Microsoft Partnership Positioned as Meter’s Primary Growth Channel
Meter CEO Anil Varanasi has revealed that the company’s strategic relationship with Microsoft is projected to become “the biggest channel we have over the next few years,” according to reports from The Channel Company’s 2025 XChange Best of Breed event. Sources indicate this partnership could drive hundreds of millions in new revenue for Meter and its channel partners through unique cost depreciation capabilities unavailable previously in the networking space.
Revolutionary Networking Model Gains Industry Backing
The network-as-a-service specialist has attracted significant attention from technology leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and backers like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and VMware Founder Diane Green. Analysts suggest Meter’s approach of building cohesive hardware and software solutions from the ground up represents a fundamental shift in networking industry standards.
“We disagreed with all of those things,” Varanasi stated regarding traditional networking vendor practices. The report states that Meter’s model eliminates capital expenditures for partners while providing recurring “high quality” revenue, contrasting sharply with industry norms where vendors “made a box, sold the box, then washed their hands of it.”
Azure Marketplace Integration Creates Unique Value Proposition
The partnership enables customers to purchase Meter’s services through the Azure Marketplace and deprecate costs from their Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC). According to Varanasi, “That hasn’t been available for networking before on the Azure Marketplace,” creating what sources describe as a tremendous opportunity for channel partners worldwide.
Market observers note this development comes amid broader industry shifts toward operational expenditure models, similar to movements seen in other sectors where executives like the Prologis CEO report market adjustments and companies implement innovative solutions such as privacy-focused verification systems.
Channel-First Strategy Driving Exponential Growth
Meter reportedly conducts approximately 95 percent of its business through channel partners, with all new business and renewals being 100 percent channel fulfilled. The company’s CEO emphasized that partners have been “incredible” in driving growth, with the pipeline “growing on itself” especially over the past two years.
David Stinner, president of US itek, confirmed the appeal of Meter’s approach, stating that moving to an opex model from traditional capex represents “the next natural progression” for managed service providers. The ability to bundle services with no capital expenditure requirements reportedly makes the offering particularly attractive given many enterprises’ existing Microsoft relationships.
Industry-Wide Implications and Future Outlook
The significant Microsoft investment in Meter’s $170 million Series C funding round in June underscores the strategic importance of this partnership. As the industry watches this development, similar strategic shifts are occurring across sectors, including high-profile legal developments and ambitious projections from companies like Salesforce targeting $60B revenue by 2030.
Varanasi concluded that the partnership enables “bigger pipeline and faster close” – exactly what businesses seek in today’s competitive landscape. With enterprises across retail, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and education verticals already adopting Meter’s solutions, analysts suggest this Microsoft-channel combination could redefine networking distribution models industry-wide.
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