Microsoft
About
Microsoft is a technology company that develops software, hardware, and cloud services. The company creates operating systems, productivity software, security solutions, and cloud platforms that serve consumers, businesses, and educational institutions worldwide.
Details
VenSearch Intelligence
Ideal Customer
- Microsoft's commercial customer base spans the full spectrum — from small and medium businesses (SMB) to global enterprises and public-sector institutions.
- About 74% of Microsoft 365 customers are companies with fewer than 50 employees, and the Business Premium SKU (capped at 300 seats) serves the 50–300 employee mid-market segment.
Key Differentiators
- Microsoft's primary competitive differentiator is the breadth and depth of its integrated platform — Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 productivity, Teams collaboration, GitHub DevOps, Dynamics 365 ERP/CRM, Power Platform low-code tools, and a unified security stack (Sentinel, Defender, Entra, Purview, Intune) — all interconnected and increasingly AI-powered through Microsoft Copilot.
- This ecosystem lock-in creates compounding switching costs for Microsoft-standardized enterprises.
Industries Served
- Microsoft serves virtually every major industry vertical, including healthcare (via Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Nuance Dragon Copilot for clinical documentation, and HITRUST-certified Dynamics 365 Contact Center), financial services (Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services with anti-fraud and compliance tools), government and public sector (Azure Government, FedRAMP-authorized clouds, Teams for Government), education (Microsoft 365 Education, Teams for Education), manufacturing, retail, nonprofit, energy, telecommunications, and sustainability.
- Microsoft offers dedicated industry cloud solutions — Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Financial Services, Retail, Nonprofit, Sovereignty, and Sustainability — each bundling compliance, AI, and integration capabilities purpose-built for regulated environments.
Service Coverage
- Microsoft operates globally, serving customers in virtually every country worldwide.
- Its Azure cloud infrastructure spans more than 80 regions across 34 countries, with 500+ data centers and 190+ network Points of Presence supported by 800,000+ kilometers of network fiber.
Partnerships
- Microsoft operates the largest technology partner ecosystem in the industry, with more than 500,000 partners worldwide — including system integrators (SIs), cloud solution providers (CSPs), managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), and independent software vendors — structured under the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
- Major distribution partners include TD Synnex, Arrow Electronics (2025 Distributor Partner of the Year), Computacenter, and Insight.
Company Size & Ownership
- Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
- The company employs approximately 228,000–231,000 people globally as of mid-2026, following significant workforce reductions in 2025 (approximately 15,000 jobs cut) to offset AI infrastructure investments.
Compliance & Certifications
- Microsoft holds one of the broadest compliance portfolios in the industry.
- Its platforms carry ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001 (AI management), ISO 22301, SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, FedRAMP High (both Azure and Azure Government hold a JAB Provisional ATO), HIPAA BAA, HITRUST CSF, PCI DSS, CSA STAR Certification and Attestation, GDPR/EU Data Boundary commitments, NIST CSF, ITAR, CMMC, CJIS, DoD IL2/IL4/IL5/IL6, and numerous country-specific frameworks (IRAP PROTECTED for Australia, G-Cloud for the UK, and more).
Compiled from public sources by VenSearch · Last researched October 14, 2026
Offerings
27 offeringsActive Directory Domain Services
An identity management service that provides improved scale and performance. Windows Server 2025 offers a new domain controller with a 32,000-page database for modern, scalable identity management.
Azure Arc
A service that extends the Azure platform to hybrid, edge, and multicloud environments. It enables management of Windows Servers across different environments and offers pay-as-you-go pricing options for on-premises Windows Server.
Azure Local
A solution to deploy and manage virtual machines and containers at the edge with cloud-native HCI infrastructure. It provides hyperconverged infrastructure capabilities for edge computing scenarios.
GitHub
The world's largest software development platform — 100M+ developers, 420M+ repositories. A Microsoft company since 2018. GitHub Actions provides CI/CD automation; GitHub Copilot is the leading AI pair programmer; GitHub Advanced Security delivers code scanning, secret detection, and dependency review. GitHub Enterprise Server for on-premises deployments; GitHub Enterprise Cloud for cloud-hosted organizations. The default source code management and DevOps platform for enterprise software teams.
Hyper-V
A virtualization platform that offers hardware-based virtualization and isolation, virtualization-based security, and advanced capabilities such as GPU partitioning and failover clustering. Supports VMs with up to 240 TB of RAM and 2048 virtual processors.
