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.

New! Copilot Studio Benefits and Risks Updated: October 5, 2025 Copilot Studio is a low-code tool for building agents that can use generative AI to… more New! What Tools Can Help Me Deploy and Manage Conditional Access? October 5, 2025 A range of free Microsoft tools can help customers tune, troubleshoot, or report on conditional… more Defender for Endpoint Helps Discover Unsecured AD Servers September 28, 2025 Defender for Endpoint adds a feature to find unprotected AD servers, enabling customers to find… more Project Online to Shut Down Sept. 30, 2026 Updated: September 22, 2025 The Project Online service will shut down in Sept. 2026 and remove access to all… more Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) Brings Discounts, Negotiation Leverage Updated: September 22, 2025 Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment is an agreement to spend a specified amount on Azure to… more Azure Data Studio Is Retiring: What You Need to Do and When September 13, 2025 Azure Data Studio, long touted as the future for data management in Azure, is being… more SQL Server Management Studio Update Will Integrate GitHub Copilot Updated: September 12, 2025 A new version of SQL Server Management Studio, Version 21, brings rejuvenation with a Copilot… more Defender for Endpoint: Broad Support for Linux Servers September 12, 2025 Defender for Endpoint offers a broad collection of antimalware and EDR features on x64 and… more How to Track Azure Hybrid Benefit Use Rights for SQL Server Updated: September 8, 2025 Azure Hybrid Benefit could reduce costs for customers using SQL Server–based offerings in Azure, but… more Planner Is The Future of Project Updated: September 8, 2025 The latest repositioning of Microsoft project management offerings sees Microsoft Planner absorbing Project for the… more Windows Backup for Organizations Is Not Real Backup Updated: September 5, 2025 Places Update for Admin, Desk Booking September 5, 2025 An Aug. 2025 update for Places delivers administrator improvements for updates to resources and end-user… more SQL Data Sync’s Retirement Highlights the Future of Azure SQL Offerings September 4, 2025 Azure SQL Data Sync, a cloud hub service for synchronizing data across multiple SQL Server… more How to Track Azure Hybrid Benefit Use Rights for Windows Server Updated: September 1, 2025 Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows Server promises substantial cost savings, but effective tracking is required… more Improving Data Analysis with Microsoft Analyst Agent August 26, 2025 Microsoft Analyst, included with Microsoft 365 Copilot, can accelerate data analysis but requires verification to… more Mixing License Tiers of Defender for Endpoint: Dos and Don’ts August 24, 2025 Since Defender for Endpoint P1 arrived, Microsoft customers have faced potential license compliance problems if… more Sentinel Data Lake Eases Storage of Logs August 18, 2025 Sentinel data lake (in preview) helps customers use Sentinel as their default long-term log storage… more Defender Threat Intelligence Coming to Sentinel and Defender XDR at No Additional Cost August 18, 2025 Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence, previously constrained to an exceedingly expensive per-user license, will be retired… more Who’s Who on a Microsoft Account Team Updated: August 15, 2025 Understanding the roles of the Microsoft account team can help with problems in contract negotiation,… more Get Access to over 6,424 Reports Atlas Membership