While SaaS Subscriptions works through a self-service marketplace, there's still a challenge in integrating all the individually priced components. As the offering encourages customers to deploy solutions built from more complex combinations of third-party tools, it will push more customers to the channel, he said.

"For those paid to help integrate and manage solutions for customers, it should offer more opportunity to create unique solutions, allow their customers to quickly try new things at lower risk. Enable new service offerings and add-ons, like helping manage cost of the overall components over time," Wells said.

The initial ISV partners participating in the program include: Alert Logic, Aspera, Avalara, Bitium, Cloudinary, Cloudyn, Datadog, Datapath, Dome9 Security, Druva, HERE, NetApp, New Relic, Pitney Bowes, Qubole, Dynatrace, Signiant, Solano Labs, Solodev, Sumo Logic, and Trend Micro.

More ISV partners are on their way, Barr said in his blog.