What does it mean to be available in Microsoft AppSource?
MORS has been officially available in Microsoft’s AppSource and Microsoft Azure Marketplace since December 2021.
We are proud to be among the thousands of cloud-ready business applications integrated with Microsoft that are built by industry-leading software providers. This means that more banks can easily purchase, deploy, and manage MORS.
Before the pandemic, the banking industry seemed to be on the edge of a future that might be defined by new uses of digital technology and SaaS. That future was arriving inexorably but not as speedily as many wanted. Then the pandemic demanded we change the patterns of our lives overnight; and just like that, necessity became the mother of invention. We at MORS decided to take a giant leap toward a complete SaaS solution there and then!
Throughout 2021, our teams have been working intensively on getting our solution ready for Microsoft AppSource. Every solution that goes live on AppSource must meet specific minimum criteria as well as an overall quality standard as determined during the review process by the Microsoft engineering team.
MORS is in AppSource as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution. Microsoft demands that SaaS apps help end-users discover solutions without the need for extensive IT intervention, as these apps can be managed more easily and scale as necessary. The solutions must also be easily configurable, turnkey solutions.
One of the goals of AppSource is to provide business apps that reduce the time for customers to get up and running with new functionality. Therefore, apps must be easy and quick to configure and set up, with no customisation required. Apps on AppSource must meet quality requirements at both the code and service level, and the apps should integrate with other Microsoft Cloud services like Azure. In addition to the criteria for the product itself, Microsoft has different standards for marketing, pricing, and services. This has definitely kept our teams busy in 2021.
A transactable offer
In December 2021, we finally passed a significant milestone as we published MORS as a public plan in Microsoft AppSource. There are several listing options for vendors to choose from for their offer, which in turn determines who manages the transaction. The easiest solution is to select the “Contact Me” option. This option is a simple listing of an application. Banks use the Contact Me button on the offer’s listing page to request that vendors connect with them about their offer. This is the listing that most of the vendors have.
What makes MORS unique is that our listing on AppSource is a transactable offer. A transactable offer is one in which Microsoft facilitates the exchange of money for a software license on our behalf. Transact offers are billed against a bank’s existing Microsoft subscription or credit card, allowing Microsoft to host cloud marketplace transactions on behalf of MORS. This makes MORS a full SaaS solution and makes the purchase, deployment, and management of MORS super-efficient and cost-effective.
What’s the difference between Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace?
I have found myself explaining internally many times the difference between Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace. So, I decided to explain it here. Microsoft does provide two different marketplaces that allow their partners to list offers and transact directly with Microsoft’s customers within their ecosystem: Azure Marketplace and AppSource. The marketplaces are aligned to different audiences; Microsoft AppSource for Business Decision-makers and Azure Marketplace for IT Professionals and Developers.
Microsoft AppSource is an online store that contains business applications and solutions, and The Azure Marketplace includes IT and developer solutions that are built on Azure or used within Azure subscriptions themselves. We are happy to have MORS in both marketplaces. Our storefront, the public offer, is in Microsoft AppSource so that decision-makers in banks can find our solution more quickly. Personalised ‘Private Offers’ from MORS can be found in Azure Marketplace, which means we can make unique offers to meet the different needs of our banking customers.
Why it’s vital that MORS is available in AppSource and Azure Marketplace? You can be up and running in less than a day!
Our aim was to be a full SaaS solution, and when MORS is purchased directly from Microsoft AppSource, it truly is. Once a MORS subscription is purchased in AppSource or Azure Marketplace, an activation link for MORS will be sent directly to the customer in an email. Within a day, the server and databases are ready for use and the Bank can then use the software at their convenience.
Microsoft offers banks a trusted environment to buy solutions. Transactions can be made with the bank’s existing Microsoft credentials; the purchase can be thought of as an extension to bank’s existing Microsoft product set.
Banks can enjoy a quicker buying experience where they can purchase Microsoft products and partner solutions together in one place, with a single unified invoice. All banks have at least some business solutions from Microsoft, such as Microsoft Office 365. And usually, banks also have their own Microsoft Partner Manager, who can help during the process.
We have only taken the first public steps on our new historical journey. This is just the beginning; stay tuned for more updates soon!
MORS is a complete Asset Liability (ALM), Liquidity Risk, and Treasury Management
A leading provider of Treasury, Risk and ALM solutions to the international banking community. Head Quartered in Helsinki, Finland, MORS Software has successfully delivered its Treasury ALM solutions to recognised financial institutions on 3 continents.