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The server estate does not disappear when email moves to the cloud. These guides cover what to do with the servers you keep, the ones you move, the licenses you already own, and the dates that force the decision.

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2026-09-06NewWindows Server 2016 End of Support on 12 January 2027: Upgrade, Migrate or Buy ESUWindows Server 2016 loses support on 12 January 2027. What stops, how ESU works now Azure is no longer free for it, and how to plan the upgrade.Windows ServerAzureLicensingMigration2026-09-27NewMoving the Last On-Premises Servers to Azure: A Three-Server Small-Business Migration, Step by Step, with the Cost DriversA three-server small-business Azure migration, step by step: assessment, landing zone and VPN, replication and cutover, backup, and what drives the bill.AzureWindows ServerMigrationEnd of Support2026-09-14NewAzure Hybrid Benefit Explained: Windows Server and SQL Server, What Qualifies, the 180-Day Window, and How to Prove ItWhat Azure Hybrid Benefit requires, the 8-core and 4-core minimums, the 180-day dual-use window, how to apply it and how to prove entitlement.AzureLicensingWindows ServerSQL Server

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2026-10-14NewEvery Way to Run Windows as a Virtual Machine: Channels, Pros, Cons and CostLocal VMs, on-premises VDI, Remote Desktop Services, hosters, Azure VMs, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and Dev Box compared: the license, the channel, pros, cons and October 2026 list prices.Windows 365Azure Virtual DesktopWindowsLicensing2026-10-11NewAzure Cost Optimization: 10 Ways to Cut Your BillCut Azure costs in ten steps: rightsizing, schedules, reservations vs savings plans, storage and log retention, data movement, SKUs, tags and policy.AzureCostHow-to2026-10-11NewAzure DDoS Protection: IP vs Network Tier, Prices and When to BuyAzure DDoS Protection: $199 per public IP (IP Protection) or $2,944 a month for 100 IPs (Network Protection); break-even is 15 IPs. Features and steps.AzureSecurityCost2026-10-11NewAzure Virtual Desktop for a Small Business: Design, Cost, LicensingWhen AVD fits a 10 to 200-person company, the licenses you own, how to size pooled hosts, what Azure bills, and the Windows 365 comparison.Azure Virtual DesktopWindows 365AzureLicensing2026-10-11NewCopilot Studio vs Azure AI Foundry: Which Agent Platform, What It Costs, and When to Bring Us InCopilot Studio or Azure AI Foundry for your first agent: who builds it, data and channels, Copilot Credits vs Azure consumption, and when to combine the two.Copilot and AIAzureMicrosoft 365Power Platform2026-10-11NewDefender for Cloud vs. Defender for Endpoint: What's the Difference?Compare Defender for Cloud and Defender for Endpoint, understand licensing overlap, and decide which Microsoft security coverage you need.DefenderSecurityAzure2026-10-11NewExchange Server SE and EWS Retirement: Status After 1 October 2026EWS blocking in Exchange Online began 1 October 2026; removal is 1 April 2027. Exchange 2016 and 2019 ESU ends 31 October 2026. What to do now, in order.Exchange ServerExchange OnlineEnd of SupportMigration2026-10-11NewHow to Optimize Azure Cloud Spend: Right-Sizing and Commitment RulesAzure cost decision rules: when a VM is a resize candidate, when a workload earns a reservation, which blob tier fits, and what to automate so it holds.AzureCostHow-to2026-10-11NewHow to Secure an Azure Environment: 12 Controls With the SettingsTwelve Azure security controls with settings: mandatory MFA since 1 October 2025, PIM on Entra ID P2 ($10.00), Policy deny rules, Bastion, immutable backups.AzureSecurityEntra IDDefender2026-10-11NewMicrosoft Fabric vs. Power BI: Modernizing Your Data PlatformCompare Microsoft Fabric vs Power BI to decide when to clean up reporting, when to modernize architecture, and how to build a business case.Power BI and FabricAzureCost2026-10-11NewSQL Server 2016 End of Support: ESU, Upgrade, or Azure SQLSQL Server 2016 lost support on 14 July 2026. Compare ESU through Azure Arc to July 2029, an upgrade to SQL Server 2022 or 2025, and Azure SQL.SQL ServerEnd of SupportAzureMigration2026-10-11NewThe Last Exchange Server: When a Hybrid Tenant Can Decommission On-Premises ExchangeWhen a hybrid Microsoft 365 tenant can remove its last Exchange server, what still needs one, recipient management without it, and Exchange SE licensing.Exchange ServerExchange OnlineMicrosoft 365End of Support2026-10-11NewBenefits of Azure Virtual Machines: When a VM Is the Right AnswerWhat an Azure VM gives a 10-to-500-person business: sizes, hourly billing you can stop, reservations, Hybrid Benefit at 8 cores, and what drives the bill.AzureWindows ServerCostMigration2026-10-11What is Azure Virtual Desktop?Azure Virtual Desktop