Windows Server 2008 RTMs, Customers and Partners Adopting with Help of New Tools, Training

Approaching the company’s largest enterprise launch in its history, Microsoft reached another important milestone today with the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008. The response from IT professionals and developers has been strong as the company moves toward the worldwide launch of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 on February 27.

One indication of the momentum that is building around the latest server operating system is the number of beta and evaluation versions that customers and partners have obtained: more than two million.

IT professionals face increasing pressure from rapidly changing technology, increasing costs and security concerns, and expanding business needs. Windows Server 2008 helps alleviate these pressures by automating daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability. It also offers virtualization solutions that will enable IT professionals to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize their infrastructure, and improve server availability.

Furthermore, because Windows Server 2008 was developed in tandem with the Windows Vista code base, it has most of that operating system’s advanced management and security features, such as integrated Network Access Protection (NAP) and Group Policy. Customers will also see system-wide performance improvements from an integrated system architecture, including network file sharing, managed quality of service and reduced power consumption. Common tools and processes across both operating systems will result in efficiencies for IT organizations.

“We’ve been working with partners around the world who are creating solutions that take advantage of the new platform’s feature set,” said Bob Visse, senior director, Windows Server Marketing Group at Microsoft. “There’s been tremendous support for the operating system and a lot of excitement around the opportunity it represents for the industry.”

Microsoft is also offering customers a Go Live License, which permits them to deploy beta releases of Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS 7.0) into live production. So far, 28 companies worldwide have created and launched hosted offerings using this program, and hundreds more have downloaded the Windows Server 2008 beta and begun testing.

With Windows Server 2008, Microsoft is also embracing PHP hosting on Windows via the FastCGI module for IIS 7.0. PHP is a popular open-source scripting language used to build dynamic web applications. This allows IT Professionals to host PHP and ASP.net applications side by side. As a result, the PHP community will be able to take advantage of the increased reliability of PHP on Windows and simplified administration available on the Windows platform.

Customers: On Your Mark…

To help IT professionals evaluate the migration-readiness of their existing networks, Microsoft has created four automated assessment tools, or “solution accelerators:”

• the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) tool, which helps evaluate installed applications on servers, performs hardware assessments and makes recommendations regarding server virtualization;

• the Infrastructure Planning and Design guides, which describe the architectural considerations involved in implementing the upgrade to Windows Server 2008;

• the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide, which provides best practices and automated tools to help strengthen the security of servers running Windows Server 2008; and

• the Microsoft Deployment tool, which decreases the cost of client and server deployments by providing detailed guidance and job aids for every organizational role involved with large-scale deployment projects.


Enterprise customers planning to upgrade can follow a few basic steps to help prepare and plan for the move to Windows Server 2008:

1.
Use Microsoft’s free tools to assess their enterprise’s current servers and determine which can be upgraded and which servers will require a “clean install. “

2.
Engage with their application suppliers for prescriptive guidance.

3.
Test applications they’re planning to run for compatibility with Windows 2008.

4.
Research certified hardware and software solutions in the Windows Server Catalog.



Upgrade Options

Windows Server 2008 uses image-based deployment to make the installation process as efficient as possible. Installation images are the fastest way to deploy an operating system. Image-based setup also is less error-prone than a scripted installation process.

Customers upgrading from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 will follow one of two methods, depending upon their current environment. Servers that are running only software applications that came with Windows Server 2003, such as Active Directory, Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), are the best candidates for a simple upgrade.

Microsoft recommends other customers running a wider variety of applications follow IT community best practices and perform a “clean install” of Windows Server 2008. A clean install involves loading Windows Server 2008 on a partition that is not running an existing operating system. Microsoft advises those customers who want to pursue an upgrade to first contact the software manufacturer for prescriptive guidance. Customers running applications whose manufacturers do not provide support during the upgrade process, which did not ship with Windows Server 2003 or that weren’t delivered to Windows Server via Windows Update should remove those applications first, perform the upgrade to Windows Server 2008, verify the applications are supported on Windows Server 2008 and then reinstall the applications.

Windows Server 2008 also offers a barebones installation option called Server Core, in which only the services required to perform the Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), DHCP, DNS Server, File Services, Print Server, Streaming Media Services, Web Server (IIS), or Hyper-V (Virtualization), roles are installed. A Server Core installation offers base-level server functionality without any extra overhead, so it will typically require less maintenance and fewer updates than a full installation.

