Microsoft prepares to take AppSource Consulting Services worldwide

Microsoft has built up a collection of thousands of apps and an audience of millions of visitors to AppSource since its launch. Now the company is encouraging partners to use AppSource to offer service engagements related to Dynamics 365, Power BI, PowerApps, and Flow. Customers in the US, UK, and Canada can already see some of these service offerings, but the company has aggressive plans to grow the list of offerings and open AppSource consulting offerings up to the rest of the world. 

Timing of the expansion will depend on the speed with which the AppSource team can compile a strong enough catalog of offerings for any given country, and that depends on partner submissions, representatives of the AppSource team told partners in a recent webcast detailing the plans.

Microsoft is recommending that partners follow three guidelines when designing an AppSource consulting offering: 1) keep it to less than two weeks; 2) make it fixed price or free (and keep it under $12,000); and 3) have a specific scope, agenda, and deliverables. They are also advising against services with an estimated cost. So far customers have stayed away from these offers, presumably because of the uncertainty.

Publicizing services and apps on AppSource is a "very critical strategy" for the Dynamics channel, says Arbela Techonlogies CEO Nima Bakhtiary. Arbela has both service and solutions in the platform. "Apps and especially mobile apps to extend the solution is a non-invasive way to add value for cloud solutions. Microsoft has not done well here, and they are serious about this space. They must succeed here, ...