The software and cloud backbone that companies run on
Microsoft Corporation sells software and cloud computing that organizations run their operations on. Companies pay recurring subscriptions for Microsoft 365, the productivity tools such as Word, Outlook and Teams, and they pay for Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform, based on how much computing power they use. Around these two engines sit security, developer tools, LinkedIn, advertising, Windows and Xbox gaming. The pattern is that once a company standardizes on Microsoft for identity, security, productivity and cloud, switching would mean several coordinated migrations at once rather than one product change, so revenue tends to return year after year.