Ensuring Compatibility

To help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), independent hardware vendors (IHVs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and other developers build solutions that IT professionals can deploy immediately with confidence, Microsoft created the Windows Server 2008 Logo Program.

“We’ve been working with more than 1,000 software and hardware partners to help ensure that their products take full advantage of the capabilities and features of Windows Server 2008,” said Visse.

Windows Server 2008 software certification comprises approximately 100 test cases that independently confirm an application’s compliance with best practices for compatibility, security, reliability and availability on the server operating system. The certification identifies top-performing technologies that are ready to deploy in mission-critical environments.

The program features two designations – the “Works with Windows Server 2008” designation ensures that an application is in compliance with best practices for the most common Windows Server 2008 functions, while the “Certified for Windows Server 2008” logo supports rigorous standards for stability, security, reliability and overall performance.

Microsoft expects there to be at least 80 software applications certified for Windows Server 2008 by the end of February, and roughly 300 more that are considered ready for the new platform. A complete list of compatible hardware and software products is available at http://www.windowsservercatalog.com.

In addition to encouraging customers to look for the certification logo when they make purchasing decisions, Microsoft has done something new for Windows Server 2008. The company has made the same tools that ISVs used to test their products for compatibility available to IT professionals so that they can test both commercial applications and custom applications they’ve developed in-house. The tools are downloadable at http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/ready.

There is also a Windows Server 2008 Developer Center site that is a portal for both ISV developers and enterprise developers working on custom applications. The site provides how-to videos, interviews with Microsoft engineers and related documents. It also links to a moderated technical forum for application readiness and certification discussions and questions http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/default.aspx.

Microsoft Outlines Pricing, Packaging and Licensing for Windows Server 2008, Including the New Microsoft Hyper-V Server Product

At Microsoft TechEd IT Forum 2007, Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of Infrastructure Server Marketing at Microsoft Corp., updated an audience of more than 5,000 IT professionals on the development of Windows Server 2008 and a new virtualization offering.

As Microsoft nears the final stages of Windows Server 2008 development and the Feb. 27, 2008, worldwide launch event, Kelly announced detailed packaging, pricing and licensing information for Windows Server 2008. This includes Microsoft’s server virtualization technology, Hyper-V, previously code-named “Viridian.” Kelly also announced the stand-alone virtualization server named Microsoft Hyper-V Server. Finally, Kelly outlined a complementary program, called the Server Virtualization Validation Program that allows virtual machine vendors to validate their solutions with Windows Server operating systems.

“Windows Server 2008 redefines what a server operating system delivers to customers,” Kelly said. “With more than 1 million downloads and evaluation copies, we’ve built Windows Server 2008 based on a solid foundation of customer feedback, which is reflected in the product’s ease of management, security enhancements and overall reliability. The unprecedented range of customer choices and the virtualization enhancements will help customers tailor solutions built to fit virtually any business need.”

“As the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz’ IT department, it is a priority for us to keep students and staff connected. Accordingly, we are looking forward to Windows Server 2008 features, such as advances in Terminal Services and the Hyper-V technology, to help us do that while maximizing resources,” said Carsten Allendoerfer, director of the Computing Center System Group at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.

Windows Server 2008 Packaging, Pricing and Licensing

Windows Server 2008 is available in eight versions, three of which include Hyper-V:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard. This version has built-in, enhanced Web and virtualization capabilities, powerful tools that give customers greater control over their servers and streamline configuration and management tasks, and enhanced security features that work to harden the operating system to help protect their data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for businesses. With Windows Server 2008 Standard edition, customers get one virtual instance per license.

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise has the same features as Windows Server 2008 Standard, but with Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition, customers get four virtual instances per license.

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. It helps customers improve availability and security features, and reduce infrastructure costs, by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. And with Windows Server 2008 Datacenter edition, customers receive unlimited virtual instances per license.


Two versions offered without Hyper-V are targeted at specific workloads:

• Windows Web Server 2008. Designed to be used as a single-purpose Web server, Windows Web Server 2008 delivers a rock-solid foundation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the next-generation Windows Server 2008. Integrated with the newly re-architected Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Web Server 2008 helps enable any organization rapidly deploy Web pages, Web sites, Web applications and Web services.

