The Directions on Microsoft Briefing

This year marks Microsoft's 50th anniversary and several of the Directions analysts were part of the company's history. Barry Briggs, Michael Cherry, and Rob Sanfilippo share some ringside-seat insights with Mary Jo Foley from their years working across different teams and times at Microsoft.

Microsoft's repositioning of itself as an AI company has major implications for customers in terms of how you plan, buy, license and manage Microsoft products. Directions analyst Barry Briggs discusses with Mary Jo Foley what enterprises really need to know about Microsoft's AI strategy.

Microsoft's repositioning of itself as an AI company has major implications for customers in terms of how you plan, buy, license and manage Microsoft products. Directions analyst Barry Briggs discusses with Mary Jo Foley what enterprises really need to know about Microsoft's AI strategy.

While some customers just cannot let go of their on-premises Microsoft products -- for legitimate and not-so-valid reasons -- the risks of running software on-prem are growing. Directions analyst Andrew Snodgrass talks with Mary Jo Foley about on-premises realities and provides some recommendations.

While some customers just cannot let go of their on-premises Microsoft products -- for legitimate and not-so-valid reasons -- the risks of running software on-prem are growing. Directions analyst Andrew Snodgrass talks with Mary Jo Foley about on-premises realities and provides some recommendations.

Whether you appreciate it, tolerate it, or want to stamp it out, Shadow IT is not going anywhere. Is this necessarily a bad thing? Directions analysts Barry Briggs, Greg DeMichillie and Rob Sanfilippo share with Mary Jo Foley their ideas for managing and channeling Shadow IT in this roundtable discussion.

Azure Reservations is one of the best ways enterprises can save money on their Microsoft contracts. But, as Directions' Wes Miller explains to Mary Jo Foley, you need to know the gotchas before you jump in.

Whether you appreciate it, tolerate it, or want to stamp it out, Shadow IT is not going anywhere. Is this necessarily a bad thing? Directions analysts Barry Briggs, Greg DeMichillie and Rob Sanfilippo share with Mary Jo Foley their ideas for managing and channeling Shadow IT in this roundtable discussion. 

Azure Reservations is one of the best ways enterprises can save money on their Microsoft contracts. But, as Directions' Wes Miller explains to Mary Jo Foley, you need to know the gotchas before you jump in.

Microsoft's Unified Support plan is not beloved by many enterprises. US Cloud VP Mike Jones provides the latest on the plan, plus some support tips and tricks in this conversation with Directions' Mary Jo Foley.

Microsoft's Azure Local falls in the uncanny valley between on-prem and cloud. Our newest analyst Greg DeMichillie shares his recommendations with Mary Jo Foley on what customers should (and shouldn't yet) do with this technology.

Microsoft's Unified Support plan is not beloved by many enterprises. US Cloud VP Mike Jones provides the latest on the plan, plus some support tips and tricks in this conversation with Directions' Mary Jo Foley.

Microsoft's Azure Local falls in the uncanny valley between on-prem and cloud. Our newest analyst Greg DeMichillie shares his recommendations with Mary Jo Foley on what customers should (and shouldn't yet) do with this technology.

Our panel of Directions on Microsoft analysts talk about the biggest Microsoft enterprise pain points for 2024 and predict what will be top-of-mind in 2025 in this recording of our annual update webinar.

Microsoft's Ignite 2024 conference focused heavily on all things AI. But that wasn't all. Directions analyst Wes Miller grills Mary Jo Foley about the announcements and non-announcements from Chicago.

Microsoft's intense focus on all things AI has resulted in noticeable security, quality and delivery issues with some of its key enterprise products and services. Directions analysts Jim Gaynor and Wes Miller share with Mary Jo Foley their insights on how Microsoft's new priorities have affected and may continue to impact its commercial customers.

There's one year left before Microsoft ends support for Windows 10. Directions analysts Michael Cherry, Jim Gaynor, and Wes Miller talk with Mary Jo Foley about the best paths forward for enterprises who want to stay safe and up-to-date.

CxOs are juggling more than just AI ROI these days. Security, cloud-computing costs, governance and more all are vying for attention and budgets. Directions analyst Barry Briggs and Mary Jo Foley talk about the latest technologies on which CxOs need to focus.

