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
Analyst Report
April 7, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Choosing Among Microsoft’s Many Copilot and Agent Reporting Tools
Several tools provide reporting, analytics, and insights into Microsoft 365 Copilot and agent usage within organizations, and then vary by...
Infographic
April 7, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Reporting and Analytics Tools for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents
Table compares characteristics of Microsoft’s offerings for reporting on and analyzing M365 Copilot and agents within an organization.
Analyst Report
Updated: March 30, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
M365 Agent Value Could Be Revealed by New Agent Dashboard
The Agent Dashboard in Viva Insights shows metrics of deployed Microsoft 365-based agents across an organization, building on a dispersed...
Analyst Report
Updated: March 12, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Deciphering Power Apps Licensing
Power Apps, a low-code platform for building business apps, offers some entitlements with Microsoft 365 and Office 365, but many...
Analyst Report
February 24, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit Doesn’t Have Copilot Studio Limitations
The Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit is Copilot Studio alternative for pro developers building AI agents that work with M365 Copilot,...
Analyst Report
February 8, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Enhancements Could Break Down Agent Adoption Barriers
Copilot Studio, Microsoft’s maker-oriented tool for building AI agents, receives enhancements focusing on security, governance, testing, analytics, and agent capabilities,...
Charts & Illustrations
Updated: January 21, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Power Apps Licensing Options
Illustration shows Power Apps license types and the features of each.
In Brief
January 18, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Azure Custom Resource Providers Retiring
The Azure Custom Resource Providers (CuRP) service will be retired on Oct. 31, 2026.
Roadmap
Updated: January 12, 2026 · by Rob Sanfilippo
Visual Studio Roadmap
Visual Studio 2026 became generally available in Nov. 2025, and major version releases of the IDE will now arrive annually.
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...