Microsoft 365 Education
A suite of AI-powered, student-centered solutions designed to foster student growth and success in the classroom and beyond. It includes productivity and collaboration tools for educational environments.
Microsoft Azure
A cloud computing platform that provides various cloud services and infrastructure solutions. It enables organizations to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft's global network of data centers.
Microsoft Copilot
An AI companion that provides everyday assistance and AI-powered capabilities. It offers both personal use and organizational versions with AI-enhanced functionality.
Microsoft Defender
A collection of extended detection and response (XDR) products that detect and respond to attacks against devices, identities, apps, email, and clouds. It provides comprehensive threat protection across multiple attack surfaces.
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting
Around-the-clock, AI-powered threat hunting across endpoints, identities, emails, cloud apps, and cloud workloads. It helps organizations stay ahead of emerging cyberthreats with continuous monitoring.
Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR
Always-on, AI-accelerated managed extended detection and response that's expert-led and natively integrated in Microsoft Defender. It provides managed security services to stop attackers.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Integrated suite of ERP and CRM applications — Dynamics 365 Sales (CRM), Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, and Dynamics 365 Business Central (SMB ERP). Deeply integrated with Microsoft 365, Azure, and Power Platform. The Microsoft alternative to Salesforce for CRM and SAP for ERP in Microsoft-standardized organizations.
Microsoft Entra
A collection of identity and access products that verify every identity and access request across clouds, platforms, and devices. It provides comprehensive identity and access management solutions.
Microsoft Incident Response
Emergency response services available before, during, and after a cybersecurity incident. It provides expert assistance for organizations dealing with security breaches and incidents.
Microsoft Intune
Endpoint management products that strengthen device security and enable seamless hybrid work experiences. It provides comprehensive device and application management capabilities.
Microsoft Power Platform
Low-code/no-code suite combining Power BI (business intelligence and dashboards), Power Apps (app development for business users), Power Automate (workflow and RPA automation), and Power Virtual Agents (chatbot builder). Deeply integrated into Microsoft 365 and Teams — enabling business users to build apps, automate processes, and analyze data without professional development. The dominant low-code platform in Microsoft-centric enterprises. Copilot AI is embedded across all Power Platform products as of 2025.
Microsoft Priva
Privacy management products that respect customer and employee privacy with proactive risk mitigation and compliance management. These products work together on a single platform to manage privacy concerns.
Microsoft Purview
A collection of unified information protection, governance, and compliance products that safeguard data wherever it lives. It provides data security and governance solutions for organizations.
Microsoft Security Copilot
An AI-powered security solution that empowers teams to manage and protect at the speed and scale of AI. It provides security agents that defend with speed, scale, and intelligence using unified graph analytics and threat signals.
Microsoft Security Experts
Comprehensive expert-led services to help defend against threats, build cyber resilience, and modernize security operations. These are professional services provided by Microsoft's security experts.
Microsoft Sentinel
An industry-leading SIEM and AI-ready security platform that powers agentic defense. It provides security information and event management capabilities with AI integration.
Microsoft Teams
Cloud-based unified communications and collaboration platform that integrates chat, video meetings, file sharing, and application integration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. With over 320 million monthly active users, Teams serves as the primary workspace for internal and external business communications, integrating with Outlook, SharePoint, and Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft Teams for Education
A communication app for schools that enhances collaboration and learning. It includes video collaboration, chat, assignments, class materials, and notes functionality. Available free with a valid, active school email address.
Microsoft Teams Phone
Cloud-based PBX calling solution that enables PSTN connectivity through Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing within the Microsoft Teams interface. Surpassing 26 million users, Teams Phone provides business calling, voicemail, auto-attendants, call queues, call recording, and DID assignment managed through the Teams Admin Center.
System Center
A suite of tools that simplifies datacenter deployment, management, and monitoring. It provides comprehensive datacenter management capabilities for IT infrastructure.
Windows Admin Center
A management tool that allows administrators to manage Windows Servers from anywhere at no additional cost. It provides centralized server management capabilities.
Windows Server 2025
A server operating system that provides flexible, reliable infrastructure for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments. It includes multilayered security, cloud agility features, and optimizations for AI workloads with improved scalability and GPU partitioning.
