Managed Application

5 min

🟣 What is a Managed Application?

A Managed Application is a Microsoft Marketplace offer type that deploys your solution into your customer's Azure subscription, while you keep management control of the deployed resources. The customer owns the subscription and pays Microsoft for the infrastructure; you operate the software.

WeTransact supports two transactable offer types:

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Managed Application.

Managed Applications sit between SaaS (which runs entirely in your environment) and a fully customer-managed deployment.

Note: A Managed Application is not the same as an Azure Application solution template. Both use ARM (Azure Resource Manager) templates, but only a Managed Application creates a locked

🟣 When to use a Managed Application

Choose a Managed Application when your solution:

Needs access to sensitive or regulated data that cannot leave the customer's environment — for example healthcare or financial data.

Performs security audits, monitoring or cost analysis directly inside the customer's Azure environment.

Requires complex Azure provisioning that the customer should not have to assemble themselves.

Contains intellectual property you need to protect from inspection or modification by the customer.

Tip: default to SaaS.

SaaS publishes faster, updates instantly for everyone, and is simpler for both you and your customer. Choose a Managed Application only when the solution genuinely needs to run inside the customer's tenant, needs IP protection through a publisher-managed resource group, or requires complex Azure provisioning. Do not pick it "just for control".

🟣 Key characteristics

Aspect	Detail
Deployed in the customer tenant	The application runs in the customer's Azure subscription, which helps with compliance and data residency requirements.
Publisher control	You keep management access to the deployed resources and can operate the solution remotely.
IP protection	By default the customer can see, but not modify or open, the resources in the managed resource group (deny assignments).
Automated deployment	Provisioning happens automatically after purchase, based on your ARM template. No manual publisher step.
Updates without customer effort	You apply updates, patches and new features without needing customer input.
Pricing	Flat monthly fee only, optionally plus custom metered dimensions. No per-user and no annual term.
Infrastructure billing	Charged to the customer's own Azure subscription by default