This week, Microsoft had released Windows Server 2008, SQL Server, and Visual Studio as part of its next generation products of its server and tools business. Windows Server 2008 is the server operating system that would succeed Windows 2003, while SQL 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 are the Business Intelligence platform and the developer kit respectively.

The products are part of Microsoft’s Dynamic IT, the initiative that helps customers optimise their people, processes and technology. According to Microsoft, the new products would help bolster IT as a strategic business asset in an organisation. They also say that the products help customers securely manage their entire infrastructure and move to a virtualised environment while delivering business intelligence and next-generation Web experiences that can boost business results.

The products are enhanced keeping in mind the current trends and requirements found in enterprise applications, especially the need to address both data centre application and management. This is achieved by a set of tools that help both server configuration and management.

“Organisations can also streamline installation and management of Windows Server 2008 by installing just the required roles and features, while the customisation of the server configuration simplifies ongoing maintenance by minimising the surface area and reducing the need for software updates,” said S Somasegar, Senior Vice President, Microsoft India.

“Analysts have often pointed out that virtualisation can be of no use, if the management aspect of the data centres are not addressed properly,” added  Somasegar. He also pointed out that the server products are Microsoft’s response to the growing trend of virtualisation, given that just five per cent of data centres across the globe are built on virtualisation.

Accessing applications hosted in the main server at a centralised location has been done entirely within the Windows environment. Using Presentation Virtualisation technology, users will be able to present their authentication and access critical applications.

As for Windows Server 2008, Microsoft boasts it to be the most robust of server operating systems that has come out of the company. “Security, of course, comes above all these features,” said Pallavi Kathuria, Director, Server Business. “It also enables users to automate daily tasks and ensures availability.”