MARKETPLACE PUBLISHING PROCESS

Overview

The PTC Marketplace contains two primary types of content, Tools & Solutions.

Tools: Tools include extensions, development tools and starter kits.

• Extensions enable ThingWorx users to quickly and easily enhance the functionality of their IoT application. Extensions can be service (function/method) libraries, connector templates, functional widgets, integrations to 3rd party systems, and more.
• Development tools are typically a set of software development tools that allow the creation of applications.
• Starter kits are informational documents which may include software components that will guide you through the process of connecting a device or software product to the ThingWorx Platform.

Solutions: On the PTC Marketplace there are Commercial and Reference Solutions.

• Commercial Solutions are complete out-of-the box solutions developed by PoweredBy partners which are available for purchase directly through an engagement with our partner.

• Reference Solutions demonstrate competency and intellectual property within a specific domain and are developed by PTC Services partners.  Reference Solutions are available via direct engagement with the Services partner and will be customized to meet your specific needs.

PTC offers a multitude of resources to support and accelerate your development efforts.  These resources will help you create tools or solutions for the Marketplace:

• Developer Portal – The developer portal provides guides, SDKs, product documentation and tutorials for creating with and for the ThingWorx platform.

• Extension development tutorial 
• Connecting devices
  

• PTC Community – PTC software helps our customers do amazing things; from initial design to making it smart and connected. No matter CAD, PLM, ALM, or IoT, we offer peer-to-peer support communities to help you learn best practices, increase your productivity, and interact with PTC.
  
  
• PTC University – PTC University keeps you on the cutting edge of learning and technology. Access first-hand product knowledge through flexible learning experiences that cater to your individual learning style and effectively and efficiently enable you to reach your desired business goals.
  
  
• IoT University – IoT University is a go-to source for online courses around topics such as UX for augmented reality, building platforms for smart manufacturing, or something as simple as defining IoT. Help fuel the IoT revolution with knowing how to get started, digging deep into technical topics, or inspiring the next ah-ha moment.

Overview

PTC encourages ALL partners to submit content to the PTC Marketplace!  Marketplace promotion allows you to drive adoption of your solutions, showcase your industry expertise and build strategic alliances to create even more innovative solutions.  For details on becoming a PTC partner please visit the PTC Partner Network website

Submission requirements:

Solutions (both Commercial and Reference):

• Primary contact name and email address
• Solution description
• PDF or other product collateral

Tools:

Starter Kits

• Primary contact name and email address
• Detailed description of submission
• User Guide detailing installation and configuration instructions.
  • User Guide Template for Starter Kits can be found here
  • Support contact and service level information including emails, telephone numbers and website information

Extensions

• Primary contact name and email address
• Detailed description of submission
• Software (if applicable)
• Completed Submission checklist available here
• User Guide detailing installation and configuration instructions.
  • User Guide Template for Extensions is available here
• Software architecture diagram
• Acknowledgements, if any
• QA activities such as Code scan, Security checks, Functional Testing etc. with supporting documentation
• Support information, contact, website information and service levels
• Testing account credentials provided, if needed

To initiate the process please email your submission to marketplace@ptc.com. 

Status emails will be sent during each stage of the review process.

Overview

PTC reviews all content prior to Marketplace publication. The review process is based upon content type, and is outlined below. Partners will be provided with access to create a Marketplace listing once content is approved. 

All content submitted for publication to the Marketplace must go through a review process. The review process has been developed to assess submitted content's viability and its compliance with basic security requirements.  We do this to ensure content that is published on the Marketplace follows industry best practices, and to promote trust within the ecosystem.

Solutions:

• Live demonstration will be scheduled to review the solution to understand its market readiness as well as how PTC software is being used within the overall solution.
• Marketing materials will be reviewed to understand how the PTC Partner is marketing their solution. Also this will be used as collateral for the listing.

Tools: 

Starter kits:

• Documentation review - User Guide will be reviewed for completeness and accuracy. The PTC testing engineer will follow the steps in the guide to install and test the submitted tool.
• Live demonstration will be scheduled to review the steps outlined in the submitted guide as well as understand dependencies and how the guide enables a user to complete all outlined actions.

Extensions:

Because extensions are installed directly to our software platforms a more thorough review is required:

• Virus scanning - The submitted software will go through an automated virus scan using software like ClamAv to check for potentially harmful viruses. 

• Static Code Analysis - Once the virus scan passes, the code will undergo a static code analysis. This is a technique by which the software artifact is analyzed for potentially vulnerable code without actually executing the code. Tools such as VeraCode are used for this step.
• Dependency Check - After your extension is imported and configured on the appropriate instance it will undergo a review of dependent system files (JARs) using tools like OWASP ZAP.
• Functional review testing- Submitted software will undergo functional testing to ensure that the stated use cases are working as documented in the user’s guide.
• Negative testing – Submitted extensions will be reviewed with other partners’ extensions to demonstrate interoperability and ensure our ecosystem partners’ content can operate together.
• Live demonstration will be scheduled to review the steps outlined in the submitted guide as well as understand dependencies and how the guide enables a user to complete all outlined actions.
• Documentation review - User Guide will be reviewed for completeness and accuracy. The testing engineer will follow the steps in the guide to install and test the extension.Use cases will be derived from the documentation to ensure all documented use cases are tested.

Upon successful review, offerings will be permitted to be published to the Marketplace.

Overview

Once your Tool or Solution submission is approved PTC will grant access to the Marketplace Publishing tool so listings can be created.

All Partners publishing content will be able to create a partner listing and listing pages for their product offering.

The Marketplace publication process is a collaborative process during which you will work with the PTC Marketplace team to create an effective listing.

Upon approval, your content will be available to users of the PTC Marketplace.

Partners with questions may contact us at marketplace.support@ptc.com 

Use the following resources to guide you through the publication process:

• Partner Listing Guide
• Tool Listing With Direct Download Guide
• Tool Listing with Referral to Partner Site Guide
• Commercial Solution Listing Guide
• Reference Solution Listing Guide