Azure co-sell is Microsoft’s structured program for connecting its ISV partners’ solutions with the enterprise customers that Microsoft’s global field sales organization serves — creating a commercial collaboration that benefits the ISV (access to enterprise relationships the ISV’s own sales team cannot efficiently cultivate at scale), the customer (a more complete solution built on trusted Microsoft infrastructure, validated by Microsoft’s partner ecosystem), and Microsoft itself (deepening the customer’s commitment to the Azure platform through the ISV’s software dependency on Azure infrastructure).
Azure co-sell is the collaborative selling program through which Microsoft and ISV partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program jointly pursue opportunities within Microsoft’s enterprise customer base — using Microsoft Partner Center to share and manage co-sell opportunities and coordinate joint sales engagement through defined co-sell status tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Azure co-sell?
Azure co-sell is the collaborative selling program through which Microsoft and ISV partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (formerly Microsoft Partner Network) jointly pursue opportunities within Microsoft’s enterprise customer base — using Microsoft Partner Center to submit, manage, and track co-sell opportunities, coordinate joint sales engagement between the ISV’s sales team and Microsoft’s field sellers and technical specialists, and measure co-sell pipeline and commercial outcomes through a structured co-sell status framework (Co-sell ready, Co-sell Eligible, Azure IP Co-sell Eligible) that determines the level of Microsoft field engagement the ISV partner receives.
How does Azure co-sell differ from AWS co-sell?
Azure co-sell (Microsoft) and AWS co-sell (Amazon) are both hyperscaler co-sell programs that enable ISV partners to jointly pursue enterprise opportunities with the cloud provider’s field sales organization, but they differ in several structural details. Platform — Azure co-sell is managed through Microsoft Partner Center; AWS co-sell is managed through the AWS ACE Pipeline Manager. Co-sell status framework — Microsoft uses a defined co-sell status tier structure (Co-sell ready, Co-sell Eligible, Azure IP Co-sell Eligible) that determines specific commercial benefits and field engagement levels; AWS uses the ISV Accelerate designation as its primary co-sell engagement tier qualifier. Marketplace integration — both programs are closely tied to their respective cloud marketplaces, but the specific commercial benefits of transacting through the marketplace and the mechanics of committed spend consumption differ between the two platforms.
What co-sell status tiers does Microsoft use and what do they mean?
Microsoft’s co-sell status framework defines four key tiers. Co-sell ready — the entry-level co-sell status indicating that the ISV’s offer meets Microsoft’s minimum requirements for co-sell eligibility (active Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program membership, a published listing on Microsoft AppSource or Azure Marketplace, and defined co-sell documentation); enables the ISV to submit co-sell referrals through Partner Center and receive customer referrals from Microsoft field teams. Co-sell Eligible — a more advanced status tier for ISVs whose solutions meet defined performance thresholds; Co-sell Eligible ISVs receive more proactive Microsoft field engagement. Azure IP Co-sell Eligible — the highest co-sell status tier for software solutions that run on Azure infrastructure and meet Microsoft’s commercial and technical requirements; these ISVs receive the most proactive Microsoft field support and are eligible for Microsoft co-sell incentive funding programs. And Business Applications Premium — an analogous tier for ISVs building on Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 and Power Platform products.
What commercial benefits does Azure co-sell provide for ISVs?
Azure co-sell provides ISVs with commercial benefits across several dimensions. Enterprise customer access — Microsoft’s global enterprise field sales organization has deep relationships with enterprise CIOs, IT directors, and line-of-business leaders across all major industries; co-sell engagement through Microsoft gives ISVs access to customer conversations at executive levels that cold outbound sales cannot efficiently reach. Microsoft Customer Commitment alignment — enterprise customers with Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitments (MACC) can apply Azure Marketplace purchases against their MACC, removing a procurement approval barrier. Partner-to-partner co-sell — Microsoft’s partner ecosystem includes thousands of system integrators, managed service providers, and consulting partners who deliver Microsoft solutions; co-sell status makes an ISV’s offering visible to this partner population as a complementary solution. And Microsoft Go-to-Market Services — ISVs with Co-sell Eligible and Azure IP Co-sell Eligible status receive access to Microsoft’s Go-to-Market Services, including co-marketing investment, Azure credits, and Azure expert support resources.
How does ZINFI support Azure co-sell program management?
ZINFI’s UPM platform supports Azure co-sell program management through its centralized interconnect module, which provides bidirectional data synchronization between ZINFI’s partner pipeline management environment and Microsoft Partner Center. ISV partners who manage their channel pipeline within ZINFI can synchronize their Microsoft co-sell opportunities between ZINFI and Partner Center — submitting co-sell referrals to Microsoft and receiving Microsoft referrals without requiring the ISV’s sales team to maintain separate opportunity records in both systems. ZINFI’s co-sell management module within the SELL pillar tracks co-sell opportunity status, Microsoft field engagement activity, marketplace transaction status, and co-sell revenue attribution alongside the ISV’s other channel pipeline activity. And ZINFI’s business intelligence reporting layer produces the Azure co-sell program performance reports — co-sell submitted pipeline, Microsoft acceptance rate, co-sell win rate, marketplace revenue — that ISV channel leaders use to track co-sell status tier progress and optimize their Azure co-sell investment.