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems. Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems is optimized for large databases, and line-of-business and custom applications, providing high availability and scalability up to 64 processors to meet the needs of the most demanding and mission-critical solutions. Support for Itanium-based systems will now be offered through the new Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems edition, targeted at customers using the Intel Itanium platform and designed for these specific workloads.


Microsoft will also offer a range of versions of Windows Server 2008 without Hyper-V:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V



All will be available in 32-bit or 64-bit versions, with the exception of Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems, which will only be available as a 64-bit version. Other changes include the availability of Windows Web Server 2008, a 64-bit edition of Web server. The Hyper-V feature will only be available with 64-bit editions of Windows Server 2008.

Pricing for all Windows Server 2008 products will be increasing by approximately 1 percent for all distribution channels. Estimated MSRP* are listed by each version below:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard: $999 (with five Client Access Licenses, or CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise: $3,999 (with 25 CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter: $2,999 (per processor)

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems: $2,999 (per processor)

• Windows Web Server 2008: $469

• Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V: $971 (with five CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V: $3,971 (with 25 CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V: $2,971 (per processor)


Microsoft Hyper-V Server

Microsoft Hyper-V Server, a hypervisor-based server virtualization product, complements the Hyper-V technology within Windows Server 2008, allowing customers to consolidate workloads onto a single physical server. In addition, Microsoft Hyper-V Server will increase original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners’ ability to offer customers simplified, reliable and cost-effective virtualization solutions that can easily plug in to their existing infrastructure. Partners including Dell Inc., Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., HP, IBM Corp., Lenovo, NEC Corp. and Unisys are already committed to working with Microsoft to offer solutions based on Microsoft Hyper-V Server once it is available. The estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for Microsoft Hyper-V Server is $28 (U.S.).

“Microsoft and Dell are continuing to work together to provide virtualization solutions and by offering Microsoft Hyper-V Server across a wide variety of Dell servers,” said Rick Becker, vice president of Software and Solutions at Dell. “Our joint customers can continue to leverage their expertise with Microsoft technologies to rapidly provision new services and better manage and simplify their IT environment.”

“The combination of Microsoft Hyper-V Server, industry-leading HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, and our comprehensive services portfolio provides customers with an adaptive infrastructure that is simple to operate, reliable and cost effective,” said Scott Farrand, vice president of Industry Standard Server Software at HP. “HP plans to support customers in the adoption of Microsoft Hyper-V Server by delivering solutions that help them realize the benefits of a virtualized environment.”

Server Virtualization Validation Program

In response to industry and customer demands for more comprehensive technical support of virtual machines, Kelly also announced the Server Virtualization Validation Program. Beginning in June 2008, vendors will be able to self-test and validate certain technical requirements of their server virtualization software running Windows Server 2008 and prior versions. The program will enable Microsoft to offer cooperative technical support to customers running Windows Server on validated, non-Windows server virtualization software.

“Microsoft has worked with industry partners to create a technical support model that will meet customers’ growing demands,” Kelly said. “As more customers deploy and virtualize Windows-based applications on Windows Server 2008 or other server virtualization software, this program will help ensure that customers receive a joint support experience for their physical and virtual infrastructure deployments.”

“Technical support of virtualized images is an industrywide challenge,” said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions for Novell. “Our relationship with Microsoft provides us with a jointly supported solution today. Novell and Microsoft continue to collaborate to optimize bidirectional virtualization between Windows and SUSE Linux Enterprise with Xen. Microsoft’s server virtualization validation program provides customers with additional peace of mind when they run Windows as a guest in a validated environment such as SUSE Linux Enterprise.”

About Microsoft TechEd Europe

In its 14th year in Europe, TechEd is Microsoft’s definitive European conference for building, deploying, securing and managing connected solutions. With a strong mix of developer, infrastructure and messaging content, Microsoft TechEd Europe is Microsoft’s premier technical training conference for a wide range of technology professionals. TechEd Europe, held this year in the Centre Convencions Internacional (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain, encompasses both TechEd Developers (Nov. 5–9) and TechEd IT Forum (Nov.12–16).

