4 Things CIOs Need to Know About Microsoft's Reorg

It's entirely unclear whether this faster release cadence is solving a problem that anyone outside of Microsoft has, but for the time being, the message is clear: Get used to being only 12 months away from a shiny new version of whatever you're using, regardless of whether this accelerated timetable actually aligns with your organization's strategic plans.

The fire hose is turning on. Hope you're thirsty.

2. On-premises, LOB Software on Its Last Legs

Microsoft's current line is that it gives you the best of both worlds-best-in-class operating systems for your own server rooms and data centers, and the same operating system that works the same way in private cloud services and up on Windows Azure.

This is absolutely correct. No competitor even comes close to creating the so-called "virtuous cycle," where improvements in on-premises software make their way up to the company's cloud services, while the best practices, feature improvements and bug fixes found by running hundreds of thousands of servers in the cloud make their way into the engineering for the next release of the on-premises operating system. This is a real win.