New Microsoft Solutions Framework Available To Help Organizations Develop, Deploy Distributed Computing Solutions

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 3, 1996 — Under its Microsoft® Service Advantage portfolio of service offerings, Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of a new, expanded version of the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) to help organizations develop and deploy successful distributed computing solutions using Microsoft products. MSF version 2.0 is a suite of models that shows enterprise customers how to plan, build and manage information technology solutions to achieve business value and help reduce the overall cost of ownership of distributed computing solutions.

Based on the best practices of Microsoft consultants, developers, technology partners and enterprise customers worldwide, MSF 2.0 helps organizations align business and technology objectives, deploy Microsoft products to streamline business processes, and reduce the life-cycle costs of new business solutions. The new version of the framework shows customers how to evolve information infrastructures effectively to take advantage of emerging technologies, such as Internet- and intranet-enabled applications. MSF 2.0 is a component of the comprehensive breadth of enterprise consulting and support services offered through Microsoft Service Advantage, including Technology Consulting Blueprints, Enterprise Program Manager and Premier support.

About MSF 2.0

With version 2.0, MSF expands to include Enterprise Architecture planning, a model that shows customers how to implement a technology infrastructure to achieve short-term results – such as improved internal communication and information sharing – that support longer-term strategic business goals. To improve manageability of enterprise infrastructure and applications, the Enterprise Architecture model provides guidelines for capacity planning, configuration management, system maintenance and upgrades.

In addition to the Enterprise Architecture Model, MSF 2.0 features the following models for helping enterprise customers plan, build and manage technology implementations:

  • Application Model. Helps customers with the technical design of applications for improved employee productivity, optimal performance and reusability across functional areas in the organization. The model shows customers how to build multitier applications built on user, business and data services. It focuses on the development of messaging and workflow applications, including those using Microsoft Exchange Server, as well as intranet and Internet applications.

  • Team Model. Helps customers structure teams to deliver solutions faster, better and more cost-effectively. The model provides guidelines for assigning the most appropriate resources to projects, taking advantage of specialized skills and identifying opportunities to streamline the development process.

  • Process Model. Helps customers manage IT projects more effectively by advising how to define critical project milestones and identify variables that affect scheduling, feature and trade-off decisions.

  • Solutions Design Model. Helps organizations design and implement infrastructure and application solutions from a business-user perspective to meet specific business objectives and end-user needs. The model shows customers how to align business goals and technical requirements and how to involve end users in the development cycle for increased usability and satisfaction with the solution.

Promus Hotel Corp., a large hotel franchise business, credits Microsoft Consulting Services and MSF 1.0 for enabling the company to achieve its ambitious goals for its new Hotel Management System (System 21).

“The focus of our business is to satisfy our customers 100 percent, and this defined the technical and business objectives of System 21,”
said Mike McConnell, director of hotel business systems at Promus Hotel Corp.
“Working with Microsoft Consulting Services and MSF, we were able to organize the development teams, balance priorities, create a usable feature set, get the most out of our investment in Microsoft technologies, and deliver System 21 on schedule. More important, System 21 directly supports our business mission and will be implemented in more than 1,000 of our hotel sites by 2000.”

“We will continue to focus MSF on the principles of helping customers design and deploy client/server technologies to achieve business advantage,”
said Kevin Johnson, general manager of enterprise services at Microsoft.
“MSF – along with our Technology Consulting Blueprints – also helps customers implement technology efficiently, which reduces the overall cost of ownership.”

MSF 2.0 Availability

Available immediately, Microsoft Solutions Framework 2.0 is delivered through facilitated training to enterprise customers by Microsoft Consulting Services and a worldwide network of Microsoft Solution Provider Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs). MSF 2.0 includes a CD-ROM with the MSF knowledge base of white papers, work examples, case studies and other reference tools. The CD-ROM is in HTML format to make it easy for customers to access using Microsoft Internet Explorer. A tour of the CD-ROM content areas is available at http://www.microsoft.com/msf/ . Pricing is available to customers through local Microsoft offices.

About Microsoft Service Advantage

Microsoft Service Advantage delivers the full range of services and support that large organizations need to successfully implement mission-critical systems built with Microsoft products. Microsoft Service Advantage combines direct services from Microsoft with those from established enterprise-service partners, providing a total solution that delivers real business advantage.

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