‘Our collaboration will enhance decision-making,’ says Dinis Couto, Microsoft general manager of global systems integrator commercial partners.

IBM has put Targetprocess on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, the first such product from its Apptio subsidiary, with plans to add Apptio Costing and Planning to the marketplace in the fourth quarter and Cloudability in the coming year – all part of an expanded partnership between the two tech giants.

As part of the partnership, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft will also add Apptio capabilities to parts of its organization, according to a statement Tuesday by Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM.

Targetprocess is used by portfolio managers and finance teams to plan and manage budgets and align workforces across various technology priorities, according to IBM.

“Thousands of clients are already using the Apptio portfolio to optimize their IT investments, but many of our joint customers need the flexibility to use it on the Microsoft DevOps platform,” said Nick Otto, IBM’s head of global strategic partnerships, in the statement. “Bringing IBM Targetprocess to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, along with expanded availability of other IBM Software around the world, enables us to support clients on their digital transformation journey with the ease and simplicity of purchasing on the marketplace.”

[RELATED: IBM AI Updates Include Granite 3.0, Watsonx Upgrades]

IBM, Microsoft Partnership

CRN has reached out to IBM and Microsoft for additional comment.

Microsoft has been investing in its marketplace as a way for solution providers to potentially simplify business interactions with customers, find new business opportunities and improve their relationship with Microsoft.

Earlier this month, Microsoft began allowing partners to sell professional services on its marketplace in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

IBM completed its $4.6 billion acquisition of Apptio, previously based near Microsoft in Bellevue, Wash., in August 2023. IBM has tens of thousands of partners and its consulting wing is No. 6 on CRN’s 2024 Solution Provider 500. Microsoft has more than 400,000 partners worldwide.

Dinis Couto, Microsoft general manager of global systems integrator commercial partners, said in the statement that “IBM and Microsoft are empowering customers to efficiently use IT resources and adapt to evolving tech needs, especially with the rise of cloud-based AI innovation.”

“Our collaboration will enhance decision-making, increase productivity and enhance IT management for organizations of all sizes,” Couto said.

Targetprocess integrates with Microsoft Azure DevOps and can provide simpler management and cost savings when customers use Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitments (MACCs). Targetprocess can provide end-to-end Azure DevOps visibility, support Agile development frameworks, and is key to spending and labor allocation, according to IBM.

The expanded IBM-Microsoft partnership also means that customers in more countries can get IBM software through the Azure Marketplace. New countries where this is possible now include Australia, Germany, the U.K., Singapore, India and Spain, according to IBM.