REDMOND, Wash., March 14, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it estimates that customers have obtained more than 1 million copies of the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server operating systems since the worldwide launch less than one month ago. This milestone includes estimates from channel resellers, retail outlets and PC manufacturers; Microsoft has yet to count its largest customers around the world that have acquired licenses through enterprise agreements. In addition, Microsoft Customer Support is receiving the lowest volume of calls per unit licensed of any previous Microsoft operating system, indicating that customers are having an extremely positive experience upgrading to Windows 2000.
“We are thrilled with the tremendous customer response to the Windows 2000 platform,”
said Steve Ballmer, CEO and president of Microsoft.
“Reaching 1 million units so quickly is testimony to the high quality and reliability of Windows 2000. This is a product that was built from the ground up with the help and support of customers and industry partners. It’s great to see them thoroughly evaluating the platform in their environments and deploying it throughout their organizations today.”
“We have been pleased with the successful launch of this new Windows NT® platform,”
said Larry Mondry, executive vice president of merchandising for CompUSA Inc.
“Many of our customers are early adopters and technology enthusiasts, and they gave Windows 2000 an eager reception.”
“With the increased reliability of Windows 2000, we felt confident deploying this product in our production environment,”
said Don Bow, director of operations at Apartment Investment and Management Co. (AIMCO).
“By incorporating a deployment tool such as Systems Management Server 2.0 with our migration to Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server, we were able to exceed our goal of deploying 1,000 seats before the launch of Windows 2000.”
“It’s very exciting to see Windows 2000 get off to such a tremendous start. Customers are eager to take advantage of the expanded functionality,”
said Greg Zeman, president of CDW Computer Centers.
“As a company that provides computing solutions for businesses, we were very excited to see Windows 2000 arrive, and our customers have been very satisfied with the quality of the experience they receive both from CDW and Windows 2000.”
Windows 2000 is an ideal platform for the next generation of business computing and addresses the full range of customers’ computing needs, from laptops and desktops to high-end, clustered servers. The operating system helps organizations Internet-enable their businesses with a reliable, manageable infrastructure that is optimized for existing and emerging hardware.
Support Calls Remain Low
Microsoft has received an extremely low number of customer support calls for Windows 2000, considering that more than 1 million copies of the product have been acquired. The volume of support calls per unit sold is significantly lower than for any other operating system Microsoft has produced. The low number of support calls reflects the overall quality of Windows 2000 as well as the fact that the appropriate customers are obtaining this product, namely businesses that have taken the time to pilot and test Windows 2000. Microsoft is actively monitoring customer feedback and is committed to ensuring that customers have the best PC and server experience possible.
In an effort to ensure that customers receive the support they need, Microsoft Customer Support is continually updating Product Support Services online at http://support.microsoft.com/directory/ to provide users with the latest support information and service via the Web. In addition, Microsoft’s highly trained staff of support engineers continues to provide responsive telephone support for any customers requiring individual assistance.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
