Build vs. Buy: Why Building a Cloud GTM Stack Slows You Down

As SaaS companies increasingly tap into cloud marketplaces like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, the need to have a complete cloud go-to-market (GTM) stack has become critical.

Succeeding in marketplaces today means managing product listings, integrating usage metering and billing, creating and tracking private offers, enforcing entitlement logic, automating renewals, handling notifications, and aligning data back to your CRM, all while keeping up with the evolving requirements of each cloud platform.

But here’s the reality: building your own multi-cloud GTM integration, or relying solely on native marketplace connectors, is slow, costly, and unsustainable.
Each cloud has its own APIs, schemas, billing models, entitlement systems, and operational workflows, meaning every new product, cloud, or listing adds another layer of rebuilds, refactors, and maintenance.

If you are serious about scaling revenue through AWS, Azure, and GCP marketplaces, and want to automate listings, billing, metering, offers, CRM syncs, and reporting, buying a ready-to-use platform like Suger is the faster, more scalable path.

In this blog, we’ll break down why building in-house slows you down, where hidden costs and bottlenecks appear, and how using Suger you can accelerate all these manual cloud GTM processes, and scale across clouds without multiplying engineering and operations effort.

Let’s dive in. 

Building a Cloud Marketplace In-House is So Hard

Step 1: Listing Creation is Complex and Manual

• Every marketplace (AWS, Azure, GCP) has different rules for listings, offers, and compliance.
• Each marketplace listing requires filling out extensive features and manual configuration requirementsdetailed product descriptions, pricing models, tax/billing setup, and legal contracts.
• Manual errors in listing setup can delay approvals for weeks or months.
• Without guided workflows, sellers must navigate Marketplace Management Portal independently, risking configuration mistakes and rejection.

✅ Bottom Line:
Setting up compliant listings across multiple marketplaces demands significant engineering effort, carries a high risk of errors, and comes with a steep learning curve.

Step 2: Metering and Billing Integration is Technically Demanding

• Metering services must accurately track usage (API calls, storage, active users) and send real-time billing data to each cloud's billing engine.
• This is the core technical task for your engineers.For example, AWS requires direct integration with the Metering Service API to sendusage data securely to AWS. This data will be used for billing.
• Error handling must be robust to avoid billing discrepancies or lost revenue.
• Each cloud’s billing model and API format differ, meaning metering integration must be rebuilt for every new marketplace.

✅ Bottom Line:
Metering and billing are not set-and-forget. Building reliable usage tracking and billing across clouds demands specialized engineering and ongoing maintenance.

Step 3: Testing and Compliance Without Support Slows Time-to-Market

• Passing Marketplace standards and completing integration is a complex, seller-driven process.
• Without guided workflows or direct support, sellers must independently manage testing, compliance, and issue resolution, often leading to setbacks, delayed approvals, and extended go-to-market timelines.

• Feedback from Marketplace support during validation can be slow and fragmented, adding further risk to launch schedules.

✅ Bottom Line:
Without expert guidance, marketplace testing and integration become a lengthy, manual effort, delaying revenue and product launches.

Step 4: CRM and Operations Require Full Ownership Without Vendor Support

• Integrating your Marketplace product with your CRM demands manual setup and configuration, without dedicated support.
• Sellers must independently manage integration steps, troubleshoot compatibility issues, and invest additional resources to maintain the system.

• Choosing Marketplace native CRM package also shifts full responsibility for troubleshooting, updates, and issue resolution onto your team, with no vendor support for maintenance or escalations.

Without a managed solution, maintaining marketplace integrations becomes an ongoing internal burden, draining time, engineering resources, and operational efficiency.

Step 5 : Private Offer Management and Reporting Lack Visibility

• Managing private offers and entitlements through the Marketplace Management Portal is entirely manual.
• While the portal houses raw data, it lacks user-friendly visualization, filtering, and actionable insights.

• To generate useful reporting for private offers, entitlements, and deal progress, sellers must build and maintain custom reports manually in CRM, requiring ongoing admin effort and technical resources.

✅ Bottom Line:
Without a purpose-built platform, private offer tracking and reporting remain fragmented, manual, and resource-intensive.

Step 6 : Notifications and Event Management Are Manual and Error-Prone

• Setting up notifications for Marketplace events, like private offer submissions or entitlement changes is complex and must be built manually.
• Without a pre-integrated solution, customers often do not receive critical notifications automatically.
• Your engineering team must custom-build, test, and maintain event handling logic internally, increasing operational overhead and risk of missed updates.
  

✅ Bottom Line:
Without automation, managing marketplace notifications is manual, unreliable, and adds ongoing engineering burden.

Benefits of Investing in a Cloud GTM Platform

Scale Cloud Revenue, Not Effort with Suger

1. Quick to market
   Get listing ready in under a day, using AI-powered autofill
2. Streamlined revenue recognition
   Automate disbursements, renewals, and metering for accurate revenue tracking.
3. API-first approach
   Integrates with your existing CRM and automates marketplace workflows effortlessly
4. Co-sell on auto-pilot
   Share deals and sync CRM data without manual duplication or switching tabs.
5. Simplified quote-to-cash
   Create and send private offers directly from your CRM in 1-click.
6. Advanced reporting
   View all marketplace KPIs : pipeline, offers, usage  in a single dashboard.
7. Workflows to automate what matters
   Use low-code workflows to trigger actions, sync data, and connect your GTM stack without engineering support.

After implementing Suger companies have seen,

Ready to Sell Smarter on Cloud Marketplace?