What VenSearch Is Saying
Windows 10 Extended Security Updates enter year two at $122 per device
The second year of Microsoft's commercial Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 began October 14, 2026, one year after Windows 10 reached end of support. Year one cost $61 per device. Under Microsoft's doubling structure, year two is $122 per device and year three is $244, for a maximum of $427 per device over three years. Coverage is cumulative, so an organization that skipped year one has to pay for it before it can enroll in year two. ESU only delivers critical and important security patches. It includes no feature updates, no non-security fixes, and no technical support. The free consumer ESU option is not available to PCs joined to Active Directory or Microsoft Entra or enrolled in device management, which describes most business PCs. Windows 10 sessions running in Windows 365 Cloud PCs or Azure Virtual Desktop receive ESU without a per-device charge. If you still have Windows 10 machines, get an accurate count and sort them into two groups: PCs that can upgrade to Windows 11 for free and PCs that cannot. For the first group, paying $122 per device to delay an upgrade is hard to justify. For the second group, compare the remaining ESU cost against replacement, keeping in mind that PC prices are well above last year's levels. Ask your IT provider for a dated plan to retire every Windows 10 device before year three pricing applies. Year three, if needed, would run from October 2027 to October 2028 at the highest price in the program.
Azure to raise VM and storage prices in several regions and legacy VMs by about 25%
Microsoft has started notifying customers of two Azure price increases that take effect February 1, 2027, according to an October 5 analysis by cost management firm nOps. Virtual machine and most storage prices will rise in several regions: 17% in North Europe (Dublin), 11% in France Central and France South, 9% in West Europe (Amsterdam) and Norway, and 8% in Southeast Asia (Singapore). Separately, older v1 and v2 VM series will rise about 25% in all regions. Reservations purchased on or after February 1, 2027 can no longer be exchanged. Pay-as-you-go, Enterprise Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement rates take the full increase on February 1. Businesses still running older VM families, such as Dv2, Dsv2, Av2 or D-series, will pay more for hardware that is already scheduled to retire, with Dv2 and Dsv2 retiring May 1, 2028. Microsoft attributes the regional change to market conditions and investment in newer hardware. Ask your cloud provider or MSP for a list of your Azure resources by region and VM series, and an estimate of the 2027 impact. Moving legacy VMs to current series before February may avoid the increase and the eventual retirement. If you plan to buy reservations, consider doing so before February while exchanges are still allowed, and confirm with your Microsoft account team how existing reservations and savings plans will be treated, since the notice does not say. For US-based businesses, the regional increases may not apply directly, but the legacy VM increase does. It is a good time to review cloud commitments alongside any 2027 budget planning.
Microsoft finds attackers abusing signed MSP360 RMM installer to hijack Windows PCs
On September 29, 2026, Microsoft's security researchers published an analysis of a phishing campaign that used a digitally signed installer for MSP360 RMM, a legitimate remote management tool, to take control of Windows computers. The Hacker News reports that the installer was disguised under names such as "ZoomSetup_Installation" and "SSA.GOV_STATEMENT" and delivered through meeting invites, PDF-themed lures and fake software updates. Once installed, attackers used it to add a ConnectWise ScreenConnect client as a second access channel, then ran tools to collect information and credentials. Microsoft first detected the activity in July and has not attributed it to a known group. This is not a flaw in MSP360. It is the misuse of a trusted IT tool. Because the installer is signed and the software is widely used by IT providers, it can look normal to users and to some security tools, which is exactly why attackers chose it. Ask your IT provider which remote management and remote access tools are approved in your environment, and whether anything else is blocked or alerted on. An unexpected RMM agent or a second remote access tool appearing on a PC should be treated as an incident. Make sure staff know that a Zoom or Social Security statement download should never install software that asks for administrator rights. Microsoft also saw attackers use another management product, Faronics Deploy Agent, the same way in separate July attacks. Inventory and allow-listing of remote tools is a practical control for any business, whether or not it uses an MSP.
