Workflow Platform Investment Forecast

Microsoft has continued to launch new workflow platforms while scaling back investment in older platforms. The accompanying chart lists Microsoft’s major workflow platforms, Microsoft software and services that deliver or use the platform, and a forecast of the platform’s likely Microsoft investment level, according to Directions on Microsoft. It also lists some of the factors that support the forecast. Microsoft does not endorse this report, and its plans could change at any time.

Factors in our forecasts include the following.

Recent and announced Microsoft investment. How much investment has the workflow platform received since 2014 or has Microsoft announced for the future? Heavy recent or near-term investment suggests that Microsoft has a longer-term plan for a platform. In contrast, deprecated technologies (whose retirement has been announced) will generally receive no investment other than critical fixes.

Installed base. How many customers are there to fund future investment, and who would be affected by retirement of the workflow platform? Microsoft does not typically publish usage figures for workflow platforms, but history and software requirements provide a rough estimate.