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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 4d

What's happening with Microsoft Exchange? Get caught up with our new podcast now out with special guest Tony Redmond @office365itpros.com
Directions analyst Rob Helm and @maryjofoley.bsky.social
directionsonmicrosoft.com/podcasts/wha... #MSTech

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 5d

New post from Directions analyst
@barryb.bsky.social: Enterprise Semantic Layer: The Missing Link for AI (and Microsoft)? www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/cto-talk-the...

CIO Talk: The Enterprise Semantic Layer: The Missing Link for AI (and Microsoft)?

This blog post is a little different. I’m not going to tell you about the pros and cons of a Microsoft technology – rather, I’m going to talk about a missing Microsoft piece of the puzzle. Maybe it’s ...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 5d

With Windows 10 hitting end of support this week, Microsoft is trying to make Windows 11 more appealing by adding more AI features. If you loved "Hey Cortana," you might love "Hey Copilot." And if not, probably not... blogs.windows.com/windowsexper... #MSTech

Making every Windows 11 PC an AI PC

New Copilot and agentic experiences make powerful AI easy on Windows 11 Today, we’re taking an exciting step forward with a new wave of updates that make every Windows 11 PC an AI PC – with Copilot at...

blogs.windows.com

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 5d

New M365 Copilot offering for academic customers (educators, staff, students) coming in Dec. 2025 at $18 per user per month (instead of the usual $30 for M365 Copilot): www.microsoft.com/en-us/educat... #MSLicensing

New AI experiences and academic offering for Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Education Blog

Explore new AI-powered experiences at no additional cost for educators and students—plus an academic offering for Microsoft 365 Copilot.

www.microsoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 19d

CIO Talk: Compliance in the world of AI -- Are you ready? www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/cto-talk-com... #MSTech #MSLicensing

CTO Talk: Compliance in the World of AI: Are You Ready?

By Barry Briggs Compliance covers an ever-increasing, absolutely mandatory spectrum of activities, processes, and technologies with which your enterprise must concern itself. The Compliance Imperative...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 19d

For those needing a refresher (or introduction), here's a bit on Microsoft's newest CEO, Judson Althoff, who now heads up the giant Microsoft commercial business: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/know-your-mi... #MSTech

Know Your Microsoft Execs: Meet Judson Althoff

He’s not a household name like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer or Satya Nadella. But Judson Althoff — Microsoft’s latest exec to get a “CEO” title — now runs the entirety of Microsoft’s Commercial business....

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

Reposted by Directions on Microsoft

Wes Miller @getwired.com · 20d

Beginning on October 1, 2025, Microsoft will be renaming its Microsoft 365 E5 mini-suites:
- Microsoft 365 E5 Security → the Microsoft Defender Suite.
- Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance → the Microsoft Purview Suite.

//As Microsoft rebrands go, this is surprisingly well done and logical.

October 2025 announcements - Partner Center announcements

October 2025 announcements for Microsoft Partner Center including new capabilities, promotions, offers, markets, or changes to existing offers.

learn.microsoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 20d

For clarity's sake: M365 Premium is NOT M365 E7. M365 "Premium," the just announced $20 per user per month subscription aimed at ChatGPT Plus, is a new consumer bundle: www.microsoft.com/en-us/micros... #MSTech #MSLicensing

Meet Microsoft 365 Premium: Your AI and productivity powerhouse | Microsoft 365 Blog

Microsoft is taking a big step forward with major updates to our individual subscription lineup, combining the best of AI and productivity at an unbeatable price.

www.microsoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 25d

ICYMI: Microsoft is making Anthropic’s Claude a new option in Microsoft 365 Copilot. It also is starting to make good on more of its agent promises: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/microsoft-be... #MSTech #MSLicensing

Microsoft Begins Rolling Out More Model and Agent Options for M365 Copilot and Beyond

Microsoft is adding Anthropic’s models to Microsoft 365 Copilot, alongside the existing OpenAI models that are already at the heart of it. Microsoft is kicking off this process by adding Anthropic’s C...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 25d

Microsoft is rolling out the net phase of its app-marketplace strategy by unifying AppSource, its Agent Store and Azure Marketplace into a new unified storefront called Microsoft Marketplace: blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09... #MSTech

Introducing Microsoft Marketplace — Thousands of solutions. Millions of customers. One Marketplace. - The Official Microsoft Blog

A new breed of industry-leading company is taking shape — Frontier Firms. These organizations blend human ambition with AI-powered technology to reshape how innovation is scaled, work is orchestrated ...

blogs.microsoft.com

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 26d

Happening today at 1 pm ET

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 19

Coming up Sept. 25, 1 PM ET: @maryjofoley.bsky.social will be hosting Directions on Microsoft's Dean Bedwell for an Ask Us Anything on Microsoft contract negotiations. Get your questions answered in real time during this LinkedIn Live event. More info: www.linkedin.com/events/micro... #MSLicensing

