Microsoft MVP creates site to remind you of all the brands Redmond replaced
If you’re still talking about ‘DirSync’ or ‘Active Directory’ instead of ‘Entra’, and need to explain why, this is the site for you
Microsoft MVP Loryan Strant has created the Microsoft Rebrand Registry, a site designed to remind users of all the brands the tech giant has replaced over the years. Strant, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), developed the site after some banter with other MVPs about Microsoft's frequent product name changes. The registry lists 72 Microsoft products and their 158 previous names, with an analysis showing that a product's name typically lasts for about 2 years and 11 months.
Eight products have undergone three name changes, including Azure AI Search, Azure App Service, Azure DevOps, Azure SQL Database, Foundry Tools, Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Microsoft Configuration Manager, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Strant also predicts which products are likely to receive new names soon, based on the duration of their current names, previous names, and the frequency of name changes in similar product families.
The site focuses on products that are still in existence, and Strant admits that his analysis may be biased towards products still published by Microsoft. He built the Let Me Correct That For You site using WordPress and the Microsoft logo library using a OneDrive folder and GitHub repo. For the Rebrand Registry, he utilized custom-built coding tools and rigorously validated the data before publishing.
Strant's sites generally receive positive feedback, with Microsoft employees appreciating his efforts since Microsoft hasn't preserved the same data. Strant hopes that users will find the sites useful and find them amusing.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Software's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
