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Microsoft technologies

Independent profiles of Microsoft products, cloud services, platforms and programs: what each one is, what it needs, what it is not, and its official sources.

  • Framework / SDK

    Microsoft 365 Agents SDK

    The Microsoft 365 Agents SDK is a pro-code framework for building conversational agents that receive and answer messages across Microsoft Copilot, Teams, websites, Slack and other channels. It handles channel plumbing, state and authentication, and leaves the choice of AI model and orchestrator to the developer.

    • Developer
    • Agents
    • Copilot and apps
  • Add-on

    Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Microsoft 365 Copilot, now named Microsoft Copilot on Microsoft's licensing pages, is the paid AI assistant for work in Microsoft 365. It grounds answers in a user's emails, files, meetings and chats through Microsoft Graph and Work IQ, and works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and the Copilot app.

    • Copilot and apps
    • AI
    • Data
  • Suite

    Microsoft 365 E7

    Microsoft 365 E7, which Microsoft calls The Frontier Suite, is a per-user license that adds Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Agent 365 and the Microsoft Entra Suite on top of everything in Microsoft 365 E5. It became generally available on 1 May 2026 and is sold with and without Teams.

    • Programs
    • Security
    • Agents
    • Copilot and apps
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Agent 365

    Microsoft Agent 365 is a per-user licensed control plane for observing, governing and securing AI agents across an organization, whether built by Microsoft, partners or in-house. It became generally available for commercial customers on 1 May 2026 and relies on Microsoft Entra, Purview and Defender.

    • Agents
    • Security
  • Framework / SDK

    Microsoft Agent Framework

    Microsoft Agent Framework is an open-source SDK for building AI agents and graph-based multi-agent workflows in .NET and Python, with Go in preview. It is the direct successor to Semantic Kernel and AutoGen, works with many model providers, and reached version 1.0 on 3 April 2026.

    • Developer
    • Agents
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure AI Search

    Azure AI Search is a managed search and retrieval service that connects company content to apps, agents and language models. It supports full-text, vector, hybrid and multimodal queries and an agentic retrieval engine that powers Foundry IQ knowledge bases. It was formerly Azure Cognitive Search.

    • Data
    • AI
    • Security
  • Platform

    Azure Arc

    Azure Arc represents servers, Kubernetes clusters, SQL Server instances and VMware or SCVMM estates that run outside Azure as Azure resources, so they can be inventoried, governed, secured and updated with Azure tools. Core inventory and access control are free; services you add on are billed.

    • Infrastructure
    • Security
  • Cloud service

    Azure Container Apps

    Azure Container Apps runs containers as a serverless service: you deploy images, set scale rules and ingress, and Azure runs the underlying Kubernetes, Dapr, KEDA and Envoy for you. Apps can scale to zero, run jobs, use serverless GPUs, and give AI agents sandboxed code execution through dynamic sessions.

    • Infrastructure
    • Developer
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure Cosmos DB

    Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed NoSQL and vector database for applications that need low latency, elastic scale and global distribution. It offers multi-region writes with a 99.999% availability SLA, built-in vector and hybrid search, and serverless or provisioned throughput billed in request units.

    • Data
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure Database for PostgreSQL

    Azure Database for PostgreSQL is a fully managed service that runs community PostgreSQL on Azure, with zone-redundant HA, automated patching and backups, elastic clusters for sharding, and AI extensions such as pgvector, DiskANN and azure_ai. Azure HorizonDB is a separate PostgreSQL-based service in preview.

    • Data
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure Databricks

    Azure Databricks runs the Databricks Data + AI Platform on Azure: an Apache Spark lakehouse with Delta Lake tables, Unity Catalog governance, SQL warehouses, MLflow and model serving. It suits teams that need Spark-scale data engineering, machine learning and AI agents over their own cloud storage.

