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Following on the naming of its Windows 8 client editions, Microsoft has now officially named the next version of the server edition of Windows: Windows Server 2012.
At the Microsoft Management Summit 2012 (MMS) in Las Vegas on April 17, Microsoft corporate vice president Brad Anderson talked about how Microsofts private cloud offering will become even more powerful with Windows Server 8 and announced that the operating system will officially be named Windows Server 2012. The new cloud-optimized OS is due out later this year, Microsoft said.
In a keynote at the event, Anderson spoke to nearly 5,000 IT professionals about their opportunity to deliver fast, reliable services with cloud computing. His keynote speech highlighted how customers around the world are already using Microsoft System Center 2012, which Microsoft made generally available April 17 for evaluation and purchase to create private clouds. Anderson also discussed how IT professionals can evolve their roles with cloud computing to help their businesses be more competitive.
Cloud computing gives IT professionals an opportunity to increase their strategic value to their businesses while building new skills, Anderson said in a statement. Microsofts private cloud solutions help IT professionals become cloud innovators for their companies, managing and delivering the applications people need to be productive across private, hybrid and public clouds.
On April 16, Microsoft announced that it would be delivering three primary versions of Windows 8 client for customers: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT. Windows 8 is the official product name for the next x86/64 editions of Windows. Windows 8 Pro is designed to help tech enthusiasts and business/technical professionals obtain a broader set of Windows 8 technologies. It includes all the features in Windows 8 plus features for encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity. Windows RT is the newest member of the Windows familywhich is also known as Windows on ARM, or WOA. Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. For new apps, the focus for Windows RT is development on the new Windows runtime, or WinRT.
Microsoft also said it would provide a fourth edition of Windows 8 for the client, Windows 8 Enterprise. Windows 8 Enterprise includes all the features of Windows 8 Pro plus features for IT organizations that enable PC management and deployment, advanced security, virtualization, new mobility scenarios and more.
Meanwhile, at MMS, Microsofts Anderson said IT organizations that use System Center 2012 and Windows Server with Hyper-V for cloud computing are helping their companies move faster, save money and compete better. For example, EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services, a luxury car service headquartered in New Jersey, has used a Microsoft private cloud to reduce data center costs by 50 percent, amid 30 percent company growth during the past 18 months. With more than 1,000 employees, EmpireCLS relies on the Microsoft private cloud to deliver a reliable reservation system to customers in more than 700 cities around the world. Using System Center 2012, EmpireCLS also used its cloud environment to create a new business with its BeTransported software as a service (SaaS) offering. The application is now in use broadly within the car service industry.
Similarly, The Walsh Group, a construction firm based in Chicago, switched to a Microsoft private cloud to automate delivery of virtualized servers and applications for 5,000 employees. In addition to business efficiencies, the company has been able to reduce hardware and energy costs 20 percent.
With Microsoft, we are moving beyond virtualization to cloud computing, so we can automate and manage our IT environment as a whole, Patrick Wirtz, manager of Technology Innovation at The Walsh Group, said in a statement. Its all about giving our engineers, tradespeople and software developers the computing resources they need to build roadways, bridges and high-rises.
In another case, Apartments.com, a national online apartment search service in Chicago, needed a more dynamic and responsive IT infrastructure to stay competitive in the market and deliver faster service to its 6 million site visitors each month. With Microsofts private cloud, the company realized 50 percent faster server provisioning for new services and 75 percent lower licensing costs.