Analyst Reports

Our experts meticulously cut through the haze of Microsoft information so you don’t have to. Analyst Reports provide the clearest, most accurate, and up-to-date information anywhere, free of hype or complexity. Each report delivers clear, actionable insights to help you plan, evaluate, and decide with confidence. New reports are published every week on a variety of topics that will help you reduce risk and save both time and money.

Dynamics 365 Retiring Guides and Remote Assist, Move Before Dec. 2026 January 26, 2026 Two key field user products, Guides and Remote Assist, are being retired at the end… more SQL Server 2016/2017 Database Migration: So Many Choices January 26, 2026 SQL Server 2016 is retiring in July 2026 and SQL Server 2017 in Oct. 2027…. more Microsoft IQ: Look at the Details, Not the Branding January 24, 2026 Microsoft IQ is a marketing label for unrelated AI initiatives that solve different problems and… more Work IQ Models Work for Microsoft 365 Copilot January 22, 2026 With Work IQ, Microsoft 365 Copilot creates customer-specific answers and content. Deciphering Power Apps Licensing Updated: January 21, 2026 Power Apps, a low-code platform for building business apps, offers some entitlements with Microsoft 365… more M365 Copilot Adds Choice (and Risk) with Anthropic’s Claude January 20, 2026 Microsoft partnered with Anthropic, adding its Claude’s Sonnet and Opus models to M365 Copilot. Comparing Paths for Licensing Microsoft 365—The Savings May Not Stack Up  Updated: January 18, 2026 Customers have numerous paths available for licensing Microsoft 365 services. Licensing subcomponents on an à… more Top Reasons to Use SQL Server 2025 and a Few Reasons to Avoid It January 14, 2026 SQL Server 2025, released in Nov. 2025, should be used for new databases and to… more Foundry Gets New Name, Anthropic Models January 12, 2026 Azure AI Foundry is getting a new name (Microsoft Foundry) along with support for large… more Migrate Off SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 by July 2026 January 12, 2026 Support for SharePoint Server 2019 and 2016 ends, so customers must migrate. Visual Studio 2026 Smooths AI Integration, First of Annual Releases Updated: January 11, 2026 Visual Studio 2026 became generally available in Nov. 2025 with minor enhancements, such as tighter… more How to Apply Azure Reservations and Savings Plans Effectively January 10, 2026 Azure reservations and savings plans offer meaningful discounts if organizations commit to long-term resource consumption… more Viva Packaging for Microsoft 365 Users Updated: January 6, 2026 Chart helps decide on license requirements and purchase choices for the Viva employee experience services. Executive Focus: Valuing M365 Copilot   January 6, 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI productivity add-on tool that can also host agents but… more SQL Server 2016/2017 Migration Strategy: Risks and Opportunities January 5, 2026 SQL Server 2016 is retiring in July 2026 and SQL Server 2017 in Oct. 2027…. more Free SQL Server Developer Edition Is Mostly for Demos Updated: January 2, 2026 SQL Server Developer edition is free for development and test use, but organizations should use… more Intune Premium License Tiers Still Not Worth It Updated: December 23, 2025 Premium Intune features and service tiers are not in any Microsoft 365 suite, suggesting forthcoming… more Intune Suite Features Added to Microsoft 365 E5, E3 Ahead of 2026 Price Increases Updated: December 23, 2025 The features of the Intune Suite have been split across the Microsoft 365 E5 and… more Office LTSC Timeline Updated: December 16, 2025 Diagram shows the likely releases and retirements of Office LTSC suites. Get Access to over 6,471 Reports Atlas Membership