Microsoft Unveils Vision and Road Map to Simplify SOA, Bridge Software Plus Services, and Take Composite Applications Mainstream

Attendees gathered at the fifth annual Microsoft SOA & Business Process Conference today, where the company shared its vision and road map to simplify the effort required to design, build, deploy and manage composite applications within and across organizations. Microsoft Corp. announced “Oslo,” the code name for the set of technical investments that help customers realize this vision.

This multiyear, multiproduct effort utilizes the company’s top engineering talent to build on the model-driven and service-enabled principles of Microsoft Dynamic IT (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jun07/06-04TechED07PR.mspx ) and extend the benefits of service-oriented architecture (SOA) beyond the firewall. The “Oslo” technology innovations further Microsoft software-plus-services efforts by providing extensions to the application platform to help developers bridge between on-premise and off-premise projects. As part of a technical road map, Microsoft made available new tools and guidance to help organizations take advantage of “real-world SOA” today, including new SOA resources from Microsoft and a host of industry partners.

“Many customers are challenged to realize the promise of SOA given today’s complexities,” said Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft Business Division. “The combination of our current software-plus-services approach and the new wave of ‘Oslo’ technologies will enable IT to deliver high-impact business solutions.”

Today, applications cannot easily span the boundaries between technologies, between business and IT, and between an organization, its suppliers and its customers. Microsoft’s continued investments in SOA and business-process management (BPM) technologies will help customers better connect across these boundaries using a service-oriented and model-driven approach. As part of “Oslo,” Microsoft will work to deliver a unified platform integrating services and modeling, moving from a world where models describe the application to a world where models are the application.

“It’s time to help developers and IT professionals extend the capabilities of SOA to address the new ‘blended’ world of software plus services and cross-boundary collaboration,” said Robert Wahbe, corporate vice president of the Connected Systems Division at Microsoft. “‘Oslo’ will enable a new class of applications that are connected and streamlined — from design through deployment — reducing complexity, aligning the enterprise and Internet, and simplifying interoperability and management.”

At the conference today, Microsoft also demonstrated an upcoming community technology preview of Microsoft BizTalk Services (http://labs.biztalk.net/default.aspx), featuring additional support for interoperability, Web 2.0 services, identity standards and workflow in the cloud.

Building on the technology available today, the “Oslo” advancements will be delivered through Microsoft server and tools products in five key areas:

• Server. Microsoft BizTalk Server “6” will continue to provide a core foundation for distributed and highly scalable SOA and BPM solutions, and deliver the capability to develop, manage and deploy composite applications.

• Services. BizTalk Services “1” will offer a commercially supported release of Web-based services enabling hosted composite applications that cross organizational boundaries. This release will include advanced messaging, identity and workflow capabilities.

• Framework. The Microsoft .NET Framework “4” release will further enable model-driven development with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF).

• Tools. New technology planned for Visual Studio “10” will make significant strides in end-to-end application life-cycle management through new tools for model-driven design of distributed applications.

• Repository. There will also be investments in aligning the metadata repositories across the Server and Tools product sets. Microsoft System Center “5,” Visual Studio “10” and BizTalk Server “6” will utilize a repository technology for managing, versioning and deploying models.


Customers are realizing the benefits of Microsoft’s real-world approach to SOA and vision by employing today’s technology, including BizTalk Server and BizTalk Services, along with the upcoming .NET Framework and Visual Studio. On Feb. 27, 2008, Microsoft will continue the wave of innovation by also launching Windows Server 2008, .NET Framework 3.5, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

Reinforcing their commitment to SOA, Microsoft, Accenture and Avanade recently announced the Accenture and Avanade Solutions Showcase, located on Microsoft’s corporate campus. This Solutions Showcase highlights the power of SOA while offering customers customized solutions in areas such as the next-generation workplace, infrastructure optimization and business intelligence. The first solution to be developed in conjunction with the new Solutions Showcase, a human resources (HR) solution that helps organizations quickly and efficiently bring on board new employees, was demonstrated during Robert Wahbe’s keynote address at the Microsoft SOA & BPM Conference.

“The Solutions Showcase illustrates the benefits of bringing together the technology skills and industry expertise of Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft in a single location,” said Paul


Daugherty, chief architect for Accenture. “Our customers are always looking to extract more value from their application development investments and can benefit from this joint innovation as they develop mission critical-solutions on the Microsoft platform.”

