Azure Government Marketplace: What ISVs Selling into the Public Sector Need to Know
Microsoft Azure has built a strong foundation of trust across every industry, including the public sector and government. Even the most cautious buyers trust Microsoft with their systems and data. Today, the Azure Government Marketplace has emerged as one of the top ways for government agencies and their partners to procure software solutions.
For ISVs selling into the public sector, listing on the Azure Government Marketplace takes a few additional steps and can put your solution in front of government agencies and their partners, especially if your solution meets or exceeds complex compliance standards and federal requirements.
Here’s a look at how to get started on Azure Government Marketplace.
Why is there a separate Azure Government Marketplace?
Like Azure Marketplace, the Azure Government Marketplace offers solutions for ISVs selling into the public sector and US government. But unlike the traditional marketplace, Azure Government Marketplace (like Azure Government) is isolated physically from Azure itself and offers support for various compliance criteria (see below). In general, ISVs that list on Azure Government Marketplace also list on Azure Marketplace.
This extra layer of protection helps ensure that US Government agencies and their partners can keep their data, systems, and processes extra secure from bad actors. This approach also enables government tech teams to embrace a hybrid cloud solution, ensuring a consistency across on cloud and on-prem applications.
While there are no upfront compliance requirements to getting listed on the Azure Government Marketplace, many customers need to certify the environment. This means that the customer will reach out to ISVs selling on the Azure Government Marketplace to complete extra compliance requirements as needed. For this reason, it’s best to understand compliance requirements early on, during discovery calls.
Steps for publishing your solution on the Azure Government Marketplace
After publishing your solution on the Azure Marketplace, take these initial steps to get listed on the Azure Government Marketplace.
- Log into Partner Center. Head to the Partner Center Portal and sign in with your credentials.
- Go to the Commercial Marketplace Program. This is where your public offers live.
- Open the Offer You Want to Publish. Choose the specific offer you’re looking to list in Azure Government.
- Navigate to the Plan Overview.vUse the left-hand menu to access the Plan overview section.
- Select the Plan to Update.vClick into the plan you want to enable for Azure Government.
- Update Azure Region Settings. On the Plan setup page, find the Azure regions section and check the box for Azure Government.This option isn’t available for every offer—double-check eligibility.
- (Optional) Add Certifications
Got certifications that matter to government buyers? Click + Add Certification to include them. - (Optional) Preview Your Listing. Add your Azure Government subscription to see how your listing looks before going live:
- Go to Preview audience (left menu).
- Enter your Azure Government subscription ID.
- Republish Your Offer. Once everything’s set, hit Publish again to make it live in Azure Government Marketplace.
- (Optional). Test your listing. You will need to request an Azure Government trial account, wait up to 5 business days for the account, then log into the Azure Government portal.
This will earn you a spot on Azure’s authorized list of Government solutions. This list includes lists of all the authorized Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs), Agreement for Online Services for Government (AOS-G), and Licensing Solution Providers (LSP) that can transact Azure Government.
Types of solutions on the Azure Government Marketplace
- Virtual Machines, Bring your own license (BYOL)
- Virtual Machines, Pay-as-you-go (PAYG)
- Azure Application, Solution template/Managed App
Note: You can not make private plans or private offers on the Azure Government Marketplace.
In certain cases, some solutions might work in Azure Marketplace, but not Azure Government Marketplace. Here are some reasons why this might occur:
- Your virtual machine’s Hide this SKU setting is not set to Yes
- Your solution’s endpoints are not hardcoded
- Your solution template does not support Azure Government locations
- Your resources, API versions, VM images, and extensions are not available in Azure Government
Check out this article for more information.
Options for US Government Compliance (Azure)
Azure Commercial
- DoD Impact Level 2 (IL2)
- FedRAMP High
- HIPAA
Azure Government
- DoD Impact Level 4 (IL4)
- DoD Impact Level 5 (IL5)
- FedRAMP High
- ITAR, DFARS
- IRS 1075, CJIS, HIPAA
Azure Government Secret
- DoD Impact Level 6 (IL6)
- ICD 503
- JSIG (PL-3)
Azure Government Top Secret
- ICD 503
- ICD 705
- JSIG (PL-3)
Co-selling on Azure Government Marketplace
Once you’re listed on Azure Government Marketplace, you can begin working with Microsoft reps to co-sell your solution. You will want to demonstrate a track record of success selling into government or highly regulated industries. For this reason, case studies, win tiles, first call decks, and messaging tailored to the concerns of Microsoft sales reps are key.
Invisory for Azure Government Marketplace
If you’re looking to get listed and drive success on Azure Marketplace, including Azure Government Marketplace, Invisory can help. Our end-to-end solution enables ISVs working in highly regulated environments to get listed, transactable, build a co-sell strategy, fine-tune messaging for government buyers, and more.
Ready to reach Azure Government Marketplace success? Reach out today.
Invisory
What are government buyers on Microsoft Azure focused on?
- Shifting from a focus on capex to opex
- Compliance requirements
- Streamlining mobile development life cycle
- Boosting efficiency in IT and development
What type of government bodies, institutions, and agencies procure solutions on the Azure Marketplace?
- Federal agency (a bureau, department, or other US government entity)
- State or local entity
- Tribal entity
- Regional or interstate government
- Federally Funded Research and Development Centers
- Provides services or solutions to US government customers through direct or indirect contracts
- Serves US government customers through GSA or other contracts
- International Traffic in Arms
- Controlled Unclassified Information
- Department of Defense Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information (UCNI)
- Department of Energy
- Criminal Justice Information
- Department of Defense Impact Level Data
- Other data that require Azure Government
If you’re an international agency that works in the US public sector, you need to have a US subsidiary to procure solutions through the Azure Government Marketplace.
Can Azure Government Marketplace purchases go towards my MACC or committed spend burndown?
Make sure your MACC agreement includes Azure Government, your subscription is tied to that agreement, and the offer you’re looking at is Azure benefit-eligible and listed in the Azure Government Marketplace.