is Microsoft's cloud-based desktop and app virtualization platform for delivering Windows 11 desktops, RemoteApps, and Microsoft 365…Azure Virtual DesktopWindows 365AzureLicensing2026-10-11NewWindows 10 ESU Year One Ends 13 October 2026: The Year-Two PlanWindows 10 ESU year one ends 13 October 2026; year two runs to 12 October 2027. What a managed fleet does now, in order, with the dates and licensing.WindowsIntuneEnd of SupportLicensing2026-10-11NewWindows Server 2012 R2 ESU Ended on 13 October 2026: What to Do NowWindows Server 2012 R2 ESU ended on 13 October 2026 with no fourth year. Five lanes for every remaining server and the dates through 12 January 2027.Windows ServerEnd of SupportAzureSecurity2026-09-27NewAzure Backup and Azure Site Recovery for a Small Business: Disaster Recovery Without a Second SiteAzure Backup vs Site Recovery for a three-server small business: what to back up, what to replicate, immutable vaults, test failovers, the runbook and the bill.AzureBackup and RecoverySecurity2026-09-27NewAzure Local for Small Sites: What It Is, How It Is Licensed, and When It Beats Plain Azure VMs or Hyper-VWhat Azure Local is in Microsoft's words, the hardware and per-core licensing rules, Azure Hybrid Benefit, and when a two-node site beats Azure VMs or Hyper-V.AzureWindows ServerLicensing2026-09-27NewExchange Server to Exchange Online: Cutover, Staged, Hybrid or Express? How to Pick the Migration Method for 25 to 500 MailboxesHow to choose cutover, staged, express or full hybrid for an Exchange Server to Exchange Online migration: mailbox limits, downtime, Outlook, public folders.Exchange OnlineMigrationExchange ServerMicrosoft 3652026-09-27NewFile Server to SharePoint and OneDrive: What to Move, What to Leave, and How Permissions Survive the TripMigrate a file server to SharePoint and OneDrive: inventory, share-to-site mapping, NTFS permission translation, path and sync limits, what stays on SMB, cost.SharePointOneDriveMigrationWindows Server2026-09-27NewLeaving VMware After the Broadcom Changes: Hyper-V, Azure Local or Azure for a Two-to-Four-Host ClusterWhat Broadcom changed for small VMware customers, with dates, and how a two-to-four-host cluster exits to Hyper-V, Azure Local or Azure.AzureWindows ServerMigration2026-09-27NewMicrosoft Sentinel for a 100-User Organization: What Drives the Monthly Bill, and When a Managed Detection Service Is the Better BuyWhat drives a Microsoft Sentinel bill for a 100-user Microsoft 365 organization: ingestion tiers, no-charge sources, the E5 grant, staffing, and when MDR wins.SecuritySentinel and MDRAzureManaged Services2026-09-27NewOne Microsoft 365 Tenant or Many? Holding Companies, Franchises, PE Roll-Ups and Shared-Services GroupsOne tenant or many for holding companies, franchises and roll-ups: what one tenant cannot separate, what multi-tenant organizations add, and the exit cost.AzureMigrationMicrosoft 365Licensing2026-09-20NewMicrosoft 365 Groups vs Security Groups vs Distribution Lists vs Dynamic Groups: Which One for Which JobWhat each group type is for, where it is created, what it can be used in, and which object to pick for a SharePoint permission, a calendar or a license.Microsoft 365Entra IDAzure2026-09-20NewPower Automate vs Azure Logic Apps: When to Move a Flow, and How Pay-as-You-Go Billing WorksWhen a Power Automate flow belongs in Azure Logic Apps, what Premium, per flow and Process licenses cost, and how pay-as-you-go lands on your Azure bill.Power PlatformAzureLicensing2026-09-20NewRehiring a Former Employee in Microsoft 365: Restore the Old Account, Recreate It, or Start Fresh?Restore a soft-deleted user, convert a shared or inactive mailbox back, or start fresh: steps, licensing and security work for a Microsoft 365 rehire.Entra IDEnd of SupportMicrosoft 3652026-09-20NewWhat Happens to Microsoft 365 When Your Domain Registration Expires (and the Five Settings That Prevent It)What breaks in Microsoft 365 when a domain registration lapses, what keeps working, the re-registration risk, and the five settings that prevent it.Microsoft 365End of SupportSecurity2026-09-14NewSQL Server 2025 Licensing Explained: Per Core vs Server + CAL, Standard vs Enterprise, Virtualization, and Azure Hybrid BenefitPer core vs Server + CAL, Standard vs Enterprise, VM and host licensing, Azure Arc pay-as-you-go and the Azure Hybrid Benefit hook, priced at list.SQL ServerLicensingAzure2026-09-13NewAzure Arc for the Servers You Are Keeping: What You Get and What Is ChargedWhat connecting a server to Azure Arc gives you — ESU, Defender for Servers, Update Manager, policy, inventory — and which parts Microsoft charges for.AzureWindows ServerEnd of SupportSecurity2026-09-13NewAzure Reservations, Savings Plans and Pay-as-You-Go: How the Commitments WorkHow Azure reservations and savings plans commit, what each covers