Every aspect of life is gradually being disrupted by technology, which presents opportunities for firms across all industries to exceed projections. Integrated Software Vendors (ISVs) must also scale up to compete in the disrupted market.

Strong digital presence, market reach, and customer base are crucial for ISV companies to succeed in the competitive industry and expand in the contemporary digital era. To do this, ISVs must partner with large or mid-sized businesses in the same industry. 

In this article, we’ll explore what ISV is all about, the type of partnership ISV can consider, and the benefits of ISV partnerships. Let’s begin!

What Is an Integrated Software Vendor?

An Integrated software vendor (ISV) creates and markets software applications that operate on a single platform or several OS and hardware platforms. Usually, ISVs work with a cloud platform provider, a hardware provider, or another software vendor.

For hardware, a software developer creates software that is compatible with the OSes and hardware platforms offered by a specific manufacturer or supplier. An integrated software vendor (ISV) may also embed software from a software platform provider into its product by including database technology from top tech companies like Oracle and Microsoft. 

ISV integrations have a reputation for bringing about a variety of business advantages, such as higher ROI, better client retention, and higher conversion rates. ISVs can significantly increase their partners’ revenue by implementing incentive schemes and revenue-sharing. The average quarterly income generated by partners for businesses with fewer than 500 employees might be higher than $2 million.

Who is an ISV Partner?

ISV partners can offer their commercially available software on hardware and cloud solution marketplaces. It may be incredibly challenging to manage expansion as ISV organizations expand in terms of commercial development and overall scale. Hence, many ISV companies work with ISV partners to drive long-term growth and retail revenue. 

With the aid of these partnerships, ISV organizations can get the technical and marketing support they may need to design, develop, and implement their software and solutions. 

What Type of Partnership Can Integrated Software Vendors Consider?

The biggest software company in the world, Microsoft, announced that it would put a greater emphasis on partner collaboration in 2019. It pointed out that 95% of its commercial revenue comes from partners. This demonstrates the enormous possibility that ISV partnerships bring. 

The four main types of partnerships that ISVs should take into account for business growth are as follows: 

• OEM Partnerships
• Software/SaaS Investor Partnerships
• Payment Partnerships
• Reseller Partnerships

OEM Partnership

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are organizations that supply parts for a product made by another company. When it comes to SaaS, OEMs create software that can be incorporated into the offering from an ISV. Examples of this kind of integration widely recognized are the use of Google Maps in the Uber software or the Amazon Alexa technology in Spotify. 

Pros of OEM Partnership

• Enhanced user experience and functionality
• Reduced development cycle and lower costs
• Provision of premium components
• Conformity with industry regulations

Cons of OEM Partnership

• Some OEMs accept only ISVs with solid growth prospects
• Meeting everyone’s expectations might be difficult
• OEM could need assistance and resources

The Qualities of a Successful ISV-OEM Partnership

ISVs must choose the best OEM partner to maximize the benefits while limiting the drawbacks. The time, money, and resources lost because of an unreliable service might be substantial. One should expect the following from a reliable OEM partner: 

• Competitive rates
• A versatile product
• After-sale and pre-sale assistance
• Product and industry knowledge 
• High-quality standards
• Solid, provable track record
• Excellent communication 

Software/SaaS Investor Partnerships

This is also known as an investment partnership. ISVs face intense competition in today’s market; thus, rising software companies require regular product creation and improvement. Investments are among the best ways to obtain funds without hurting cash flow. That requires money.

The private equity firms known as venture capitalists (VCs), which usually invest in startups with strong growth potential, prefer SaaS businesses. This is because the model can be scaled up, which opens the door to significant investment returns.

Pros of SaaS Investor Partnership

• Availability of finance for business expansion
• Long-term commitment: possibility for additional investment down the road
• Counsel and advice for making business decisions
• Access to an extensive network 

Cons of SaaS Investor Partnership

• The business’s founders must forfeit a sizable portion of their ownership.
• Less authority over the company
• Takes longer to make decisions
• High-performance standards and expectations.

The Qualities of a Successful SaaS Investor Partnership

ISVs should make wise decisions if they want to maximize their relationship with investors. When searching for venture capitalists, be aware of the following: 

• Knowledge of making investments in SaaS companies
• Market expertise for the ISV
• Powerful industry network.
• Recognizing the technology and mission of the ISV
• An excellent relationship with the founders 

Payment Partnerships

Integration of a payment method into an ISV’s product is the basis of a payment partnership. When a software product incorporates a feature as important as payments, the ISV can offer a ton of value to its merchant clientele and significantly enhance user experiences for those merchants’ customers. 

ISVs may also profit from payment processing residuals, in which a software provider shares the money from transactions carried out by merchant users. Therefore, a wise payment integration could open up a new source of income for the ISV.

