Denver – Microsoft critics have often charged the Redmond, Wash-based company for pre-announcing products, delaying launch dates, waffling on launch times, and missing several key product release dates.
With the upcoming launch of Microsoft’s server software portfolio, times may be changing. Today, at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft stuck its neck out and promised that Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, its next generation of service-based applications, will be released in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2008.
Kevin Turner, the COO of Microsoft, basically guaranteed the Feb. 27 launch. Turner said it will be the biggest one day launch in Microsoft history. “This will create a feeding frenzy of partner opportunity,” Turner said. “I see money, I smell it and I hear it and we will (help partners) monetize the innovation.”
Over the next several months Microsoft will be hitting the road with an IT professional, developer and partner outreach program for Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. The company wants to ensure that channel partners are ready for these products from a training, marketing, and sales perspective.
Richard Barnett, founder and CMO of Kineticsware Inc. of Kirkland, Wash., said that the opportunity for users and partners for these three products will come sometime after the Feb. 27, 2008 launch.
Barnett said 64-bit multi-threading will only improve on the new enhancements of products such as SQL Server 2008. “It will solve multi-latency problems and allow more hits on application layer and database layer,” Barnett said.
Turner said that Microsoft has adopted a long-term approach to innovation, adding its partner ecosystem and with Software+Service (announced yesterday) are the foundations for this strategy.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is and investing US$7 billion and that is more than any other tech company in R&D,” he said.
At the heart of the new approach is connecting solutions such as server software portfolio together. To that end, Microsoft also announced BizTalk Server 2006 R2, but that product will be released sometime in September with a new price, package independent software vendor embedded license.
BizTalk Server will come in a branch edition for departments at US$1,800 and in a SOA and Business Process pack that combines BizTalk with Office SharePoint 2007, Visual Studio, SQL Server 2005, .Net Framework and four Office apps at a 10 per cent discount for partners.
“If you think about Vista and Office 2007 those were big dog releases, but they were only part of the story, just a fraction of the story. The rest of the story is in IP operations, security, business applications, collaboration, entertainment and devices,” he said.
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