Microsoft is making more and more Dynamics 365 features available exclusively as part of pricey premium subscriptions. Directions analyst Andrew Snodgrass and Mary Jo Foley talk through the implications of this shift for customers both now and in the longer term.

As Microsoft commences its 'Wave 2' Copilot push, it's becoming more challenging than ever to find clear answers about features, pricing and licensing. Fortunately, Directions analyst Wes Miller and Mary Jo Foley have you covered with tips and resources to help with your evaluation of the growing family of Microsoft Copilots.

When it comes to databases, Microsoft offers almost too many options for storing and analyzing all kinds of data. Directions analysts Barry Briggs, Rob Sanfilippo and Andrew Snodgrass talk with Mary Jo Foley about how customers can keep up with the growing set of Microsoft on-premises and cloud database offerings and figure out which solution best fits their particular needs.

Broadcom's purchase of VMware late last year has left many customers in the lurch. Microsoft is making a play for the disenfranchised. Directions analysts Jim Gaynor and Wes Miller provide guidance with host Mary Jo Foley to help you navigate the potential technology and licensing minefields.

Microsoft's new Outlook (and the on-premises Exchange Server SE release) are marching ahead. What do customers need to do now to prepare? Directions' Rob Helm, Jim Gaynor, and Mary Jo Foley share the very latest info and their insights on what's happening with these two key new products.

What should companies be doing to on-board AI in ways that generate a positive return on investment? Directions analysts Barry Briggs, Michael Cherry, and Rob Sanfilippo tackle some of the biggest AI-related compliance, legal, and implementation questions that we're getting from customers.

After the U.S. Cyber Safety Board gave Microsoft a terrible report card, Microsoft reiterated its plans for a company-wide security overhaul. But what should its customers be doing? Directions analyst Michael Cherry and Mary Jo Foley offer guidance on steps organizations should take in light of Microsoft's recent security missteps.

Directions on Microsoft's latest licensing bootcamp AND Microsoft's Build 2024 developer conference? analyst Wes Miller and Mary Jo Foley have you covered. We talk about the highs, lows and lessons learned from both events.

Microsoft's edge-computing strategy has been shifting in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways. In the evolving AI era, edge computing will become even more central for customers, partners and Microsoft itself. Directions analyst Barry Briggs and Mary Jo Foley dissect Microsoft's evolving edge-computing plans and tactics in this episode.

There's a new wave of end-of-life Microsoft product meteors coming for your organization. Directions on Microsoft analyst Joshua Trupin talks with Mary Jo Foley about what to watch out for in 2025 and beyond, including new, pricey, Pay As You Go options -- and how customers can try to blunt the impact.

Windows Server is back! Directions on Microsoft analyst Jim Gaynor and Mary Jo Foley delve into the new features and capabilities coming with Windows Server 2025 worth knowing about, including new Active Directory and security features, GPU partitioning for Hyper-V, hotpatching – and the Azure services you need to use them.

Mary Jo Foley interviews veteran Directions analyst Wes Miller, who shares surprising insights gained teaching customers how to navigate the Microsoft licensing maze for more than a decade. From over-licensing and under-licensing to underestimating Microsoft's revenue drive, you'll learn the important do's and don'ts of effective Microsoft licensing.

Directions analysts Jim Gaynor, Rob Sanfilippo and Andrew Snodgrass debate when, how, and why customers might want to move some (or even all) of their workloads and apps from the cloud back to on-premises.

Directions on Microsoft analyst Rob Sanfilippo talks with Mary Jo Foley about how the Directions' twice-yearly Azure roadmap comes together. The two compare notes on the latest Azure trends and hot buttons. Plus, Rob takes the Azure codename challenge (and loses).

Directions analysts Michael Cherry, Jim Gaynor, and Wes Miller dive into how subscriptions have transformed Microsoft business model and what it means for Microsoft customers, both now and in the future.

Directions analysts Barry Briggs and Andrew Snodgrass talk with Mary Jo about the hype and the reality surrounding database systems this episode of the Directions podcast. Are organizations any closer to harnessing the power of data now than before? What works and what doesn't when it comes to data-management strategies?

