Esri Startup Program Orientation: Technical Alignment

Katie_Decker · ‎11-11-2015

This blog follows Patterns for Success in the Orientation Series

Esri Startup Program ArcGIS Technical Alignment

(How to Best Partner with Esri as a Startup Partner)

ArcGIS alignment is a topic that encompasses a set of core business objectives that keep Esri teams, partner teams, and customers moving in the same direction together. It’s a major focus area within Esri’s Startup Program and Partner Network (EPN) because it articulates our company’s product roadmap and business/licensing strategies, so that business partners know the direction Esri is heading. It's key for Esri and Esri Partners to be aligned and work together to keep commitments that we are making to our customers. Plus, the following characteristics are where real business value is delivered to the markets.

To learn more, visit the Esri Startup Program Alignment Report Card Framework & Graduation Requirements Guide and review the eligibility expectations outlined in the Esri Startup Program Supplemental Policies for EPN .

ArcGIS Alignment Characteristics

The first three points are critical to being an 'aligned partner' and will help our partners maximize channel development with Esri. To understand deployment and licensing for 3rd-party revenue-bearing apps or value-added content/data offerings sold as ArcGIS-ready layers through ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise, review our ArcGIS Developer Guides, Security & Authentication for Developers, FAQ for Licensing ArcGIS Location Platform, and Application Implementation Strategy Resources:

Esri ArcGIS: ArcGIS as a system of record—store and maintain all geographic information within the geodatabase and support Esri Web Maps or Hosted Layers stored in ArcGIS - allowing access to many different applications, ease of development, and easy sharing across the entire ArcGIS system. Learn more about how to work with data services - we encourage Esri partners to store all of their geographic / location data within ArcGIS.
PaaS: Leverage Esri's ArcGIS Developer SDKs/APIs and ArcGIS Location Platform of market-leading location services as a platform as a service (PaaS) pay-as-you-go consumption pricing model. Use an ArcGIS authentication workflow to secure access to your offering from an API Key and/or user authentication. Integrate location into your apps and business systems with the most comprehensive and high-quality set of location services, data, and mapping tools available.
SaaS: Support both Co-sell (Extend) or Sublicense (Embed) Esri ArcGIS technology and deploy using ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise by leveraging ArcGIS User Types for every person that will access your solution (see user types, roles, and privileges). Impliment sign-in for Esri users with User Authentication by using ArcGIS User Types, allowing either existing Esri customers to sign in with their own ArcGIS account, purchase ArcGIS users themselves (co-sell), or for non-Esri customers, explore the possibility of OEMing ArcGIS user types managed by the partner by sublicensing ArcGIS users, configurable apps, or specific ArcGIS technology offerings through a negotiated fee from a supported selling program sales authorization (requires approval).

These alignment characteristics are important to Esri as well; see Application Implementation Strategy:

Connect to ArcGIS with other systems, platforms, and data sources. This means going beyond surfacing maps and layers in these systems. It’s just as important to invent new tools that bring data back into ArcGIS. You can use ArcGIS Developer SDKs/APIs to embed location services via API Key with ArcGIS Location Platform (PaaS) for any user, or extend Esri products by implementing app sign-in OAuth 2.0 using User or App Authentication. Or extend by building a custom ArcGIS Pro Add-in workflow or solution.
- To build applications, you can use ArcGIS Maps SDKs, open source libraries, and scripting APIs, powered by ArcGIS Location Services hosted by Esri that provide geospatial functionality and data for building mapping applications. You can use the service APIs to display maps, access basemaps styles, visualize data, find places, geocode addresses, find optimized routes, enrich data, and perform other mapping operations. The services also support advanced routing operations such as fleet routing, calculating service areas, and solving location-allocation problems.
- Extend ArcGIS Pro with the ArcGIS Pro SDK for Microsoft .NET. The ArcGIS Pro SDK provides four main extensibility patterns: add-ins, managed configurations, plugin data sources, and CoreHost applications. You can leverage modern .NET features and patterns, such as Task Asynchronous Programming (TAP), LINQ, WPF Binding, and MVVM, to build integrated 2D and 3D add-ins using the ArcGIS Pro APIs.
- Esri supports an array of open standards and interoperability formats, see also esri.github.io.
Create and register an array of useful information products (using web maps and data services) easily enabled within the Portal. Review Security & Authentication in ArcGIS, plus FAQ ArcGIS Location Platform (PaaS) Deployment & Developer Licensing.
Our core sales teams deliver immediate value to Esri customers by supporting their existing investment in Esri technology. When appropriate, they work with aligned partners to extend the core offerings through focused partner apps, solutions, and content that work seamlessly with Esri software, preferably via a co-sell approach requiring ArcGIS user type authentication or deployment directly into the customer's ArcGIS system via group sharing or a custom ArcGIS Pro Add-in using the ArcGIS Pro SDK.
Adopt a configure-first philosophy, configuring COTS apps when possible to deliver the capabilities your end users need, empowering them to leverage their existing investment in ArcGIS technology. Use this configuration to quickly get feedback on proposed workflows, interfaces, or experiences.
Enable every employee and contractor to easily discover, use, create, and share ArcGIS-enabled maps and location services from any device, anywhere, anytime.
Ensure customer success by providing routine, ongoing assistance, starting with initial operating capabilities, guidance and advice, and ongoing technical support.

Learn more about Esri's ArcGIS Architecture Practices for Success and Security & Authentication in ArcGIS.

One key to success in partnering with Esri is having champions inside an industry sector / vertical. Once alignment is achieved, a wide array of marketing and sales enablement activities typically happen. It's all about finding that win/win/win alignment for the customer, the partner, and Esri.

With these characteristics in place, the goal is to always remain deeply committed to customers and drive innovation that delivers positive experiences and returns on their technology investments – for both partner products and core Esri products. In sharing these objectives, we invite the entire partner network and developer community to always build solutions aligned with these characteristics and objectives, and to stay committed to customers by helping them succeed.

To ensure that Esri partners have the best solution architecture in place to support partner alignment, product/market fit, and the best solution architecture patterns, we recommend speaking to an Esri solution engineer or an Esri or partner professional services resource.

Always stay up to date on the latest Esri ArcGIS system information here:

Esri Startup Program Orientation: Technical Alignment

This blog follows Patterns for Success in the Orientation Series

Esri Startup Program ArcGIS Technical Alignment

(How to Best Partner with Esri as a Startup Partner)

ArcGIS Alignment Characteristics

Blog Return: Patterns for Success. Restart: Orientation Blog Series.