Microsoft and AWS preview private Azure-to-AWS interconnect at up to 100 Gbps
On September 1, 2026, Microsoft unveiled a service for privately connecting Azure and AWS, built jointly with AWS. It pairs Azure Multicloud Interconnect with AWS Interconnect – multicloud and supports connections of up to 100 Gbps. The Register reports that the Azure side is in preview, with no general availability date or pricing announced, and that interested customers should contact their Microsoft or AWS account teams. AWS cited MACsec encryption, four-nines availability and click-to-scale provisioning, and its multicloud interconnect now also covers Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Many mid-sized businesses already use both clouds, for example Microsoft 365 and Azure for identity and productivity, and AWS for applications. Linking them today usually means internet VPNs or private circuits arranged through a third party. A native, provider-managed link could simplify that design and improve performance and security for traffic between the two. If you move meaningful data between Azure and AWS, ask your provider or advisor to map how it flows today and what it costs, including data transfer charges and any circuits or VPN appliances. Then compare that with the new option once pricing is published. Because the service is in preview, Microsoft says features, performance targets and timelines may change, so avoid relying on it for production until it is generally available. This follows a similar AWS and Google Cloud arrangement announced in late 2025. Easier cross-cloud connections give buyers more flexibility to place each workload where it fits best.
CISA flags two Windows privilege-escalation flaws now used by ransomware gangs
CISA has marked two patched Windows privilege-escalation vulnerabilities as used in ransomware campaigns. On June 30, 2026, BleepingComputer reported that CISA updated its entry for CVE-2026-33825, nicknamed BlueHammer, a Microsoft Defender flaw that lets an attacker reach the SAM database and escalate to SYSTEM. A researcher leaked proof-of-concept code in early April, Microsoft fixed it on April 14, and CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on April 22. Separately, ThaiCERT reported on August 20 that CISA now says ransomware groups are exploiting CVE-2025-60710, a link-following flaw in the Host Process for Windows Tasks on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 that Microsoft fixed in November 2025. Privilege-escalation bugs are not how attackers get in, but they are how a foothold from a phished user or a stolen password becomes control of a machine. Ransomware crews rely on exactly this step before disabling security tools and spreading. Both fixes have been available for months, so the risk sits with machines that missed updates. Ask your IT provider for a patch compliance report showing the April 2026 updates and the November 2025 updates installed across all workstations and servers, including machines that are rarely online. Confirm Microsoft Defender platform updates are current as well, since Defender updates separately from Windows. Machines that cannot be patched should be isolated or retired. Microsoft's own advisories had not been updated to show exploitation at the time of these reports, which is a reminder to use CISA's catalog, not only vendor severity ratings, to set patch priority.
Microsoft Teams mobile now supports multiple phone lines for Teams Phone users
Microsoft rolled out support for multiple phone lines in the Teams mobile app on iOS and Android, according to Microsoft 365 Message Center item MC1402306. Worldwide general availability began in late July 2026, and the rollout was expected to finish by the end of August, according to the message's August 18 update. Users who already have more than one Teams Phone number can see and manage those lines in the Calls app, choose which line to dial out from, return calls on a selected line, and filter a combined call history by line. This closes a gap for people who answer more than one number, such as a direct line plus a department or location line, and who rely on their phone when away from a desk. Previously, that kind of setup often pushed businesses toward a separate mobile app or a second device. The feature applies only to users already configured with multiple numbers in Teams Phone. Microsoft says no admin action is required. If your staff handle several numbers, review who actually needs them and assign them in the Teams admin center. Microsoft's guidance also calls for confirming that each assigned number has a valid emergency address, which matters for 911 location accuracy, and that your setup meets regional telecom requirements. If you buy Teams calling through a carrier or Operator Connect partner, ask them whether their numbering and licensing support multiple lines per user, and whether additional numbers carry extra monthly charges.
SharePoint authentication bypass exploited after public proof of concept
Attackers began exploiting CVE-2026-55040, a CVSS 9.1 authentication bypass in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server, within days of Rapid7 releasing a public proof of concept on August 12, 2026, Security Affairs reported on August 13. The flaw in SharePoint's token validation lets an unauthenticated attacker forge a token and impersonate any user, including administrators. Microsoft fixed it in July 2026 Patch Tuesday. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on August 18, and on September 25 added another SharePoint flaw, CVE-2026-65660, a code injection vulnerability. SharePoint servers often hold contracts, HR files and project documents. Administrator access means an attacker can read and change that data, and Security Affairs notes it could provide a foothold toward broader Microsoft 365 infrastructure. The public exploit code lowers the skill needed to attack unpatched servers. If you run SharePoint Server on-premises, confirm the July 2026 update is installed on every farm, then confirm the fix for CVE-2026-65660 as well. Ask your IT provider whether SharePoint is reachable from the internet and, if so, whether it needs to be. Review recent administrator activity and access logs for sign-ins that don't match known users. Organizations using SharePoint Online through Microsoft 365 are not running these servers themselves, but hybrid setups that still keep an on-premises farm should be checked. If you are maintaining an on-premises farm mainly out of habit, it is worth comparing the patching workload against a move to the hosted service.
