At Microsoft Ignite in November 2024, we introduced choices and sources to empower software program firms within the panorama of AI-powered experiences.
In in the present day’s quickly evolving digital panorama, software program firms are on the forefront of innovation. These organizations are uniquely positioned to make the most of AI-powered options to drive development, improve buyer experiences, and keep forward of the competitors.
AI is opening the door to precious alternatives for software program firms by accelerating cloud migration, app modernization, and analytics, whereas making developer instruments extra accessible. To harness the ability of AI, software program improvement is vital.
With 53,000 clients presently utilizing Azure AI companies, it’s clear {that a} rising variety of firms are investing in AI instruments for unbiased software program distributors (ISVs)—they usually’re reaping the advantages.1 On common, organizations see a 350% return on each greenback invested in AI inside 14 months.2
If you happen to’re trying to rework your enterprise, Microsoft is dedicated to serving to you obtain your AI ambitions. At Microsoft Ignite in November 2024, we introduced product improvements, a set of recent choices, and streamlined sources to empower software program firms to distinguish, innovate, and develop within the ever-evolving panorama of AI-powered experiences.
ISV innovation with AI
Software program firms play a major function as a result of they create the instruments and platforms that make AI accessible and sensible for numerous industries. These firms develop the foundational fashions and algorithms into their choices that drive AI purposes, enabling differentiated revolutionary options throughout completely different sectors.
By advancing AI capabilities, software program firms can push the boundaries of what’s attainable, fostering an setting of steady enchancment and discovery.
With the fitting AI instruments for ISVs, it’s attainable to develop clever purposes that anticipate consumer wants whereas enhancing knowledge privateness and safety. Along with elevating buyer experiences, many software program firms are tapping into AI to streamline improvement and go to market sooner.

Buyer traits driving AI transformation
We’ve recognized 4 key buyer traits which are driving AI transformation and presenting important alternatives for software program firms. Based on our clients, AI makes it simpler for his or her organizations to:
- Enhance buyer engagement. Organizations are enhancing buyer engagement by AI-powered self-service capabilities. This enables firms to ship participating, personalised interactions and create extra significant connections with their clients.
- Elevate worker experiences. Groups are utilizing AI instruments to automate repetitive duties and achieve precious AI-driven insights. This empowers staff to deal with higher-value actions, enhancing their total work expertise.
- Reinvent enterprise processes. AI is reshaping enterprise processes by course of automation and provide chain optimization. This enables organizations to streamline operations, scale back prices, enhance effectivity, and drive enterprise development.
- Speed up innovation. Organizations throughout all industries are tapping into AI to innovate sooner and achieve a aggressive edge. Analysis and improvement, product, and engineering groups are benefiting from deep AI-driven insights and self-learning instruments to spice up productiveness, streamline processes, and make extra knowledgeable choices.
These traits characterize the following leap in computing and expertise, opening new potentialities for ISV companions to combine superior AI options into their options. Firms like PTC and Relativity are utilizing AI-based options constructed on Microsoft Azure to ship distinctive worth to their clients. These success tales spotlight the tangible advantages of AI, from elevated effectivity to enhanced buyer satisfaction.
Differentiate with AI-powered experiences: Insights from Microsoft Ignite
Throughout our Microsoft Ignite periods for AI for ISVs, we launched updates to Azure Machine Studying, Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, and Microsoft Cloth designed that can assist you keep forward. For instance, the Azure integration with Weights & Biases will give builders extra methods to trace, consider, and optimize Azure OpenAI fashions. Utilizing these instruments, builders can routinely observe numerous facets of fine-tuning jobs, evaluate mannequin variations, and consider generative AI-powered apps.

We additionally introduced curated sources and AI readiness packages, together with our new Microsoft ISV AI Envisioning workshops. These free occasions are designed that can assist you preserve your abilities sharp and your choices aggressive. Discover ways to empower your workforce to construct AI-powered apps confidently with hands-on steering in 1:1 technical consults or be a part of our AI Envisioning workshops to get a framework for growing generative AI options. All of that is underpinned by Azure Necessities, a set of sources that features foundational steering, finest practices, and devoted coaching that can assist you elevate safety, reliability, and ongoing efficiency in your cloud and AI workloads.
Rework your improvement expertise and ship sooner
Probably the most important benefits of AI is that it helps streamline and velocity up improvement. At Microsoft, we’re at all times searching for methods to enhance the developer expertise, together with giving your software program groups AI tooling at their fingertips to allow them to transfer sooner. Complete platforms like Azure AI Foundry and GitHub Copilot permit builders to innovate quickly, scale back time spent on repetitive duties, and unencumber sources to deal with what really issues—constructing nice software program. These instruments ship personalised technical steering, guaranteeing your builders have the assist they should succeed.
