Posted on: March 16, 2017
If your business utilizes Microsoft Azure, odds are that you’ve used (or at least taken a look at) the Azure Marketplace. The Azure Marketplace is comparable to the Windows Store and how it is used for the client operating system. Essentially, they are both online software marketplaces. The key difference, however, is that the Azure Marketplace exists solely for the purpose of allowing users to buy and sell cloud apps and/or services from independent software vendors that have already received Microsoft certification to run on Azure.
Sounds pretty great, right?
In theory, the Azure Marketplace should be a fantastic resource for Azure users. And in many ways, it has been. Still, the Marketplace has also had some pretty serious problems.
Throughout the years, Azure Marketplace has grown increasingly popular, right along with the boom in popularity of Azure itself. Customers have relied on the market to improve their experience. Even so, they have struggled and fought against the interface. In fact, it received frequent criticism for being “clunky” and difficult to maneuver. This only became more of a problem as the interface took on an ever-increasing number of categories, app types, and providers. As this made it harder for users to find the apps they were looking for, wanted, and needed, customer complaints grew louder and louder.
True to form, though, Microsoft stepped right up to the plate, acknowledged customer complaints, and offered an excellent solution. We are at the dawn of a new era in the Azure Marketplace, and the present and future include a brand new interface that features improvements galore!
Microsoft’s primary goal in developing the new Azure Marketplace interface was to make the lives of its users much easier. The new and improved experience allows people like you (and us) to more quickly navigate the product catalogue and find the perfect solutions for their cloud applications – all without actually having to log in to the Azure portal. To give you a better idea, here’s a quick rundown of the features included in the new Azure Marketplace experience:
Search
Azure Marketplace search just got a whole lot more intuitive. As you start to conduct a search in the search bar, you’ll notice that suggestions pop up to help guide you along in your quest for information. For example, if you’re interested in keeping up with your business blog on WordPress, you can start typing “WordPress” and then select the WordPress option that works best for your needs.
Categories
If you’re not really sure where to start with your search, or if you’re not confident about which option or product is the best fit for you, there’s no need to fear. Azure Marketplace now features a comprehensive categories feature that will help narrow down your choices by the category of your need. From here, you’ll get a list of recommended products, and you can even filter to subcategories for more specific results.
Product Page
Learn all about various products without having to spend hours on research. Azure Marketplace offers new product pages that improve users’ confidence to really dive deep into a product in order to evaluate its features and capabilities. Simply click on a product title to open up the product page, and from there, you’ll be able to take a look at the overview section, which will allow you to evaluate product specs, technical documentation, screenshots, etc. If you like what you see and are interested in learning more, you can go to the plans and pricing section.
Test Drives
Want to test out a product before making a final decision? The Azure Marketplace experience now includes test drive environments that will provide you with the opportunity to experience a product for free before buying.
Would you like to learn more about the new Azure Marketplace experience? Contact the professionals at Uncommon Solutions today, and we’ll tell you all about it.
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