Microsoft invests heavily in research and development, spending $12B in 2016. It has consistently ranked among the top 10 companies for R&D spending and innovation over the last decade. The document discusses Microsoft's Dynamics 365 business applications platform, which provides modules for sales, customer service, field service, project service automation, operations, finance, and marketing. It highlights features like the common application platform and tools like PowerApps, Flow, and Common Data Service.