The present day goal of selling the newest version of the product, the most financially capable product, takes precedence. To any tech CEO, this would seem like common sense. But that's where the second part of the Microsoft wheel kicks in. There are two scenarios, but the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. As companies upgrade, certain things happen.
Some businesses experience difficulty-exchanging information with other businesses.
Often times it has to do with file format differences in differing versions of products. This is intended to be an open analysis of the big picture. I'm not out to persecute Microsoft for any specific action. Many companies, large and small, still use Windows 95 machines. The third part of the Microsoft wheel is the Office product line.