Software development companies in healthcare: grow your business with Microsoft AI

By Ruth Bickerton, Senior Partner Development Manager – Microsoft UK

13/05/2025

The healthcare industry is evolving rapidly, with AI and digital transformation helping enhance patient care, streamline operations and improve data security.

If you’re a software development company (SDC) in this sector, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme provides the tools and resources you need to drive innovation and growth. It can support you whether you’re developing AI-powered applications for the first time, migrating from another cloud provider or simply looking to expand your reach.

In this blog, we’ll explore how maximising your Microsoft partnership as a healthcare SDC enables you to build, scale and sell AI-powered healthcare solutions that make a real impact.

Build AI solutions with Microsoft for Startups

Microsoft for Startups helps early-stage healthcare companies overcome barriers in launching and scaling AI-powered applications. Founders can access:

Azure cloud credits to build AI-powered, HIPAA-compliant applications with security and scalability.
24/7 Azure Standard Support, ensuring AI-powered healthcare applications run smoothly and efficiently.
GitHub Enterprise for secure, collaborative development of AI health-tech solutions.
Azure OpenAI Service, enabling SDCs to integrate advanced AI models into healthcare applications.
LinkedIn business tools to better connect with healthcare professionals and institutions.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard for productivity and seamless communication with healthcare clients and stakeholders.
Mentorship and technical advisory hours with AI and industry experts.

These benefits allow healthcare SDCs to focus on building transformative AI solutions that will help patients and care providers without worrying about infrastructure limitations.

Graphic showing the four stages of business that Microsoft for Startups helps support: ideate, develop, grow and scale

Figure 1. Four key business stages supported by the Microsoft for Startups programme.

Develop, extend and sell AI-powered solutions through ISV Success

For established SDCs aiming to scale their AI-powered healthcare applications, ISV Success (now in public preview) provides resources to enhance software capabilities, improve cloud efficiency and reach new markets. Benefits include:

Developer sandbox with Microsoft Cloud credits for building secure and compliant AI-powered healthcare applications.
Best-in-class AI development tools, including Azure Machine Learning, GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio.
Technical advisory hours and AI architecture reviews to ensure robust and scalable solutions.
Consultations on publishing AI-powered healthcare apps in the Microsoft commercial marketplace.
Opportunities to qualify for additional cloud credits and up to 50 hours of business and technical AI consultations.

As an ISV Success member, you’ll also gain access to Marketplace Rewards, which provides go-to-market benefits that help increase your visibility and reach, and accelerate growth.

Graphic explaining that the ISV Success Program helps companies build, deploy and publish, and grow

Figure 2. The ISV Success Programme can support you as you build, publish and grow.

Go to market with the Microsoft commercial marketplace

Reaching healthcare organisations, hospitals and clinics can be challenging. The Microsoft commercial marketplace simplifies this process by offering a trusted, scalable platform to showcase your AI-powered solutions. Healthcare software development companies can:

List, trial, consult or transact their AI-powered applications through Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace.
Sell directly to healthcare providers, payers and life sciences organisations.
Benefit from Microsoft’s co-sell programmes, increasing visibility and adoption.
Enable customers with Azure consumption commitments to apply their existing credits towards buying AI-powered solutions.

Healthcare SDCs using Marketplace Rewards see five times more sales than those without it, making it a powerful tool for expanding your market reach.

Maximise value with a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment agreement

A Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) agreement offers additional benefits that can significantly enhance the value proposition for healthcare SDCs. By entering into a MACC agreement, partners can:

Optimise cloud spend: Commit to a specific level of Azure consumption for cost savings and more predictable cloud expenses.
Access additional resources: Gain access to exclusive resources and support to help maximise the value of your Azure investment.
Enhanced co-sell opportunities: Leverage Microsoft’s extensive sales network to co-sell your AI-powered healthcare solutions, increasing market visibility and adoption.
Flexible payment options: Benefit from flexible payment terms that align with your business needs and growth trajectory.
Priority support: Receive priority support to ensure your AI-powered applications run smoothly and efficiently.

By leveraging a MACC agreement, you can unlock even greater potential for innovation, scalability and market reach, helping make a significant impact in the healthcare industry.

Pangaea Data: innovating AI-powered apps with Azure

As a Microsoft partner, Pangaea Data leveraged the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme to drive innovation and growth. Its AI-powered healthcare applications foster collaboration and improve patient outcomes while saving the NHS £1 billion.

Read the customer story: Pangaea Data built novel AI with Azure

Pangaea Data’s success illustrates the transformative power of partnering with Microsoft. It shows how SDCs can leverage our robust cloud platform and resources to drive innovation and achieve remarkable business outcomes.

Join the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme

Start accelerating success today by joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme. In the meantime, check out two key Microsoft SDC resources below – an e-book explaining how developers can create intelligent, personalised apps that elevate user experiences; and a webinar outlining new resources and financial incentives in our ISV Success Programme.

Get the e-book: Transform ISV Applications with Intelligent AI Personalisation

Watch the webinar: What is New in ISV Success – AI Benefits and More

Find out more

Join the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme

Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme

Microsoft commercial marketplace

About the author

Ruth Bickerton is a Senior Partner Development Manager at Microsoft. With a focus on driving partner success, Ruth plays a pivotal role in fostering strategic partnerships within the healthcare sector. Her expertise lies in collaborating with software development companies (SDCs) and other businesses with substantial growth potential, particularly those interested in AI and disruptive market strategies.