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Sign up for "Directions on Microsoft" today and receive the latest Microsoft Software Roadmap.
Contact your Zones Account Executive for a free sample of the latest research including a two-week online trial.
The Product Roadmap, Directions' flagship publication, empowers IT leaders with a single reference on Microsoft enterprise products such as Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL Server. It gives assurance to executives as they plan technology purchases, upgrades, and deployments.
Use the product roadmap from Directions on Microsoft to look broadly across all of Microsoft technologies for your deployment plans. With Microsoft doing so many things across the entire corporate IT landscape, it's difficult for corporate IT decision makers to find the time or resources to suss out all the details on Microsoft's strategy, policies and products. Directions on Microsoft does all the detail work and puts it in laymen's terms so that when you are planning your Microsoft deployments, life just got a lot easier.
For 16 years, Directions on Microsoft has provided complete coverage and forward-looking visibility across Microsoft's enterprise portfolio to answer these questions and others via roadmaps, research reports, telebriefings, events, newsletters, organizational charts, and expert consultations. Its online offerings include timely news and research as well as archived content dating back to 1997.
Directions on Microsoft has never wavered from its mission: provide independent research on strategy and technology exclusively on Microsoft. With this intense focus and singularity of mission, Directions has garnered a strong following among CIOs and IT leaders from some of the best-known Microsoft partners and customers.
Armed with the same information from Directions, IT leaders and their team members are equipped to have productive interactions with Microsoft partners and vendors. Directions' own team includes former Microsoft managers who played roles in developing and managing key products including Windows NT, MSN, and Exchange - giving IT decision-makers confidence in their analyses and insights.
With their deep domain expertise, the Directions team excels at projecting trends and providing independent insights on Microsoft technology and strategy to help IT leaders stay ahead of their competition.
Having great information is the premise of making wise decisions. Because the Direction's experts have already spent the time doing the research, you save time and make better, faster IT decisions.
With a subscription to Directions on Microsoft, you receive weekly news and analysis, an orgchart, in-depth research reports on key Microsoft technologies and trends, as well as a product roadmap for all Microsoft enterprise products.
If you are a Microsoft customer, then a subscription to Directions on Microsoft means you will be ready when it's time to renew your licenses because you will always be prepared.
Key Features
Directions on Microsoft is the only INDEPENDENT organization in the world devoted exclusively to tracking Microsoft. Directions has studied Microsoft since 1992. Nobody knows Microsoft better.
Their team of Microsoft experts provides clear, concise, and actionable analysis of shifts in Microsoft strategy, Microsoft product and technology roadmaps, delivery schedules, organizational changes, marketing initiatives, and licensing and other policies so you can quickly assess how they impact your business.
Thousands of companies worldwide-including corporate purchasers of Microsoft products, system integrators, software vendors, hardware manufacturers, network operators, venture capitalists, and financial analysts-trust Directions on Microsoft for accurate and unbiased Microsoft research and analysis to guide their strategic decisions.
The Directions suite of services-delivered in print, on the Web, and as consultants-include:
Product Roadmap. An all-in-one planning reference that provides estimated release dates for future products, release histories for past versions, product overviews and new feature summaries, code names, support deadlines, retirement dates, and product dependencies for more than 100 versions of Microsoft enterprise software products. Published quarterly. Helps answer:
- What Microsoft product interdependencies do I need to understand before I make a purchase or deployment decision?
- What upgrades am I likely to receive if I sign up for Software Assurance?
- Should I target the current product release for my development or deployment? Or, should I wait until the next planned version?
- At what point will diminished support for product versions I currently rely on compel me to consider migrating to a newer version?
Research. In-depth reports drill down into key Microsoft technologies and initiatives so you understand the technical significance and strategic underpinnings that can affect your business. Published bi-monthly, reports cover vital areas including:
- Development platforms
- Licensing policies and technologies
- Security infrastructure
- Systems management
- Server applications
News and Analysis. An all-in-one-place resource that keeps you up-to-date on the full breadth of Microsoft activities. Published online each week and in print every month, their comprehensive Update news and analysis service covers all aspects of Microsoft-including operating systems and server apps, development tools and programs, desktop applications, appliances, online services, licensing, organizational shifts, marketing and sales initiatives, and much more. For each new Microsoft product, technology, policy, initiative, and strategy, Directions answer:
- How does it compare with its predecessor? What's actually new?
- Is it consistent with what other parts of the company are doing?
- Where is it headed?
- How will it affect customers, partners, and competitors?
- What isn't Microsoft telling you?
Licensing Outlines. Economic downturns place greater pressure on IT leaders to optimize existing infrastructure and invest wisely in new technology. In doing this, it's important for organizations to know the intricate details and business impacts of their technology licenses. Directions' experts put complex topics such as Microsoft software licensing requirements into clear and simple terms, enabling IT leaders to avoid unnecessary fees and conserve their limited resources.
Tele-Briefings. All subscribers are invited to dial in to the Directions monthly conference calls with Directions' analysts to hear about a new product or technology. Here's your opportunity to ask questions.  See here for upcoming briefings.
OrgChart. Diagrams the reporting relationships of Microsoft's top 600+ executives, including their titles and job responsibilities. Updated quarterly on the Web and published twice a year as a 33in. x 25in. wall poster, this essential tool for navigating the Microsoft answers:
- How is Microsoft organized? How is the company changing over time?
- Where does a particular product or technology live within the organization?
- Who has specific decision-making authority within the Microsoft organization? Who is the right Microsoft contact?
Research Samples
FREE Samples of Directions on Microsoft Content
Five Strategies Microsoft Got Right
Understanding Microsoft's Cloud Computing Platform
Windows Roadmap Update
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