Expertise: Sales, Marketing, Legal and Business Affairs. Licensing, sales and marketing, partner strategies and product support.

Paul DeGroot analyzes and writes on Microsoft’s sales, licensing, and support strategies, including its relationships with partners. He is widely recognized as an authority on Microsoft licensing rules and programs.

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 founding Pica, Paul was the managing editor for the Southam New Media Center in Canada, which established an online portal for the company’s 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.