    • Data
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure DevOps

    Azure DevOps is a set of Microsoft software delivery services: Boards for planning, Repos for Git or TFVC, Pipelines for CI/CD, Test Plans and Artifacts. It runs as a hosted service or as Azure DevOps Server on your own infrastructure, and connects to GitHub Copilot and other AI assistants through an MCP server.

    • Developer
    • Security
  • Cloud service

    Azure GPU virtual machines

    Azure's GPU-accelerated virtual machines are the N-series VM families: ND for large-scale AI training and inference, NC for compute-intensive AI and HPC, and NV and NG for virtual desktops, graphics and cloud gaming. They use NVIDIA or AMD GPUs and are billed like other Azure VMs.

    • Infrastructure
    • AI
  • Platform

    Azure IoT Operations

    Azure IoT Operations is a set of edge data services (MQTT broker, Akri connectors such as OPC UA, data flows) on Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes at a site. It collects and normalizes equipment data locally, works offline for up to 72 hours, and sends results to Microsoft Fabric, Event Hubs or other cloud endpoints.

    • Data
    • Infrastructure
  • Cloud service

    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

    Azure Kubernetes Service is Microsoft's managed Kubernetes. Azure runs the control plane at no charge, you pay for the worker nodes, and you choose between AKS Automatic (Azure manages nodes, scaling, upgrades and security defaults) and AKS Standard (you configure and run the node pools).

    • Infrastructure
    • Developer
  • Platform

    Azure Local

    Azure Local, formerly Azure Stack HCI, is Microsoft's infrastructure software for customer-owned servers that runs VMs, AKS clusters, Azure Virtual Desktop and selected Azure services on-premises, managed from Azure through Azure Arc. It can also run disconnected and is billed per physical core.

    • Infrastructure
    • Security
  • Cloud service

    Azure Machine Learning

    Azure Machine Learning is Azure's managed service for training, deploying and operating custom machine learning models. It covers notebooks, AutoML, distributed GPU training, pipelines, MLflow tracking, model registries and managed online and batch endpoints, with hybrid options through Azure Arc.

    • AI
    • Data
    • Infrastructure
  • Hardware family

    Azure Maia and Azure Cobalt

    Azure Maia and Azure Cobalt are Microsoft-designed chips in Azure datacenters. Maia accelerators run AI inference for Microsoft services, with no direct customer rental stated. Cobalt Arm CPUs power VM sizes customers can deploy: Cobalt 100 sizes such as Dpsv6, and Cobalt 200 sizes in early access preview.

    • Infrastructure
  • Cloud service

    Azure Quantum

    Azure Quantum is Microsoft's cloud service for running quantum programs on partner hardware (IonQ, Pasqal, Quantinuum, Rigetti), on simulators, and to estimate what future fault-tolerant machines would need. Programs are written with the free, open-source Quantum Development Kit in Q#, Qiskit, Cirq or OpenQASM.

    • Infrastructure
    • Developer
  • Cloud service

    Azure SQL

    Azure SQL is Microsoft's family of SQL Server engine services on Azure: Azure SQL Database for cloud applications (with Hyperscale and serverless options), Azure SQL Managed Instance for near-complete SQL Server compatibility, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines for full OS and engine control.

    • Data
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Azure Synapse Analytics

    Azure Synapse Analytics is Azure's earlier analytics service, combining dedicated and serverless SQL pools, Apache Spark pools and Data Factory-style pipelines in one workspace. It is still supported, but Microsoft's guidance is to prefer Microsoft Fabric for new investments, and it provides migration tools.

    • Data
  • Cloud service

    Azure Virtual Desktop

    Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and app virtualization service on Azure. Microsoft runs the broker and gateway; you run the session host VMs and images in your subscription, with Windows 11 or 10 Enterprise multi-session, full desktops or single apps (RemoteApp), and session hosts in Azure or on Azure Local.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Infrastructure
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Copilot Chat

    Microsoft Copilot Chat, formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, is the secure AI chat included with eligible Microsoft 365 licenses. It is grounded mainly in the web, works on files users provide, runs agents, and carries enterprise data protection when people sign in with a work account.