Microsoft adds Intune Suite tools to Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 as prices rise
Starting July 1, 2026, Microsoft began including advanced Intune Suite device management capabilities in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, alongside list price increases. According to IntuneStuff, Microsoft 365 E3 rose from $36 to $38 per user per month and E5 from $57 to $60. E3 tenants gain Intune Remote Help, Advanced Analytics, Microsoft Tunnel for Mobile Application Management, specialty device management and firmware-over-the-air updates. E5 adds Endpoint Privilege Management, Enterprise Application Management and Microsoft Cloud PKI. Topedia reported rollout would be complete by August 1, with a 30-day Message Center notice before each change reaches a tenant. For businesses already paying for E3 or E5, this means tools that once cost extra are now part of the license, which can replace separate remote support or privilege management products. Topedia also reported that Microsoft 365 Business Premium was not among the licenses with a price increase. Check your billing for overlap. IntuneStuff notes that customers who bought the Intune Suite as a standalone add-on now receive the relevant pieces through E3 or E5, and recommends checking to avoid paying twice. Ask your Microsoft partner or advisor how to drop or reduce standalone add-ons at your next renewal, and whether any third-party remote access or endpoint tools you pay for are now redundant. Because the new capabilities arrive automatically, assign an owner to review and configure them. Features such as remote help and privilege management are most useful when policies are deliberately set, not left at defaults.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business becomes a standard SKU for firms with up to 300 users
Microsoft made Microsoft 365 Copilot Business a standard part of its small and midsize lineup as of July 1, 2026, after offering it on promotional terms. The plan is aimed at organizations with up to 300 users and has no seat minimum. List pricing published by distributor Pax8 is $21 per user per month on an annual commitment paid annually, with higher rates for monthly billing. Microsoft also sells bundles that combine Copilot with Business Standard or Business Premium for new commercial customers. For a small business, this changes the Copilot conversation from a one-time promotion to an ongoing budget decision. At $21 per user, a 50-person company that licenses everyone is looking at $12,600 a year before any other Microsoft 365 costs. Pricing details have shifted several times this year across promotions, billing terms, and bundles, and partner-published price sheets do not always agree with each other, so the exact number you pay depends on how and when you buy. Ask your Microsoft provider for a written quote that shows the term, billing frequency, and whether any promotional price applies and when it expires. Rather than licensing every seat, consider starting with the roles that spend most of their day in email, documents, and meetings, and measure use after 60 to 90 days. Confirm that data loss prevention and sensitivity labels are set up first, so sensitive files are protected before an AI assistant starts working across your documents. Copilot Business works with Business Basic, Standard, and Premium. If you are already on Business Premium, compare the bundle price against buying the add-on separately.
Microsoft 365 business price increases took effect July 1, with frontline plans up 25-33%
Microsoft's new list prices for Microsoft 365 commercial and government plans took effect July 1, 2026. Business Basic rose from $6 to $7 per user per month, Business Standard from $12.50 to $14, Microsoft 365 E3 from $36 to $39, and E5 from $57 to $60. Frontline plans saw the largest jumps: F1 went from $2.25 to $3 and F3 from $8 to $10. Business Premium and Office 365 E1 were unchanged. Customers who renewed before July 1 keep their old price until their next renewal date. Microsoft describes the change as a packaging and pricing update and says it reflects more than 1,100 features added in recent years. Some plans gained real value: Business Basic and Standard picked up extra mailbox storage and Safe Links, and the E3 suites now include Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, which used to be a paid add-on. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is still a separate purchase. For a business with a large frontline or Business Basic population, the per-seat increase is a meaningful line-item change at renewal. Before your next renewal, pull a current license report and check who is on which plan. Ask your provider whether any users could move to a different tier, whether add-ons you already pay for (such as Defender for Office 365) are now included and can be dropped, and what your renewal date means for when the new price hits. If you are comparing Microsoft 365 with Google Workspace, use the new prices as the baseline. Nonprofit discounts remain in place, but they now apply to the higher base prices, so nonprofits will also see a dollar increase.
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