In our first Brainstorm episode, Mary Jo Foley, Andy Snodgrass, Rob Sanfilippo, and Barry Briggs discuss the avalanche of Copilots announced by Microsoft, whether they'll live up to the marketing hype, and what they mean to enterprises and to enterprise users.

In the last episode of the Directions on Microsoft EA podcast series, Mary Jo Foley quizzes former Microsoft negotiator Dean Bedwell about common Microsoft negotiation traps customers should avoid and the negotiation levers they can apply to optimize their EA renewal outcomes.

Our panel of Directions on Microsoft analysts talk enterprise product and licensing hot buttons for 2023 and what will be top-of-mind in 2024 -- and answer customer questions.

After years of promoting "Cloud, Cloud, Cloud," Microsoft has shifted to "AI, AI, AI." Mary Jo and former Microsoft CTO Barry Briggs put Microsoft's big bet on AI into perspective by comparing it to its other strategic initiatives – past, present, and future.

In episode five of the Directions on Microsoft EA Negotiation podcast series, Mary Jo Foley talks with former Microsoft negotiator Dean Bedwell about the top pricing, business, and legal concessions every Microsoft customer should ask for and the best way to negotiate for them.

Think you know all about Microsoft's telephony services in Teams? In this episode, Directions analyst Jim Gaynor talks with Mary Jo Foley about the Teams Phone use cases, licensing requirements and more. Whether you're replacing your organization's phone system or looking for the best way to dial into a Teams meeting, Jim has you covered.

In this fourth installment of a series covering Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EAs), Directions on Microsoft's director of advisory services and former Microsoft negotiator Dean Bedwell shares his top tips and tricks for a successful EA negotiation.

Directions analysts Rob Horwitz and Wes Miller talk with Mary Jo Foley about what they've learned about Microsoft licensing after delivering more than one hundred Licensing Boot Camps over the past fourteen years. You learn what's changed – and what never seems to change – about Microsoft licensing programs and rules. You'll also find out about upcoming changes and the implications for Microsoft customers.

In this third installment of a series covering Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EAs), Mary Jo Foley discusses the analysis phase of a successful EA negotiation with senior Directions on Microsoft negotiator Steve Kelley.

Microsoft's products, priorities, and strategies never stop changing. In this episode, Directions analyst and former Microsoft CTO for IT Barry Briggs interviews veteran Microsoft watcher and Directions editor in chief Mary Jo Foley about the strategy she's used to track big shifts at Microsoft for more than 30 years.

When Microsoft stops investing, you should, too. Mary Jo Foley talks with Directions on Microsoft analyst Wes Miller about how to know when it's time to walk away from Microsoft technologies. He also identifies key Microsoft technologies you may being using that are already on that list.

In this second installment of a multi-episode series covering Enterprise Agreements (EAs), Mary Jo Foley talks with Direction on Microsoft senior consultant Joshua Osborne about the EA negotiation discovery process -- what it is, why it matters, how best to do it and key mistakes to avoid.

Microsoft is changing its data and analytics playbook with a new end-to-end platform called Microsoft Fabric. In this episode, Mary Jo Foley and analyst Andrew Snodgrass dissect Fabric to parse out what's really new. They also discuss how Fabric will -- and won't -- change the way customers work with Microsoft business intelligence technologies.

Our panel of Directions on Microsoft analysts talk about the biggest Microsoft enterprise pain points for 2024 and predict what will be top-of-mind in 2025 in this recording of our annual update webinar.

Microsoft's Ignite 2024 conference focused heavily on all things AI. But that wasn't all. Directions analyst Wes Miller grills Mary Jo Foley about the announcements and non-announcements from Chicago.

Microsoft's intense focus on all things AI has resulted in noticeable security, quality and delivery issues with some of its key enterprise products and services. Directions analysts Jim Gaynor and Wes Miller share with Mary Jo Foley their insights on how Microsoft's new priorities have affected and may continue to impact its commercial customers.

There's one year left before Microsoft ends support for Windows 10. Directions analysts Michael Cherry, Jim Gaynor, and Wes Miller talk with Mary Jo Foley about the best paths forward for enterprises who want to stay safe and up-to-date.