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The Fujitsu Business Solutions Store – Cloud Computing Management

The Background

At Fujitsu, I led the UX research, user experience, and design of the Fujitsu Business Solutions Store, a platform designed to help Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) market and sell their software solutions as Software as a Service (SaaS).

Initially, the Fujitsu Business Solutions Store was launched as a proprietary marketplace where ISVs could list their software solutions. Fujitsu handled all backend operations, such as subscription management, invoicing, and user management, enabling ISVs to focus solely on their products.

The platform was built with flexibility in mind, allowing ISVs to define their own pricing models based on various factors, such as API calls, number of users, storage usage, or any other metrics they chose. ISVs could also set tiered pricing plans, allowing them to create customized pricing structures based on usage levels.

Later, the platform was transformed into a marque blanche solution, giving other businesses the option to adopt and brand the platform as their own, further expanding its potential reach and functionality.

The Problem

When we started the project, ISVs faced significant barriers in gaining visibility and managing the operational complexities of their SaaS offerings. Many vendors struggled with handling the administrative aspects of subscription management, billing, and user management, which diverted their focus away from improving their core software products. At the same time, there was no unified marketplace where ISVs could easily list their software solutions and access a streamlined process for marketing, selling, and managing those solutions.

For Fujitsu, the challenge was to create a platform that could simplify the process for ISVs while offering a seamless user experience. The platform needed to be adaptable and allow ISVs to define custom pricing models, manage their subscriptions, and support flexible pricing tiers. It also had to be simple enough for customers to browse, purchase, and manage their subscriptions with ease, without creating unnecessary friction in the user journey.

The Solution

I led the design of the Fujitsu Business Solutions Store to address these challenges head-on. The platform provided a straightforward marketplace where ISVs could list their software products, and Fujitsu took care of the subscription management, invoicing, and user management. ISVs could define their pricing models based on metrics such as API calls, number of users, storage usage, or any other relevant criteria. The platform also supported step pricing, enabling ISVs to define price tiers for different usage levels, offering greater flexibility in structuring their pricing plans.

The design of the platform was rooted in user-centered principles, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. The UI integrated Material Design guidelines to ensure that the platform was both intuitive and visually appealing. The flexible customization options also allowed the pre-sales team to quickly create and demonstrate proofs of concept (POCs) to potential clients, making it easier to accelerate the sales process.

As the project progressed, the platform’s success led to a shift in its approach. It was eventually transformed into a marque blanche solution, enabling other businesses to brand and use the platform as their own. This allowed Fujitsu’s platform to scale beyond its initial internal marketplace model, offering the solution to a wider range of clients who could customize it to meet their own needs.

The Benefits

  • The Fujitsu Business Solutions Store quickly became a pivotal tool for ISVs, providing them with a platform to easily market and sell their software solutions without the need to manage complex operational tasks like billing and user management. By offering a flexible pricing model that supported custom and tiered pricing, ISVs could tailor their offerings to better meet the needs of their customers, whether based on usage, API calls, or other metrics. This flexibility also allowed them to quickly experiment with different pricing strategies to maximize their revenue.
  • The platform received several prestigious awards, including the Innovation Award from the German Government IT Office, the “Best in Cloud” award from Computer Woche in 2011, and the Excellence Award at the ISV Convention in Berlin for Best Application Delivery Platform. These accolades demonstrated the platform’s innovation and its positive impact on the SaaS market.
  • Internally, the platform’s success was recognized with the Fujitsu Software Business Group President’s Award and the Head of Middleware Award, highlighting its importance to Fujitsu’s cloud services strategy.
  • For customers, the platform offered a seamless experience, allowing them to easily discover, purchase, and manage their SaaS solutions. The intuitive design and customizable pricing options helped streamline the process, making it easier for customers to find and pay for the software they needed.
  • Ultimately, the Fujitsu Business Solutions Store not only provided ISVs with a comprehensive, flexible marketplace but also set the stage for future scalability by transitioning to a marque blanche solution. This transformation allowed Fujitsu’s platform to reach even more businesses, enabling them to leverage a powerful SaaS marketplace solution that could be customized and branded according to their needs.

“Best in Cloud award”

– Computer Woche 2011

“Innovation award”

– German Government IT Office

“President award + Head of Middleware award”

– Fujitsu Software Business Group

“Excellence award for Best Application Delivery Platform.”

– ISV convention in Berlin

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