    • Copilot and apps
    • AI
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Copilot Studio

    Microsoft Copilot Studio is a low-code SaaS studio for building agents and AI-driven workflows, connecting them to company data and systems, and publishing them to Teams, Microsoft Copilot, websites and other channels. Usage is billed in Copilot Credits, with some uses covered by a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

    • Agents
    • Developer
    • AI
  • Suite

    Microsoft Defender XDR

    Microsoft Defender XDR is the extended detection and response layer over Microsoft's Defender services. It joins alerts from endpoints, email, identities and cloud apps into single incidents in the Defender portal, supports hunting across that data and can contain an attack automatically while it is still running.

    • Security
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Dragon Copilot

    Microsoft Dragon Copilot is an AI clinical assistant that captures patient conversations and dictation and drafts notes, orders and other documentation for clinician review. It offers role-based experiences for physicians, nurses and radiologists, EHR embedding and partner AI apps and agents.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Agents
    • AI
  • Suite

    Microsoft Dynamics 365

    Dynamics 365 is Microsoft's family of CRM and ERP applications, including Sales, Customer Service, Contact Center, Field Service, Customer Insights, Finance, Supply Chain Management and Business Central, with Copilot features and prebuilt agents. CRM apps run on Dataverse. Guides and Remote Assist end on 31 Dec 2026.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Agents
    • Data
  • Suite

    Microsoft Entra

    Microsoft Entra is Microsoft's family of identity and network access products. Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) handles sign-in, MFA and Conditional Access; other members cover governance, identity risk, external and workload identities, VPN-free private access, internet access and identities for AI agents.

    • Security
    • Agents
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Fabric

    Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft's SaaS analytics platform. Data integration, Spark data engineering, warehousing, real-time analytics, data science, operational databases and Power BI share one lake (OneLake) and one capacity-based license, so teams do not have to wire separate Azure services together.

    • Data
    • AI
  • Program

    Microsoft for Startups

    Microsoft for Startups gives early-stage software startups Azure credits that grow with verified progress (Microsoft's pages say up to $150,000), plus technical guidance and go-to-market help. It replaced the Founders Hub name in July 2025. Microsoft's own pages state different starter credit amounts.

    • Programs
    • Infrastructure
  • Platform

    Microsoft Foundry

    Microsoft Foundry is Azure's platform for building generative AI apps and agents: a model catalog, an agent runtime, prebuilt AI tools, knowledge retrieval and governance under one Azure resource with shared access control, networking and policy. It was formerly Azure AI Studio, then Azure AI Foundry.

    • AI
    • Agents
    • Developer
    • Security
  • Cloud service

    Microsoft Foundry Agent Service

    Foundry Agent Service is the managed runtime in Microsoft Foundry for building, hosting and scaling AI agents. Teams configure prompt agents with no code, run voice agents, or deploy their own agent code as hosted containers, with Entra identity, tools, tracing and publishing to Teams and Microsoft Copilot.

    • Agents
    • AI
    • Security
  • Cloud service

    Microsoft Foundry Models

    Foundry Models is the model catalog and hosting service inside Microsoft Foundry. It offers models sold and supported by Azure, including all Azure OpenAI models, plus a much larger set from partners and the community, deployable as serverless APIs or on managed compute.

    • AI
    • Infrastructure
  • Cloud service

    Foundry Tools

    Foundry Tools is Microsoft's family of prebuilt AI APIs for speech, translation, language, document and content understanding, vision, search and content safety. Developers call them through REST APIs and SDKs without training a model. It was formerly called Azure AI Services and, before that, Cognitive Services.

    • AI
    • Developer
  • Cloud application

    GitHub Copilot

    GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI assistant for software work: code suggestions as you type, chat, agents that plan and change code and open pull requests, and AI code review. It runs in editors, the terminal, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile and a desktop app, and is billed through plans that include GitHub AI Credits.