Pros of Payment Partnerships

• Value add to merchant clients
• Expanding service offering
• A vast array of partner initiatives, such as:

• Profit-sharing
• High-performance conversion campaigns
• Management tools for vendors and retailers
• Go-to-market plan
• robust solutions for reconciling and reporting

Cons of Payment Partnerships

It’s crucial to pick a payment partner that can support your growth. Choosing the wrong partner poses the highest risk in payment integration because it can: 

• It’s expensive
• Create integration challenges for development teams.
• Increase the workload
• Security is compromised

Things to Consider When Choosing a Payment Partner

ISVs should be cautious when choosing their payment partner. A reliable payment partner ought to provide the following: 

• Cost-effective processing
• Accept payments made via all channels
• High-quality security features
• Effective partner growth program
• Numerous alternative payment solutions
• Reliable tools for managing merchant portfolios
• The ability to report and analyze data
• 24-hour technical support

Reseller Partnerships

A company that receives payment to resell another company’s goods is known as a reseller. Software reseller programs can give an integrated software vendor (ISV) a significant boost in business growth by introducing the product to clients and markets that the ISV would find challenging to access on its own.

The value-added reseller (VAR) model is a significant and popular SaaS reseller channel that ISVs should consider. In this case, a business customer includes software from an ISV as a pivotal add-on to their product or service. This is so that a VAR can enhance the ISV product’s value based on the particular requirements of the client and end user. ISVs benefit from this by organically gaining more clients, and they may be able to project more incredible growth the more VAR relationships they have. 

Pros of Reseller Partnerships

• Help with technical/customer support from a reseller
• Access to fresh domestic and foreign markets
• Minimal startup costs for a sales channel
• Access to new clients through a reliable partner
• Potential for rapid scaling without internal recruitment or financial burden
• Access to the knowledgeable sales and marketing teams of the reseller

Cons of Reseller Partnerships

• If sales are slow, resellers can lose interest.
• Data and customer relationships are not under your control.
• lower profits compared to other sales channels
• Channel disputes involving the ISV or between different hired resellers 

Critical Considerations for Creating a Reseller Channel

A reseller partner program must be set up correctly to benefit both parties. The reseller should oversee sales and marketing so that the ISV can concentrate on creating its product. It may seem obvious, but the reseller-ISV partnership functions more effectively when such specialties are clarified. Moreover, effective coordination and communication between the two businesses are essential. This makes it easier to train the sales, maintenance, and customer service teams effectively. 

Lastly, ISVs should not assume that resellers will be eager to work with them. It will be up to an ISV to demonstrate how their offering fits into the reseller’s overall business strategy. They can achieve this by establishing a solid value proposition and demonstrating that their product is a viable option for customers. 

Key Benefits of Integrated Software Vendor Partnerships

ISV partnerships offer benefits and opportunities to both the partner and their users. For instance, through incentive programs, partners can rely on a steady source of revenue. Highlighted below are the key benefits of ISV partnerships:

Improve Revenue

ISV partnerships provide economic potential with revenue sharing and incentive programs in addition to improving the value of your application or platform.

For integrated software companies, these revenue opportunities convert into valuable resources and enable you to understand more about the available options in the market.

ISVs can invest in longer-term organizational viability if they recognize the value of platform developers, software, and the best technological solutions.

Meet Customer Demands

Today’s customers require trustworthy service providers that can quickly and effectively provide them with tailored solutions. ISVs can adapt to the ever-evolving customer needs by partnering with big companies. They have business-ready solutions at their disposal that can be used to quickly meet or exceed customer requests and boost their company’s profitability. This will soon improve their potential for profit while minimizing time-to-value.

Drive Innovation

Customers prefer quick, simple access to resources and solutions that can enhance the effectiveness of their business operations. Moreover, a wide range of software products, programs, and market resources can be precious to your company and your clients. 

Extreme market competition is what gives rise to these innovative technological solutions. But differentiating yourself from other competitors is undoubtedly a challenge. 

Operating system platforms, cloud software providers, and other larger organizations that support modern technology and enterprises can now set up markets that include the solutions of these numerous cutting-edge technological innovations. 

This is the core concept of the ISV partnership and why it’s essential for all businesses, big and small. By providing your merchant customers with a fantastic experience they couldn’t find anywhere else, you can enhance the value of your platform or application through an ISV partnership. 

Increase Service Portfolio

Large companies offer various goods and services across numerous fields and sectors. By partnering with such companies, small integrated software vendors can increase their capabilities and product offerings. ISVs can expand their market share by providing differentiated solutions that reach new depths and breadths. 

Build Customer Relationship

You may win the trust of your customers and establish long-lasting customer relationships with the help of a reliable digital transformation partner. Your ISV will be able to meet the scalability, personalization, and integration needs of your customers if it has the necessary experience and proficiency in handling customer expectations. As a result, their value will rise and they will develop long-term relationships with their customers.

Final Thoughts

Business partnerships must be carefully considered because making the wrong choice may be costly and time-consuming. Blocks wisely selected provide unmatched chances to expand markets, establish networks, and access financing while boosting functionality.

ISV partnerships can be fruitful for a company looking to grow or evolve. This is why the convenient partnership type will vary from business to business, depending on the market, product, and company strategy.