Microsoft Inspire 2021: What you need to know

Wrap-up of Microsoft Inspire 2021

Unprecedented. The one word the world unanimously agreed adequately describes the last 18 months. At this year’s Microsoft Inspire event, the tech giant reflected on “an exceptional year of unparalleled disruption, accelerated innovation and digital transformation.” Clearly, that change has inspired some big, bold developments in the Microsoft camp.  

The Parallo team once again attended the annual virtual event – here are our top three takeaways:

1. Reducing commercial marketplace fees to 3% 

Microsoft announced it has lowered its marketplace transaction fee from the industry standard of 20% to 3%, after experiencing a 70% year-on-year increase in transactive applications in its commercial marketplace including Azure Marketplace and Microsoft AppSource. 

This is a major cut and one that will drive growth by helping partners get to market faster, with more margin available to invest in scaling. 

2. Continued investment in the cloud with Windows 365 

Another worthy mention is the new Windows 365 which will be available later in the year. Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft cloud, streaming the full Windows experience – apps, data and settings – to any device.  

Alongside securing and storing information in the cloud, not on the device, Windows 365 will also create a new hybrid personal computing category called Cloud PC, which combines the power of the cloud and the capabilities of the device to provide a full, personalised Windows experience.  

For SIs and MSPs, you can help organisations get the most out of their entire Windows estate, and ISVs can continue to build Windows applications – and deliver them in the cloud – to support your customers in their ongoing digital transformation journey. 

3. Changes to Microsoft ISV, improved focus on SaaS

Lastly, the Business Applications ISV Connect program will be getting some enhancements to help ISVs develop, publish and market their apps even more. The overall aim is to reduce app development time, so you can get to market faster, create products that meet customer needs and scale more efficiently in new markets.  

Embrace the new opportunities 

We know (from years of experience) that the key to start-up success is acquiring new customers and getting product releases out quickly, and we’re excited about what these Microsoft changes mean for fast-scaling start-ups. Get in touch with the Parallo team today to discuss these changes in more detail – and what they could mean for your business.  

Our latest eBook, From start-up to hyper-growth: how to set your SaaS business up for scale, explores the roadblocks that often trip up fast-scaling businesses – and why busywork is what sends so many SaaS companies to an early grave.