Westcon-Comstor joins Microsoft Marketplace resale programme

Westcon-Comstor has joined Microsoft's resale-enabled offers programme for Microsoft Marketplace, extending its cloud marketplace activities to Microsoft's platform.

The programme lets software vendors authorise approved channel partners to create and manage private offers through Microsoft Marketplace, while Microsoft handles customer billing and payment collection. Westcon-Comstor's role is to help partners onboard, transact and grow their marketplace business, with support services across the sales process.

That support includes partner enablement, revenue support tools, renewals assistance and help across the customer lifecycle. Westcon-Comstor is already working on Microsoft Marketplace-led opportunities involving Palo Alto Networks and Infoblox.

The announcement is another step in the distributor's marketplace strategy following the launch of its AWS Marketplace programme in 2024. It is also in discussions with other vendors about potential collaboration linked to Microsoft's resale model.

Marketplace shift

The move comes as software sales through cloud marketplaces continue to rise. Research from Omdia forecasts that cloud marketplace software sales will grow from USD $30 billion in 2024 to USD $163 billion in 2030.

Omdia also expects partners to account for most marketplace spending by next year. Research cited by Westcon-Comstor found that partners can generate up to USD $6.26 in services revenue for every USD $1 sold through Microsoft Marketplace.

For distributors and resellers, the trend is reshaping how enterprise software is sold, particularly when customers want to use existing cloud spending commitments. Marketplace transactions also give vendors and partners another route to customers that prefer to buy through large cloud platforms rather than traditional procurement channels.

Westcon-Comstor specialises in cybersecurity, networking and hybrid cloud products, and works with resellers, systems integrators and service providers in more than 50 countries. Its latest move puts greater emphasis on helping partners operate within the commercial and operational structure of hyperscaler marketplaces.

Peter Woest outlined the company's view of that shift.

"Hyperscaler marketplaces are redefining how enterprise software is bought and sold, but success for channel partners and vendors depends on turning activity into repeatable business," said Peter Woest, Cloud Marketplace Partnership Director at Westcon-Comstor.

He said the distributor's role is to combine marketplace access with services and technical support for channel partners.

"By wrapping Microsoft Marketplace with our value-added services and technical marketplace expertise, we're making simplicity and scale a reality and allowing partners to quickly establish, build and grow their Microsoft Marketplace business," Woest said.

Channel role

Microsoft's resale-enabled offers model is designed to preserve the channel's role in marketplace transactions by allowing partners to manage private offers on behalf of software vendors. The structure is intended to give vendors broader reach while allowing partners to retain control of customer engagement and add their own services.

Darren Sharpe described the approach from Microsoft's perspective.

"Microsoft's priority is to help partners build a strong marketplace practice that is platform-first, with the right ecosystem support around it," said Darren Sharpe, Marketplace Channel Lead at Microsoft.

"Westcon-Comstor is helping partners drive momentum through REO, enabling vendors to extend their reach while keeping the channel at the centre of the customer relationship," Sharpe said.