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How software companies can reach more SMB customers through Microsoft Marketplace in the age of AI

Publishing an offer on Microsoft Marketplace creates a starting point for reaching more customers and scaling growth; the opportunity goes well beyond getting listed. For software companies, Marketplace can create a path to reach more customers and scale revenue, particularly in the SMB market. Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for 90% of companies globally and 70% of the world’s employment, according to World Bank Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC) data.1 For software companies, this creates a significant opportunity to serve small and medium businesses with solutions that fit how they operate. These businesses often have lean teams, limited procurement resources, and a preference for self-service experiences that help them evaluate, purchase, and deploy technology efficiently.


The age of AI is accelerating the opportunity for software companies to reach and serve SMBs. Software companies are moving beyond a simple Marketplace listing, building AI-powered products designed for how SMBs buy, deploy, and scale today.


Founded in 2002, Ntegral was a traditional systems integrator, deploying client technology solutions one contract at a time. In 2021, the company began shifting its business model from primarily delivering services to bringing its own software solutions to market through Microsoft Marketplace. At UP LIVE Reston, Ntegral’s President and CTO, Dexter Hardy, will share more about what that shift meant in practice, including how Ntegral adapted its approach to products, sales, and growth. The change expanded Ntegral’s reach. Dexter has called Microsoft Marketplace “a real game changer” for the company, which now offers 300+ enterprise solutions with deployments in more than 150 countries.2 Dexter described Marketplace as an important part of Ntegral’s growth strategy, helping the company expand its reach while, in his words, allowing Ntegral “to stay lean, focus on our expertise,” as it entered new markets.


🎯A session worth your time


Scaling reach and opportunity for SMBs


Ntegral Inc.’s President and CTO, Dexter Hardy, will be onstage at Ultimate Partner LIVE Reston. The session will explore practical ways SMBs can build on their Marketplace presence to support customer reach and revenue growth. Hardy will share Ntegral’s journey from a regional systems integrator to a software company focused on developing its own solutions and reaching customers globally through Marketplace.


 



💡Ntegral’s point of view: Marketplace adoption in the age of AI


Ntegral sees Marketplace as an important part of scaling its business, alongside a product strategy designed around the needs of SMB customers.


Ntegral recently introduced Akili, its AI-powered platform designed for SMBs and consultants. Akili brings access to AI models and agent capabilities into one workspace, giving small teams and solo operators a way to use these capabilities without managing separate subscriptions. For Ntegral, that product strategy is closely connected to how the company approaches Microsoft Marketplace. Ntegral sees AI adoption and Marketplace as complementary parts of its growth strategy: developing products around the needs of small businesses while using Marketplace to reach customers and support transactions at scale.


For Ntegral, Marketplace is part of a broader commercial strategy that connects product innovation with customer reach and scalable sales. At UP LIVE Reston, Dexter brings that same directness to the stage. The focus is on practical mechanics: how software companies can build on their Marketplace presence to reach more customers and develop more pipeline, how AI fits into that strategy, and what Ntegral changed operationally as its business evolved.


Learn more about Akili.


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📅 Attend UP LIVE Reston · October 26–28, 2026


Carahsoft Conference & Collaboration Center, Reston, VA


👉 Register for UP LIVE Reston


 


 


 


1World Bank Group / IFC MSME Finance Factsheet
2Ntegral | Empowering Digital and Cloud Transformations | Ntegral

Microsoft Tech Community originally posted this article on 9 October 2026 at 1:25 AM.

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