Customers and partners can visit the new Microsoft SOA and Business Process Solution Center at http://www.microsoft.com/soa for additional information and resources, including patterns and practices based on the most successful customer implementations.

Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 will launch Feb. 27, 2008

Microsoft Corp. today kicked off the Microsoft® Worldwide Partner Conference 2007 by showcasing the innovative products, services and business models that will expose Microsoft partners to increased levels of opportunity in a rapidly changing market. The combination of upcoming Microsoft product releases and the evolution of software delivery is creating important new opportunities for Microsoft partners to deliver greater customer value and choice.

In their keynotes, Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, and Kevin Turner, chief operating officer, focused on the critical role that Microsoft partners play in delivering innovation and value to businesses around the world, particularly through a software-plus-services strategy. Ballmer outlined four pillars that serve as the foundation for Microsoft’s approach to software delivery:

• Deliver a consistent, seamless user experience across devices

• Provide deployment options — on-premise or hosted — based on customer needs

• Extend development platform and tools to encompass services in addition to clients and servers

• Support new business models and define the ways partners can increase their revenue and grow their businesses


“Everyone in our industry is rethinking the relationship between software and services,” Ballmer said. “We believe the future is in software plus services — combinations that give customers more options and create great new opportunities for partners. Microsoft, with our partners, is positioned to lead the way.”

As part of this focus on software plus services, Turner announced a partner-led program for early customer access for Microsoft Dynamics™ Live CRM, giving Microsoft another fast and flexible way to address the unique customer relationship management (CRM) needs of each customer. This new Live service gives Microsoft Dynamics CRM partners opportunities to deliver customer value and grow their businesses by developing and deploying solutions through Live, on-premise and partner-hosted delivery methods. More information about Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM is available at http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/jul07/07-10CRMWPCPR.mspx

Driving Customer Value and Partner Revenue Through Software Plus Services

To help partners understand how they can increase their opportunities and revenue through the software-plus-services approach, Microsoft is highlighting some of the ways in which partners can monetize the new opportunities, including advertising, hosting, referrals, customization, reselling, consulting, design, development, support and training.

“Our product portfolio, long-term investments in XML and .Net and the diversity of our partner ecosystem give Microsoft a competitive advantage in the software-plus-services era,” said Allison L. Watson, corporate vice president, Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group. “This unique combination allows us to empower people and partners in their roles with rich solutions that drive new business opportunities. Ultimately, the software-plus-services transformation is about giving customers more choice and flexibility in how software is delivered.”

Turner also outlined new partner opportunities created by the introduction of successful products such as the Windows Vista® operating system, the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and People-Ready Business offerings. “Every partner aims to be the best at what they do, and Microsoft is here to help them achieve their goals by providing solutions and tools that allow them to provide customers what is right for their business at the right time,” he said.

In anticipation for the most significant Microsoft enterprise event in the next year, Turner announced that Windows Server® 2008, Visual Studio® 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server™ 2008 will launch together at an event in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2008, kicking off hundreds of launch events around the world. As the next wave of innovation from Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, these three products will provide a reliable and security-enhanced enterprise platform, serve as the foundation for the next generation of Web-based service applications, and broadly support virtualization and business intelligence. Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 represent tremendous opportunities for partners and customers, and as part of the launch wave throughout 2008, Microsoft is planning extensive and far-reaching IT pro, developer and partner outreach, including worldwide training, online and virtual events, as well as myriad resources that will be made available in the coming months to help ensure partners and customers are ready to capitalize on the new benefits offered by these products.

Maximizing the Opportunity Created by Windows Vista

Further evidence of the value of the Windows Vista operating system is highlighted by the release of a Microsoft-commissioned IDC white paper titled “The Economic Impact of Microsoft’s Windows Vista Worldwide in the Coming Year” (Doc# 6282007, July 2007), outlining the opportunity being created by Windows Vista in the coming year. The report notes that for every dollar of Microsoft revenue from Windows Vista in 2008, the partner ecosystem beyond Microsoft will reap roughly $22. Microsoft today delivered new tools designed to help partners capitalize on this opportunity: the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 and the Windows Vista Business Value Assessment. Both are part of a new program announced called Windows® Partner Solutions, which enables value-added resellers, system integrators and managed service providers to deliver customized solutions that meet the specific needs of their customers to help them potentially realize an increased value of up to $130 per PC annually. The Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 helps partners determine their customers’ hardware and device readiness for Windows Vista within hours, and this new version adds increased network assessment support for up to 25,000 PCs and hardware assessment for the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Also available for partners is the new Windows Vista Business Value Assessment. Developed in coordination with IDC and Alinean Inc., the tool helps partners calculate the financial benefit of their customers upgrading to Windows Vista and is specifically geared toward the midsized customer segment.

