In late 2016, Microsoft began shipping Windows Server 2016 after revealing it at that year's Ignite conference. The product had been in the works for years, having first become available as a technical preview in 2014. While it seemed on the surface like just another iteration of the decades-old franchise, under the hood Windows Server 2016 represented a major shift in the design of the company's operating systems.

Microsoft System Center is a crucial tool in the management of Windows Server environments as well as client desktop operating systems.

Skype for Business is one of the most versatile components of Microsoft Office 365. It evolved from Lync, the company's previous platform for multi-channel collaboration across chat, video and voice, and was branded with the name of one of Microsoft's biggest ever acquisitions.

There are seemingly endless possibilities when it comes to what you can do with Microsoft SharePoint. Introduced as an on-premises application in 2001, SharePoint has since evolved into a multi-faceted product that can be run locally (as SharePoint Server) or in the cloud (as SharePoint Online, a part of the Office 365 suite).

Microsoft SharePoint has long been a key tool for collaboration within organizations. It serves several important functions, including the creation of intranets (i.e., websites for internal use) and the management of site content, while integrating with numerous other parts of the Office 365 suite, from Excel to Skype for Business.