This month, SAS took a major, first step in its cloud marketplace strategy with Microsoft, becoming listed on the Azure Marketplace.

The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. While the SAS listing will initially be a "bring your own license" set-up around SAS® Viya®, a listing on Azure Marketplace will help connect SAS and its partners with customers looking for innovative, cloud-based solutions tested and certified on Azure.

According to Nicole Nemmers, SAS Senior Alliance Specialist working with Microsoft, SAS availability on the Azure Marketplace provides positive brand recognition for SAS as a cloud-ready solution.

"One of the top questions we receive around the world from partners and customers is 'Are you on the Azure Marketplace'," said Nemmers. "Our inclusion in the marketplace is a positive demonstration of our partnership with Microsoft, and gives our partners and customers added confidence in SAS' cloud capabilities."

Microsoft Azure Marketplace is not the only online marketplaces that SAS has joined in the past 12 months. Last year, SAS added its Procurement Integrity solution to the SAP Marketplace.

As a Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model, customers are able to use their existing SAS licenses in a flexible manner -- both on-premise and in the cloud. Leads generated from the Azure Marketplace will still be sent to and routed by SAS Alliances and Channels. Following the release of SAS Viya 4.0, SAS will have the capabilities to take its presence on the Azure Marketplace to the next level, such as including additional features and value propositions afforded by the marketplace.