Directions on Microsoft

As Director of Research, Rob Helm leads the analyst team and directs coverage of Microsoft's shifting product roadmap and corporate organization. His nine years of experience analyzing Microsoft's technology and strategy allows him to discern the company's overall directions from the sometimes confusing and contradictory signals it sends to customers and the industry. Rob previously has led DIRECTIONS coverage of Microsoft's database management systems, developer strategy, and embedded platforms. His 13 years of prior experience in the computer industry include research on advanced developer tools, optimization of cluster applications, and design of network protocols at the University of Oregon, and design and implementation of databases for the U.S. Navy. Rob received his B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Puget Sound and his M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Oregon.

Expertise: Licensing, sales and marketing, partner strategies (including programs for ISVs, systems integrators, and OEMs), and product support. Paul DeGroot analyzes and writes on Microsoft's sales, licensing, and support strategies, including its relationships with partners. He also covers Microsoft's desktop products for business and consumers. Prior to joining DIRECTIONS, Paul was the President of Pica Communications, which offers content development and consulting services to telecom and software companies. Prior to joining Pica, Paul was the Managing Editor for the Southam New Media Center in Canada, where he established an online portal for the company's 32 newspaper properties across Canada. As a journalist, Paul has covered every aspect of the IT industry for 17 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the Toronto Globe & Mail, and the Toronto Star, among others. Paul received his B.A. in History from the University of Washington.

Before joining Directions, Rob spent 14 years at Microsoft as program manager and lead program manager on some of the company's most important technologies, including Exchange Server, Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, and Xbox Live. Rob's work covered the spectrum from high-level architecture to developing APIs and code. He received multiple patents for his designs. Before joining Microsoft, Rob was a software engineer for Kenan Systems and the Trane Corporation. Rob holds a B.S. in electrical, computer and systems engineering from Harvard University.