    • Developer
    • Agents
    • AI
  • Suite

    Microsoft Industry Solutions and Dynamics 365 Sustainability

    Microsoft Industry Solutions package Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Fabric and Power Platform for healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and nonprofits. Dynamics 365 Sustainability (formerly Microsoft Sustainability Manager) reports emissions, water and waste. Several parts retired or moved in 2025-2026.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Data
  • Cloud service

    Microsoft Intune

    Microsoft Intune is a cloud endpoint management service. It enrolls and configures Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS/iPadOS, Android, tvOS and visionOS devices, deploys and protects apps (including on personal devices) and reports device compliance to Microsoft Entra Conditional Access.

    • Security
    • Infrastructure
  • Platform

    Power BI

    Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence platform: Power BI Desktop to model data and build reports, the Power BI service to share and govern them, and mobile apps to view them. It is also a core workload of Microsoft Fabric, and capacity licensing is moving from Power BI Premium P SKUs to Fabric F SKUs.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Data
  • Platform

    Microsoft Power Platform

    Microsoft Power Platform is Microsoft's low-code family: Power Apps for business apps, Power Automate for cloud and desktop automation, Power Pages for external websites, Power BI for analytics and Copilot Studio for agents. They share Microsoft Dataverse, connectors, AI Builder and the Power Fx formula language.

    • Developer
    • Data
    • Agents
  • Suite

    Microsoft Purview

    Microsoft Purview is Microsoft's set of data security, data governance and compliance solutions. It labels sensitive data, prevents leaks with DLP, detects insider risk, catalogs data estates, and handles audit, eDiscovery and retention, including for prompts and responses in Copilot, agents and other AI apps.

    • Security
    • Data
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Security Copilot

    Microsoft Security Copilot is a generative AI service for security and IT teams. It summarizes incidents, writes KQL and runs agents in its own portal and inside Defender, Entra, Intune, Purview and Sentinel. Usage is measured in Security Compute Units; Microsoft 365 E5 and E7 include a monthly allocation.

    • Security
    • Agents
    • AI
  • Cloud service

    Microsoft Sentinel

    Microsoft Sentinel is Microsoft's cloud-native SIEM with built-in SOAR. It collects security data from Microsoft and other sources across clouds and on-premises, detects threats with analytics rules and hunting, and automates response with Logic Apps playbooks. Its data lake tier keeps data for up to 12 years.

    • Security
    • Data
  • Cloud application

    Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft Teams is Microsoft 365's hub for chat, channels, meetings, calling and file collaboration. Each team is backed by a Microsoft 365 group, a SharePoint site and an Exchange mailbox, and Teams is also a main place where Copilot and agents meet users.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Data
    • Agents
  • Developer tool

    Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio 2026

    Microsoft's two code tools: Visual Studio Code, an open source editor for macOS, Windows, Linux and the web with built-in AI agents, and Visual Studio 2026, a full IDE for Windows aimed at .NET, C++ and game development. Both use GitHub Copilot, bring-your-own-key models and MCP servers for AI features.

    • Developer
    • Agents
  • Operating system

    Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs

    Windows 11 is Microsoft's current PC operating system, updated yearly with 24 or 36 months of support per version. Copilot+ PCs are Windows 11 devices with an NPU above 40 TOPS that run on-device AI features such as Recall (preview) and Click to Do, and give developers local models through Microsoft Foundry on Windows.

    • Copilot and apps
    • AI
    • Infrastructure
  • Cloud application

    Windows 365

    Windows 365 is a SaaS service that creates a personal Windows virtual machine, a Cloud PC, for each licensed user, at a fixed price per user per month. It is managed in Microsoft Intune. Editions cover small businesses, enterprises, US government, shared or part-time use (Flex, formerly Frontline) and AI agents.

    • Copilot and apps
    • Infrastructure
    • Agents

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