📊 Microsoft Licensing Simplifier¶

Live at: aguidetocloud.com/licensing/ Built: April 2026 Cost: $0 (static content, no API calls)

What It Does¶

An interactive licensing tool with 72 plans across 13 categories, featuring side-by-side comparison, a cost calculator, an add-ons advisor, a recommendation quiz, and 49 individual detail pages — each with Mermaid diagrams, FAQs, and related blog posts.

Think of it like a car configurator, but for Microsoft 365 licences — compare, calculate, and get recommendations.

Architecture Overview¶

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Data Layer (TOML)                       │
│                                                            │
│  data/licensing/plans.toml     (72 plans, 13 categories)   │
│  data/licensing/features.toml  (49 features)               │
│  data/licensing/quiz.toml      (7 questions)               │
│  data/licensing/changelog.toml (5 entries)                  │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                     Hugo Templates                          │
│                                                            │
│  layouts/licensing/list.html   (5-tab main page)           │
│  layouts/licensing/single.html (detail pages)              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                     Frontend                                │
│                                                            │
│  static/js/licensing.js        (~940 lines)                │
│  static/css/licensing.css      (~1100 lines)               │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                   49 Detail Pages                           │
│                                                            │
│  content/licensing/*.md        (Mermaid + FAQs + tables)   │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The 5 Tabs¶

Tab 1: Compare Plans¶

Feature	Detail
Search	Matches name, tagline, who, description, category
Category sections	Collapsible groups with accent-coloured headers
Plan cards	Checkbox to compare, details link, M365 Maps link, Microsoft link
Side-by-side	Up to 4 plans in a comparison table (features, pricing, descriptions)
Presets	Quick comparisons: E3 vs E5, E5 vs E7, etc.
Shareable URLs	`?compare=m365-e3,m365-e5` generates a deep link

Tab 2: Build Your Stack¶

Feature	Detail
Cost calculator	Add line items (plan + user count), see running total
Annual/monthly view	Toggle between per-user/month and annual cost
Copy summary	CSV-style summary to clipboard
Price impact notice	July 2026 price change notification

Tab 3: Add-ons Advisor¶

Feature	Detail
"I have X, what do I need?"	Select base plan, get recommended add-ons
Hard-coded matrix	`addonMatrix` maps base plans to logical add-ons
Upgrade suggestions	When a full upgrade is better value than add-ons

Tab 4: Which M365 Plan?¶

Feature	Detail
7-question quiz	Weighted scoring based on answers
Top 3 recommendations	Ranked by score with explanations
Copilot hint	Suggests Copilot add-on when relevant

Tab 5: What Changed?¶

Feature	Detail
Changelog	Sorted newest-first
Affected plan tags	Shows which plans were impacted
Source links	Links to official Microsoft announcements

Data Structure¶

`plans.toml` — 72 Plans¶

Each plan entry includes:

[[plans]]
id = "m365-e3"
name = "Microsoft 365 E3"
category = "enterprise"
price = 36.00
price_note = "per user/month"
tagline = "Comprehensive productivity + security"
description = "Full Office apps, Exchange, SharePoint..."
who = "Medium to large enterprises"
badge = "Popular"
detail_url = "/licensing/microsoft-365-e3/"
m365maps = "https://m365maps.com/..."
ms_official = "https://www.microsoft.com/..."
features = ["office-apps", "exchange", "sharepoint", ...]

13 Categories (with Accent Colours)¶

Category	Accent	Plans
Enterprise Plans	`#3b82f6` (blue)	6
Copilot & AI	`#8b5cf6` (purple)	3
Security & Compliance	`#ef4444` (red)	7
Dynamics 365 — CRM	`#0ea5e9` (sky)	6
Dynamics 365 — ERP	`#14b8a6` (teal)	5
Power Platform	`#a855f7` (violet)	6
Microsoft Viva	`#d946ef` (fuchsia)	3
Teams Add-ons	`#6366f1` (indigo)	4
Project, Planner & Visio	`#22c55e` (green)	6
Education Plans	`#eab308` (yellow)	3
Windows & Developer	`#64748b` (slate)	4
Business Plans	`#06b6d4` (cyan)	4
Frontline Worker Plans	`#f97316` (orange)	2

Category accents are set in TOML and applied via --cat-accent CSS variable.

`features.toml` — 49 Features¶

Feature definitions used in the comparison table to show which plans include which capabilities.

`quiz.toml` — 7 Questions¶

Weighted multiple-choice questions that score each answer against plan IDs. Top 3 scoring plans are recommended.

Detail Pages (49 pages)¶

Each plan's detail page (content/licensing/<slug>.md) includes:

Section	Detail
Front matter	`plan_name`, `plan_id`, `price`, `plan_category`, `faq` array
Mermaid diagram	Visual hierarchy showing plan components
Comparison tables	Feature-by-feature tables against related plans
Numbered FAQs	Rose-coloured questions, white answers (styled via `p > strong:only-child`)
Breadcrumb nav	Back to licensing list page
Quick links	Deep links to M365 Maps (Aaron Dinnage) + official Microsoft page
Related blog posts	Auto-matched by plan name from the blog section
Schema	Product JSON-LD + optional FAQPage JSON-LD from `faq` front matter
Disclaimer	Standard attribution footer

CSS — `licensing.css` (~1,100 lines, Rose Accent `#F43F5E`)¶

Element	Detail
Accent	Rose `#F43F5E`
Category sections	Collapsible with per-category `--cat-accent` colours
Tab system	5 tabs with active state indicators
Compare table	Sticky headers, feature rows
Quiz	Card-based question layout
Changelog	Timeline-style layout
Single pages	Breadcrumbs, badges, Mermaid blocks, FAQ styling
Mobile	1-column cards, horizontal preset scrolling, wrapped compare bar

Key Design Decisions¶

Decision	Rationale
Data-driven via TOML	Plans, features, quiz, changelog all in data files — easy to update without touching templates
49 individual detail pages	Each plan ranks separately in search — massive SEO surface area
Deep links to M365 Maps	Aaron Dinnage's M365 Maps is the community standard reference
Category accent colours	Visual grouping helps users scan 72 plans quickly
5-tab layout	Different users have different needs — compare, calculate, advise, quiz, changelog
Shareable comparison URLs	Share a `?compare=` link in Teams/email to colleagues
Auto-related blog posts	Cross-links to blog content drive internal navigation

Maintenance¶

Task	How
Add a new plan	Add `[[plans]]` entry in `data/licensing/plans.toml` + create `content/licensing/<slug>.md`
Update pricing	Edit `price` field in `plans.toml` + update detail page
Add a feature	Add in `data/licensing/features.toml` + add to relevant plans' `features` arrays
Update quiz	Edit `data/licensing/quiz.toml` — adjust question weights or add new questions
Add changelog entry	Add to `data/licensing/changelog.toml`
Update category accent	Change `accent` field in the category section of `plans.toml`

Last updated: 11 April 2026