Please note that active partners currently nominating through the Azure partner-led offerings for ISVs, including Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate, will not lose access to these incentives for the remainder of the fiscal year (through June 30, 2025). There will be no changes to the existing process for partners with active claims.

Check eligibility

What’s in the ISV Success Advanced Package:

Build and Publish

  • Up to 50 hours of technical consults 
  • Up to $50,000 in Azure credits (up to $25,000 for partners without certified software designations)*
  • Up to $100,000 in cash incentives for building applications on Azure AI or Analytics services
  • Up to $50,000 in cash incentives for publishing AI or Analytics-enabled apps on the commercial marketplace

Grow (Marketplace Rewards)

  • Up to $50,000 in cash incentives for each end-customer migration to Azure-based applications
  • Incremental go-to-market benefits for Solutions Partners with certified software designations
    • Microsoft sales play cards
    • Nurture assets, emails, and call scripts
    • Customer-facing solution briefs

Customer migration and modernization

ISV Success Advanced: Customer Migration

Eligibility: This engagement is for partners who have attained a Solutions Partner with certified software designation (Azure, Security, or Industry AI).**

ISV Success Advanced: Customer Migration will provide expert guidance to execute a customer’s migration project to solutions built on Azure. It can include migrating customers to the partner’s software as a service (SaaS) or a Bring Your Own License (BYOL) offering on Azure.

Next actions: Nominate your projects today. Then use the appropriate proof of execution (POE) below for validating the engagement in the Microsoft Commerce Incentive (MCI) portal.

Extra small project size

POE document for extra small project size ISV SaaS and BYOL: $10K – $25K/year planned Azure consumption.

Small project size

POE document for small project size ISV SaaS and BYOL: $25K – $125K/year planned Azure consumption.

Medium project size

POE document for medium project size ISV SaaS and BYOL: >$125K – $250K/year planned Azure consumption.

Large project size

POE document for large project size ISV SaaS and BYOL: >$250K – $500K/year planned Azure consumption.

ISV Success Advanced: Analytics

Eligibility: This engagement is for partners who have attained a Solutions Partner with certified software designation (Azure, Security, or Industry AI).**

ISV Success Advanced: Analytics provides guidance, resources, and funding to drive consistent execution and customer experience, accelerating the demand, pipeline, and consumption of Azure Analytics Services.

In this engagement, ISVs will drive migrations and modernization of the data estate for their applications and publish marketplace offers.

The following publish patterns are supported: migration or modernization services of on-premises or cloud data warehouse platforms and new analytics use cases. Projects should be integrating key analytics services—including Microsoft Power BI Premium, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, Azure Purview, ADX and/or Microsoft Fabric—into their applications. Power BI Premium integrations will be considered only if there is pull-through of Analytics and AI consumption.

Next actions: Nominate your projects today. Then use the appropriate POE below for validating the engagement in the MCI portal.

Pilot/POV (Standard)

POE document for Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (L)

POE document for the L Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (XL)

POE document for the XL Pilot or Proof of Value.

Extra small project size

POE document for extra small project size Analytics: $10K – $25K/year planned Azure consumption.

Small project size

POE document for small project size Analytics: $25K – $125K/year planned Azure consumption.

Medium project size

POE document for medium project size Analytics: >$125K – $250K/year planned Azure consumption.

Large project size

POE document for large project size Analytics: >$250K – $500K/year planned Azure consumption.

ISV Success Advanced: AI Apps

Eligibility: This engagement is for partners who have attained a Solutions Partner with certified software designation (Azure, Security, or Industry AI).**

In ISV Success Advanced: AI Apps, ISVs will build new apps or modernize their existing apps using Azure applications, database, and/or AI services, and publish marketplace offers.

The following patterns or their combinations are supported: containerization of applications, re-platform apps on Azure PaaS, infusing apps with AI capabilities, and modernization of underlying application data using SQL and NoSQL cloud databases.
Setup of Azure security services to support the workloads may be included in the scope.

Next actions: Nominate your projects today. Then use the appropriate POE below for validating the engagement in the MCI portal.

Pilot/POV (Standard)

POE document for Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (L)

POE document for L Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (XL)

POE document for the XL Pilot/Proof of Value.

Extra small project size

POE document for extra small project size Analytics: $10K – $25K/year planned Azure consumption.

Small project size

POE document for small project size Analytics: $25K – $125K/year planned Azure consumption.

Medium project size

POE document for medium project size Analytics: >$125K – $250K/year planned Azure consumption.

Large project size

POE document for large project size Analytics: >$250K – $500K/year planned Azure consumption.

ISV Success Advanced: AI Platform

Eligibility: This engagement is for partners who have attained a Solutions Partner with certified software designation (Azure, Security, or Industry AI).**

ISV Success Advanced: AI Platform engages partners to design and pilot an Azure AI solution.

Next actions: Nominate your projects today. Then use the appropriate POE below for validating the engagement in the MCI portal.​

Pilot/POV (Standard)

POE document for Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (L)

POE document for L Pilot or Proof of Value.

Pilot/POV (XL)

POE document for XL Pilot or Proof of Value.

Extra small project size

POE document for extra small project size: $10K – $25K/year planned Azure consumption.

Small project size

POE document for small project size: $25K – $125K/year planned Azure consumption.

Medium project size

POE document for medium project size: >$125K – $250K/year planned Azure consumption.

Large project size

POE document for large project size: >$250K – $500K/year planned Azure consumption.​

Additional ISV incentives

A dollar bill
Marketplace Transact and Grow
The Marketplace Transact and Grow Incentive Campaign rewards partners for driving transactable offer sales on the commercial marketplace.
A bar graph trending upwards
ACR Growth Campaign
The Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) Growth Campaign rewards ISVs for driving consumption of Azure Services.

1“Solutions Partner” refers to a company that is a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and may offer software, services, and/or solutions to customers. Reference to “Solutions Partner” in any content, materials, resources, web properties, etc. and any associated designation should be not interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc., rests solely with your business.

2A certification is (1) specific to the solution’s interoperability with Microsoft products and (2) based on self-attestation by the solution owner. Solutions are only certified as of the date the solution is reviewed. Solution functionality and capability are controlled by the solution owner and may be subject to change. The inclusion of a solution in marketplace and any such designations should not be interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc., rests solely with your business.

* Throughout this document, $ refers to US dollar (USD).

** Partners with existing access to these incentives will retain access through FY25 without any disruption.