Knowledge hub · 14 guides
Azure, Copilot, Fabric, Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365: Microsoft's business tools, what each one does and how they fit together.
Beyond Windows and Office, Microsoft sells a complete set of business tools: Azure for cloud infrastructure and AI, Dynamics 365 for CRM and ERP, Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio, Power BI) for low-code apps, automation and reporting, Microsoft 365 for collaboration, Fabric for data and analytics, and Copilot across all of them.
They share identity (Microsoft Entra ID), data (Dataverse and OneLake), security (Defender and Purview) and the Azure cloud, so they work together out of the box. For organisations already on Microsoft 365, extending into them is often the path of least resistance. Partners prove their skills through Microsoft's Solutions Partner designations.
Explainer
Copilot
AI assistant in every app, plus Copilot Studio to build your own agents
Microsoft Entra ID
One identity and sign-in
Dataverse & OneLake
Shared business and analytics data
Defender & Purview
Security, compliance and governance
Microsoft Azure
The cloud everything runs on, plus Azure AI for building your own
Guides
An AI assistant inside Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint that works with your company's own content.
Build your own AI agents that answer from company knowledge and take actions in your systems.
Microsoft's all-in-one analytics platform: data engineering, warehousing, real-time and Power BI on one lake.
Microsoft's low-code tools for building business apps and portals on Microsoft 365 and Dynamics data.
Automate repetitive work across apps, from simple approvals to bots that click through old desktop systems.
Microsoft's CRM and ERP apps, from sales and service to finance and supply chain.
Microsoft's all-in-one ERP for small and mid-size businesses, and the successor to NAV and GP.
Email, documents, meetings, intranet and collaboration: the productivity layer most companies run on.
Microsoft's kit for building your own AI apps: OpenAI and other models, plus search, speech, vision and documents.
Identity, threat protection, security operations and data protection from one vendor, often already in your licence.
Microsoft's developer platforms for code, pipelines and planning, plus GitHub Copilot for AI pair-programming.
Microsoft's cloud: the natural home for Windows, SQL Server and Microsoft 365 estates.
Microsoft's BI tool: the most widely used, and the default for Microsoft 365 organisations.
Microsoft's integration toolkit: Logic Apps, API Management, Service Bus and Event Grid.
| Guide | Best fit | Pricing | Typical project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot | Everyday AI for people who live in email, meetings and documents | A per-user monthly add-on to Microsoft 365; Copilot Chat is included for Microsoft 365 users | 3–6 weeks |
| Copilot Studio | Custom agents for service desks, HR, sales and operations | Usage-based, billed in credits per message or action, with prepaid capacity packs | 4–8 weeks |
| Fabric | Microsoft-centred analytics, consolidating Synapse, Data Factory and Power BI | Capacity-based (F SKUs), pay as you go or reserved; storage billed separately | 8–16 weeks |
| Power Apps | Internal apps and portals in Microsoft 365 organisations | Per user or per app; some use rights come with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365; premium connectors and Dataverse need paid plans | 4–10 weeks |
| Power Automate | Approvals, notifications and repetitive tasks across Microsoft 365 and beyond | Standard flows come with many Microsoft 365 plans; premium per-user or per-bot plans for premium connectors and unattended RPA | 3–8 weeks |
| Dynamics 365 | Microsoft-centred companies wanting CRM and ERP on one stack | Per user per month, by app; cheaper “attach” licences for a second app | 2–6 months |
| Business Central | Small and mid-size companies, especially on Microsoft 365 | Per user per month (Essentials or Premium), plus cheaper Team Member licences | 2–6 months |
| Microsoft 365 | Intranets, document management and the modern workplace | Per user per month: Business plans up to 300 users, E3 and E5 for enterprises; Copilot is an add-on | 6–16 weeks |
| Azure AI | Custom AI apps on Azure with enterprise security | Pay per use: per token for language models, per page, minute or call for other services; reserved throughput for steady loads | 3–8 weeks |
| Microsoft security | Consolidating security tools in Microsoft 365 E5 and Azure estates | Much is included in Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, the rest sold as add-ons; Sentinel is billed by data ingested | 3–6 weeks |
| GitHub | Engineering teams standardising how they build, test and ship | Per user per month (GitHub Enterprise, Copilot Business or Enterprise); pipeline minutes and storage by usage | 6–16 weeks |
| Azure | Microsoft-centred estates, hybrid setups and enterprise identity | Pay as you go; reservations and savings plans; Azure Hybrid Benefit reuses existing Windows Server and SQL Server licences | 4–8 weeks |
| Power BI | Broad, low-cost self-service BI in Microsoft estates | Per user (Pro, Premium Per User) or Fabric capacity; Pro is included in Microsoft 365 E5 | 4–10 weeks |
| Azure Integration | Pay-per-use integration for Azure and Microsoft estates | Pay per use for each service (runs, calls, messages), with fixed-price tiers for heavy loads | 4–10 weeks |
Glossary
IT service companies with these skills on their profile, every fact labelled with its source.
Cloud
Middleware & integration
Data engineering
Data analytics & BI
ERP
SaaS & enterprise platforms
Custom enterprise apps
AI for the enterprise
IT staffing & engagement models