Insights

Articles and observations from the Microsoft licensing front lines — audit defense, renewal strategy, optimization, and the politics of the work.

Directions On Microsoft·May 6, 2026

Debunking the SAM Tool Easy Button Myth

SAM vendors have spent years selling a comforting fiction — buy the tool, push the button, and your Microsoft licensing position reveals itself. The data was never the hard part. The real work starts when someone has to interpret it against your specific contracts, topology, and this month's Product Terms.

SAM ToolsLicense Optimization

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Directions On Microsoft·April 29, 2026

How to Avoid the Three Most Expensive Words in a Microsoft Audit

The three most expensive words in a Microsoft audit are "I don't know" — they hand the auditor permission to license your worst-case scenario. Here's the language that defends the compliance you already have.

Audit DefenseNegotiation

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Directions On Microsoft·April 15, 2026

Microsoft License Audits: Why You're Overpaying by a Zero

Microsoft contracts Big 4 firms to audit licensing compliance, and those firms get paid for producing findings. The result is overstated claims — often by an order of magnitude. Here's how the system works, and what to do when the audit notice arrives.

Audit DefenseSPLA

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Where to start.

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