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 27d

No final deprecation date yet, but Microsoft is encouraging users to get off of Teams Live Events and move to Teams Town Hall. Admins should set policies to make sure Town Hall is enabled. More info in M365 Message Center MC1154302 and learn.microsoft.com/en-us/micros... #MSTech

Manage who can schedule and attend town halls in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams

Learn how to set up and manage town hall policies for IT Admins in Microsoft Teams. Learn how to manage who can schedule and attend town halls in your organization.

learn.microsoft.com

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · 27d

Microsoft is adding Anthropic's Claude models as another option (beyond OpenAI's models) to M365 Copilot. Starting today, Claude will show up as an option in Researcher Agent and in Copilot Studio (with more options to come): www.microsoft.com/en-us/micros... #MSTech

Expanding model choice in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog

We’re excited to announce that we’re expanding the models that power Microsoft 365 Copilot with the addition of Anthropic models.

www.microsoft.com

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 19

Coming in Oct., new licensing changes instigated by Broadcom will force customers to bring their own licenses to VMware hosting from Microsoft and other providers: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/broadcom-ins... #MSLicensing #MSTech

Broadcom Inserts Itself into Azure VMware Solution

In late August, Broadcom announced (yet another) change to how they license VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), the suite that includes VMware vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and cloud management software. That change...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 19

New podcast now available. Directions on Microsoft Senior Consultant Steve Kelley shares his Microsoft contract escalation dos, don'ts, (and a few war stories) with @maryjofoley.bsky.social: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/podcasts/mic... #MSLicensing

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 19

Coming up Sept. 25, 1 PM ET: @maryjofoley.bsky.social will be hosting Directions on Microsoft's Dean Bedwell for an Ask Us Anything on Microsoft contract negotiations. Get your questions answered in real time during this LinkedIn Live event. More info: www.linkedin.com/events/micro... #MSLicensing

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 18

Copilot Chat is coming to almost all Microsoft 365 commercial subscribers -- even those without a full M365 Copilot license. What will this mean to you? www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/a-copilot-ch... #MSTech

A Copilot Chat in Every Pot

This week, Microsoft announced it is rolling out Copilot Chat and web-grounded agents to the major Office applications. Given the naming confusion around the Copilot brand, the significance of this m...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 18

ICYMI: Starting in Oct., the Microsoft 365 Copilot app will be automatically installed on Windows devices that have Microsoft 365 desktop apps, unless administrators opt out: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilo... #MSTech

Deployment overview for the Microsoft 365 Copilot app

Enterprise and company IT Admins can use this guide to manage the deployment of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to devices in their organization.

learn.microsoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 10

Microsoft is rebranding and repricing some of the products it had been selling as individual Copilots beginning in Oct. 2025: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/microsoft-is... #MSLicensing #MSTech

Microsoft Is Fixing its Copilot Branding and Pricing (A Bit)

Microsoft is rebranding and repricing some of the products it had been selling as individual Copilots beginning in Oct. 2025. Microsoft is renaming its Sales, Service and Finance Copilots, as it anno...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Sep 8

New podcast now available. PwC Principal James Farhat joins Directions analyst @barryb.bsky.social and @maryjofoley.bsky.social to discuss lessons from the field around Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/podcasts/ent... #MSTech

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Aug 26

Starting Nov. 1, Microsoft is dropping the programmatic discounts that were baked into its volume-licensing agreements. But price hikes are just one result. Directions' lead negotiator Dean Bedwell explains all to @maryjofoley.bsky.social: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/podcasts/get... #MSLicensing

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Aug 22

What are open-source language models and what do they mean for enterprise usage and applications? Directions on Microsoft analyst @barryb.bsky.social takes a look: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/cio-talk-wha... #MSTech

Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Aug 22

Preview now available of a new (not so simple) Exchange Online feature -- cloud managed remote mailboxes -- that Microsoft says will get customers 'a step closer' to being able to remove their last Exchange on-prem server: techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchang... #MSTech

Introducing Cloud-Managed Remote Mailboxes: a Step to Last Exchange Server Retirement | Microsoft Community Hub

We are excited to announced a feature that enables cloud management of email properties for users with remote mailboxes.  

techcommunity.microsoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Aug 14

Heads up, Microsoft volume licensing customers

Microsoft Is Dropping its Built-In EA Volume Discounts on Online Services Starting in November 2025: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/microsoft-is... #MSLicensing

Microsoft Is Dropping EA Volume Discounts Starting in November 2025

Microsoft has been working to move more customers off Enterprise Agreement (EA) volume licenses for the past few years. But it is really stepping up the war on the volume discounts on which these cust...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

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Directions on Microsoft @directionsonmicrosoft.com · Aug 8

Is there still a place for no/low-code tools like those in Microsoft's Power Platform with the rise of generative AI and GitHub Copilot? The New Stack's Darryl Taft joins Directions Rob Sanfilippo and @maryjofoley.bsky.social to debate the topic: www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/podcasts/is-...

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