Azure AI Foundry SDK, now in preview, supplies a unified and complete instrument chain for constructing, testing, deploying, and managing AI purposes and utility programming interfaces (APIs) with enterprise-grade management and customization. That includes a library of fashions and instruments, this resolution provides simplified coding experiences to spice up developer productiveness and assist your group responsibly scale your AI purposes.
GitHub Copilot for Azure in VS Code
GitHub Copilot for Azure in VS Code is constructed to simplify cloud improvement by bringing every thing you want proper into your editor. As a substitute of leaping between instruments and docs, you may arrange sources, deploy apps, troubleshoot points, and study Azure—all with out leaving VS Code. Simply ask for assist with duties like configuring a Kubernetes cluster, discovering a particular service, or resolving frequent errors, and Copilot will information you. It’s designed to maintain you coding, velocity up deployments, and scale back the time you spend on setup and fixes.
Our free sources and technical steering present complete assist at each stage of your improvement journey, from AI readiness to sandbox credit for experimentation. Plus, you’ll achieve entry to our industry-leading AI merchandise and instruments with credit for Copilot.
Broaden your attain and drive development to the following stage
Many ISVs are embracing AI to open up new avenues for development. By constructing and promoting AI options, software program firms can attain extra clients, increase into new markets, and scale their companies.
The Microsoft AI Cloud Accomplice Program provides you the instruments to create and market revolutionary Microsoft Cloud and AI options. With choices for companions throughout enterprise fashions and development levels, we meet you the place you might be and supply the sources you want to drive profitability and innovation. Relying in your wants and objectives, discover the next pathways that can assist you construct, promote, and develop your software program options.
- ISV Success: ISV Success helps you rework your improvement expertise, construct and publish to the Microsoft industrial market sooner, and speed up gross sales with Market Rewards. Be part of ISV Success without cost and get entry to unique advantages, together with AI sources, a cloud sandbox, industry-leading developer instruments, and technical consultations. As you promote by {the marketplace}, you’ll earn Market Rewards that enable you to convert clients and shut extra offers—the extra you carry out, the extra you earn.
Producing AI success with key investments
Plus, ISV Success now consists of new AI investments spanning hands-on technical enablement, credit for AI improvement instruments, and expanded advantages for ISVs with AI initiatives.
Our highest performing ISVs may qualify for monetary incentives to construct and deploy AI-powered apps or migrate finish clients to apps primarily based in Azure.
- Microsoft industrial market: We’ve made key investments to assist be certain that the Microsoft industrial market continues to be probably the most partner-focused enterprise platform, designed that can assist you attain extra clients, simplify gross sales, and develop your enterprise. This consists of decreased company charges for renewals, expanded multiparty personal provides in key markets, and new methods to monetize skilled companies by personal provides. Moreover, the Azure Sponsorship profit that’s out there by Market Rewards is increasing for channel companions.
- Licensed software program designations: Now you can set your organization aside and improve buyer attain with Options Accomplice designations. To qualify, you’ll want to fulfill efficiency, coaching, and buyer success standards—and clients should clearly determine that your options have the dependable capabilities they want. This distinction helps validate the standard, reliability, and relevance of your software program resolution. It additionally drives a optimistic buyer expertise by delivering on the worth clients anticipate from options constructed on the Microsoft Cloud. Whenever you attain an authorized software program designation in your resolution, you’ll achieve entry to go-to-market, gross sales, and advertising and marketing advantages designed to propel your development and gas better demand in your options.
Securing the longer term
Within the period of AI, Microsoft is taking a daring step ahead to assist make sure the safety and belief of our clients, companions, and the worldwide neighborhood. As we try to go to market with a unified AI technique, we acknowledge the significance of safety in defending our digital future.
For Microsoft, safety isn’t just a precedence; it’s a basic dedication. We’re devoted to offering revolutionary options that assist safeguard our clients and companions from rising threats. This unwavering dedication to safety is mirrored in our cybersecurity funding of $20 billion over the following 5 years. We’re devoted to addressing the ever-evolving threats confronted by organizations worldwide.
On the forefront of the digital safety panorama, we’re main the cost in serving to to guard our clients and companions in an more and more complicated digital setting. Our complete safety options are designed to construct belief and resilience, guaranteeing that our clients can navigate the digital age with confidence.
Make amends for all of the bulletins from Microsoft Ignite
If you happen to missed 2024’s Microsoft Ignite, we encourage you to watch all of the periods on demand. Throughout these periods, discover the alternatives AI supplies for development and differentiation within the market. Additionally, compensate for all of the information for companions on this recap weblog.
Let’s construct the longer term collectively and faucet into the complete potential of AI to remodel the software program {industry}. Be part of us in our mission to empower each individual and group on the planet.
1https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor/occasions/fy-2024/earnings-fy-2024-q2
2IDC Infographic, sponsored by Microsoft, The Enterprise Alternative of AI, IDC #US51315823, November 2023. **Generative Synthetic Intelligence: A New Chapter for Enterprise Enterprise Purposes, IDC Perspective #US50471523, March 2023.
