Procurement
Latest Analyst Reports
All Procurement Reports
Identity Manager: SP3 Arrives – Support Still Ends in 2029
Updated: June 22, 2026
Microsoft Identity Manager is set for retirement in 2029, and no direct replacement is expected....more
Strategies for Controlling Dynamics 365 Storage Costs
June 17, 2026
Dynamics 365 storage growth is a predictable consequence of long-term system use, not an unusual...more
EA to MCA and CSP: Costs and Risks
May 8, 2026
Midsize customers are being forced out of Enterprise Agreements and steered toward Microsoft Customer Agreements...more
Transitioning Microsoft 365 from an EA to an MCA
Updated: April 24, 2026
Enterprise Agreement customers transitioning to Microsoft Customer Agreements will have to reassess how they license...more
Transitioning Microsoft 365 from an EA to an MCA
Updated: April 24, 2026
Enterprise Agreement customers transitioning to Microsoft Customer Agreements will have to reassess how they license...more
Microsoft 365 Education: Differs from Enterprise by Degrees
Updated: April 12, 2026
Microsoft 365 Education offers most of the features included in commercial enterprise Microsoft 365 offerings, with...more
Microsoft 365 Government: What’s in the Box?
Updated: April 12, 2026
Microsoft 365 Government offers U.S. governmental organizations more regulatory compliance capabilities than Microsoft 365 commercial...more
Azure: Know Reservations
Updated: April 10, 2026
Azure reservations allow customers to reduce Azure costs in exchange for a one- or three-year...more
How to Apply Azure Reservations and Savings Plans Effectively to Compute Workloads
Updated: April 10, 2026
Azure compute is typically the single largest cost category of resources that an organization will...more
EA to MCA: Spot Legal Traps
Updated: March 18, 2026
Finding the Most Common Pain Points Comparing the EA contract stack (fig. 1) and the...more
Demystifying Microsoft’s Copilots
Updated: March 6, 2026
Copilot-branded technologies from Microsoft assist users in completing tasks, but Microsoft overstates ROI. Almost all...more
And Acquisition for All: Microsoft 365 Self-Service Purchase
March 2, 2026
Microsoft makes several services available for direct purchase by end users to promote adoption, circumventing...more
Services Increasingly Expanding Beyond Microsoft 365 Suites
Updated: February 27, 2026
New tiers of several Microsoft 365 core services are quite expensive and are not available...more
VMware Rapid Migration Plan Loses Incentives: Some Benefits for Commitment Remain
Updated: February 18, 2026
Note: Following a further extension of the deadline for the VMware Rapid Migration Plan to...more
Comparing Options 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 reached general availability in Nov. 2025 and offers compelling changes that should...more
Infographics
All Procurement Infographics
Per Core License Model Flowchart
May 1, 2026
Teams-related Product Packaging
April 23, 2026
CALs Included with Online Services Suites
April 17, 2026
CAL Suite Contents
April 17, 2026
External User Qualification Requirements
Updated: April 17, 2026
Enterprise Agreement Contract Stack
April 17, 2026
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Packaging
April 17, 2026
Office and Windows Supported Combinations
April 17, 2026
Microsoft 365 Enterprise Suite Packaging
April 16, 2026
Office 365 Enterprise suites packaging
April 16, 2026
Microsoft 365 Extensions
April 16, 2026
Office 365 and Microsoft 365 Comparison
April 16, 2026
Microsoft 365 Copilot Packaging
April 16, 2026
Frontline Worker Online Suite Packaging
April 13, 2026
Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite Packaging
April 13, 2026
Available Azure Reservations
Updated: April 10, 2026
Reference
All Procurement Reference
Licensing Reference
Places
Places is a Microsoft 365 service that provides work-scheduling and space management capabilities for employees...more
Licensing Reference
Visual Studio
The brand name used for both fee-based and free application development tools and related on-premises...more
Licensing Reference
SQL Database
A Microsoft-hosted multitenant relational database service based on SQL Server, primarily used for standalone databases;...more
Licensing Reference
Project Professional
Higher end edition of Windows client application for managing complex projects; integrates with Project Server...more
Licensing Reference
Project Standard
Lower end edition of Windows client application for project managers; lacks the project sharing and...more
Licensing Reference
Teams Shared Space
Teams Shared Space provides the necessary licenses for shared devices, desks, and meeting spaces used...more
Licensing Reference
Teams Rooms
Microsoft Teams Rooms is a Device SL for Teams Rooms systems, which are shared meeting...more
Licensing Reference
Visual Studio Code
A cross-platform code editor with extensible support for development operations such as building and debugging...more
Licensing Reference
Azure Storage
Azure Storage offerings have different purchasing options with several factors affecting costs, including storage or...more
Licensing Reference
GitHub
GitHub, offered as both an online service and as on-premises software, provides an application life-cycle...more
Licensing Reference
Exchange Server Timeline
Outlines major licensing and packaging changes to Exchange Server.
Licensing Reference
HPC Workload
Refers to a scenario involving Windows Server-based high performance computing (HPC) clusters licensed via volume...more
Licensing Reference
Mainstream Support
A five-year period, beginning at the point a new version of a software product becomes...more
Licensing Reference
Extended Support
A multi-year period following Mainstream Support where customers receive free security updates for a software...more
Licensing Reference
Assign
To allocate a product license to a user or a device so that it is...more
Licensing Reference
MSDN
The term Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) is mostly phased out as a brand name but...more
Podcasts
Tips for Dealing with Azure Consumption Constraints and Hidden M365 Costs
May 21, 2026
· Season - 5 · Episode - 9 · Duration - 21m Microsoft 365 E7: Ready Or Not, Here It ComesApril 23, 2026
· Season - 5 · Episode - 8 · Duration - 21m Tips and Tricks For Your Next EA RenewalApril 2, 2026
· Season - 5 · Episode - 6 · Duration - 28mBlog
June 15, 2026
Azure MACConomics: Is a MACC Worth It at Any Discount?
Lane Shelton
May 29, 2026
EA to MCA Migration: Your Four-Point Compliance Checklist
by Steven Kelley
May 29, 2026
Your Next EA Renewal: It’s Past Time to Update Your Unified Support Playbook
Lane Shelton