Microsoft also reaffirmed its commitment to help partners level the playing field against unscrupulous resellers of counterfeit software through the Windows Genuine Advantage program and highlighted ASAP Software Inc. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. as partners endorsing the program. In 2006 global software piracy represented a loss to the industry of more than $40 billion, according to the Business Software Alliance.

Microsoft Introduces an Easy Way for Partners to Maximize Sales Opportunities

Microsoft today is also introducing a new tool to help partners maximize sales opportunities. Microsoft LicenseWise is a one-stop shop for accessing up-to-date, comprehensive product and licensing information. Microsoft LicenseWise helps partners strengthen their customer relationships through quick access to additional licensing guidance and gives them the ability to assemble and customize customer solution quotes. Microsoft LicenseWise is linked with the Microsoft Product Licensing Advisor to strengthen collaboration between partners and their customers through a seamless, consistent and predictable interaction.

New Resources That Build Partner Opportunity

Microsoft’s Information Worker Group today announced a set of new and updated resources that open up more opportunities for partners that team up with Microsoft to deliver Information Worker solutions. Partner opportunities span solutions built on the Microsoft Office system platform and extend to new products and programs in areas such as unified communications, business intelligence, software plus services and Microsoft Office Business Applications. Key announcements include an updated Microsoft Office Live Solution Developers program, a new Microsoft Office Business Applications OnRamp program, and new Desktop and SharePoint® Deployment Planning Services programs.

Microsoft Makes a Commitment to Help Partners Deliver Solutions

Microsoft’s promise is to help partners deliver value consistently and predictably through one of 13 competencies to help ensure that partners receive the benefits, tools, information and business opportunities that are most valuable to them. Microsoft today announced two new competencies that highlight growth areas and opportunities:

• Hosting Solutions (formerly a specialization in the Advanced Infrastructure Solutions Competency)

• Business Intelligence Solutions (formerly a specialization in the Information Worker competency)


More information about the Worldwide Partner Conference is available at the virtual event site at http://partner.microsoft.com/digitalwpc. Visitors can watch select keynotes live or on-demand, register to view sessions, and learn more about the news and events coming out of the conference.

About the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference

More information about the Worldwide Partner Conference is available on the virtual event site at http://partner.microsoft.com/digitalwpc. Visitors can watch select keynotes live or on demand, register to view sessions, and learn more about the news and events coming out of the conference.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference provides Microsoft’s partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Worldwide Partner Conference is an ideal setting for partners to garner valuable knowledge from their peers and from Microsoft. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/partner/events/wwpartnerconference and https://partner.microsoft.com.

Podcast: Community Corner: an interview with Dan Stolts on Windows Server “Longhorn” (Windows Server 2008)

On this week’s Community Corner, Dan Stolts talks with John Weston about Windows Server “Longhorn” (now Windows Server 2008). They dive into some of the new features in Windows Server 2008, including Powershell and Virtualization.

Participants
Eric Ostrowski – Your Show Host and TechNet Radio ProducerJohn Weston – IT Pro Evangelist
Dan Stolts – Dan Stolts has had a long involvement in the user group community and is President of BayState Integrated Technology, Inc. which specializes in IT system integration and IT infrastructure outsourced support for the small and medium sized business markets.

Listen to the podcast(MP3)
Listen to the podcast(WMA)

Windows Longhorn Server becomes Windows Server 2008

At WinHEC 2007 in Los Angeles, Bill Gates announced the final name for what was previously known only as Windows Server codename "Longhorn." Windows Server 2008, which recently reached the Beta 3 milestone, is expected to ship before the end of the year.



You can download the Windows Server 2008 fact sheet from Microsoft PressPass and visit the newly branded Windows Server 2008 website for details. Also, check out the amusing "What’s in a name?" video too.