and excludes, how exchanges and trade-ins work, and when pay-as-you-go is right.AzureCostLicensing2026-09-13NewClient Access Licenses in 2026: User vs Device CALs, RDS and SQL CALs, and What Microsoft 365 Already CoversUser vs Device CALs, RDS and SQL CALs, and which Microsoft 365 seats carry CAL equivalency, with a calculator to count what your servers still need.LicensingWindows ServerMicrosoft 3652026-09-13NewWindows Server 2025 Licensing: What Changed, What Did Not, and What Azure Arc AddsCore licensing is unchanged in Windows Server 2025. Pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc, no-charge hotpatching and the CAL version rule are what moved.Windows ServerLicensingAzure2026-09-06NewCalifornia's CPPA Regulations: ADMT by 1 January 2027, Risk-Assessment Submissions by 1 April 2028California's CPPA rules: ADMT duties from 1 January 2027 and risk-assessment filings by 1 April 2028. What a Microsoft 365 business needs ready.CompliancePurview2026-09-06New.NET 8 Reaches End of Support on 10 November 2026: The Upgrade Path to .NET 10 on Azure.NET 8 and .NET 9 both lose Microsoft support on 10 November 2026. What Azure App Service and Functions do next, and how to plan the move to .NET 10.AzureEnd of SupportVisual Studio2026-09-06NewMicrosoft 365 and Entra Price and Packaging Changes in 2026: The Dates, What Moves, and What to Check Before Your RenewalMicrosoft 365 prices rose 1 July 2026 and packaging changed by 1 August. What moved, what Entra and E7 cost now, and what to check before your renewal.Microsoft 365LicensingCostEnd of Support2026-09-06NewNYDFS Part 500: the 15 April 2027 certification, and the Microsoft 365 evidence you should be collecting nowThe NYDFS certification due 15 April 2027 covers all of 2026. What 23 NYCRR 500 asks for, and the Microsoft 365 evidence to collect before the year ends.ComplianceSecurityMicrosoft 3652026-09-06NewOffice 2016 and 2019 Are Out of Support, Office 2021 Ends on 13 October 2026: Moving to Microsoft 365 Apps Without Breaking AnythingOffice 2016 and 2019 lost support in October 2025 and Office 2021 ends 13 October 2026. Your options and a safe order of work for Microsoft 365 Apps.Microsoft 365LicensingEnd of SupportMigration2026-06-16NewAzure Files Done Right: Architecture Decisions That Drive CostReduce Azure Files costs by choosing the right tier, share size, redundancy, backups, snapshots, and data placement for each workload.AzureCost2026-06-16Buy Microsoft Visual Studio with a Work Account through CSPIf Microsoft checkout tells you to use a personal Microsoft account instead of your work or school account, you do not need to create a workaround…Visual StudioLicensingCSPAzure2026-06-16Microsoft Nonprofit Grants and Discounts in 2026: Microsoft 365, Azure, Security, AI, and Licensing GuideMicrosoft continues to offer eligible nonprofits donated and discounted cloud services—but the right mix in 2026 depends on eligibility, license type,…Microsoft 365NonprofitAzure2026-06-16Microsoft Cloud Storage Options in 2026: OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure Blob, Azure Files, Queues, and TablesMicrosoft offers more than one kind of cloud storage. The right choice depends on whether you are storing user files, team documents, application data,…Microsoft 365OneDriveSharePointAzure2026-06-16How to license Windows 11 in a virtual desktop environmentWindows desktop virtualization licensing has changed significantly since the Windows 10 era. In 2026, most organizations should plan around Windows 11…Azure Virtual DesktopWindows 365WindowsMicrosoft 3652026-06-16Windows 365 in 2026: Your Cloud PC for Secure Hybrid WorkWindows 365 is no longer a new pandemic-era announcement. It is now a mature Microsoft Cloud PC service for employees, contractors, BYOD users, frontline…Windows 365IntuneAzure Virtual DesktopSecurity2026-06-16Move Your RDS Deployment to Azure Virtual DesktopOn-premises Remote Desktop Services still works for many organizations, but it often limits scalability, security modernization, and hybrid-work…Azure Virtual DesktopAzureWindows 365Entra ID2026-06-16NewTenant-to-Tenant Migration After a Merger: A Practical Microsoft 365 and Azure GuidePlan a merger tenant-to-tenant migration across Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, Azure, apps, security, and decommissioning.AzureMicrosoft 365MigrationSecurity2026-06-16NewWhat Is an Azure Landing Zone, and Why You Need OneBuild a CAF-aligned Azure landing zone to standardize identity, networking, governance, logging, and cost control before Azure scale.Azure2026-06-16What is Microsoft Entra External ID?If your business runs customer-facing apps, you need a secure way for customers, partners, or citizens to sign up, sign in, reset passwords, and access…Entra IDAzureSecurity
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