With the latest release of SharePoint in early 2013, Microsoft pivots in earnest from conventional software to subscription cloud services. Among SharePoint releases, the 2013 edition carries big changes. Application development and delivery pros will find a new architecture for modern Internet applications, mobile-first apps, and cloud deployment. This and the other changes present new opportunities to gain value from SharePoint but will cause a short-term hit in both developer productivity and availability of expert consultants. The many enterprises using SharePoint must now decide whether or not to extend their investments into new application scenarios, architectures, and deployment models — as well as whether or not to adopt additional SharePoint workloads. Here's what you need to know to succeed with SharePoint 2013.