Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Rob worked at Microsoft for 14 years where he designed technologies for Microsoft products and services, including Exchange Server, BizTalk Server, and Xbox Live.
Rob received a B.S. in electrical, computer, and systems engineering from Harvard University.
Latest Content by Rob Sanfilippo
Roadmap
Updated: January 12, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Visual Studio Roadmap
Roadmap for Visual Studio, Microsoft's integrated development environment for designing, coding, debugging, and testing software.
Analyst Report
Updated: January 11, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Visual Studio 2026 Smooths AI Integration, First of Annual Releases
Visual Studio 2026 became generally available in Nov. 2025 with minor enhancements, such as tighter integration with GitHub Copilot, which...
Analyst Report
December 14, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Azure Copilot Agents Simplify Azure Operation, Optimization
Azure Copilot is being revamped with agents that simplify many elements of operation for administrators and developers, including an optimization...
Charts & Illustrations
December 14, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Azure Operations Center Centralizes Access to Lifecycle Management Services
A new Azure portal UI called Operations Manager provides access to several existing operations tools in one place.
Analyst Report
Updated: December 5, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
How Microsoft’s New Agent Pricing Option Affects Costs
A new upfront purchasing option for agents provides discounts over pay-as-you-go billing, but it is best for customers who have...
Analyst Report
Updated: November 30, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
The Microsoftification of GitHub
Microsoft organizational changes suggest that GitHub will get more direct Microsoft oversight and control, bringing GitHub customers several benefits and...
Kits & Collections
Updated: November 17, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Power Platform
This kit consolidates a collection of Directions on Microsoft’s reports and resources to help organizations better understand Power Platform features...
Analyst Report
Updated: November 17, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
GitHub Agent HQ Brings Agent Governance, Third-Party Support
GitHub Agent HQ is a platform included with paid GitHub Copilot subscriptions for hosting, governing, and managing AI-based agents (including...
Kits & Collections
Updated: November 14, 2025 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Understanding Azure Governance
Kit contains resources discussing topics and issues related to governance of Azure deployments.