Microsoft Systems Architecture for the Enterprise Data Center Released

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 10, 2002 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has made available to customers the Microsoft® Systems Architecture for the Enterprise Data Center (MSA EDC), a solution that provides guidance for implementation of a proven IT infrastructure that delivers predictable scalability and high availability. Based on the Windows®
2000 Server platform and Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers, the solution provides pretested, fully documented guidance for planning, building and managing an enterprise data center configuration. The configuration comprises software and hardware — backed by essential services and support — that reliably delivers key enterprise IT services such as messaging, authentication, access control, database, file and print, and Web-access network connectivity.

“This guidance makes it easier for Windows Server enterprise customers to implement core data center services while minimizing the time, cost and risk generally associated with enterprise deployments,”
said Jim Hebert, general manager, Windows Server Product Management Group at Microsoft.
“We’re confident that it delivers exactly the kind of guidance and assurance customers have been asking for.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft and industry partners introduced several MSA configurations for critical information technology systems around the Internet data center. For this MSA configuration, Microsoft teamed with Avanade Inc., Brocade Communications Systems Inc., CommVault Systems Inc., HP, Hitachi Data Systems Corp., McDATA Corp., NetIQ Corp., Nortel Networks and Unisys Corp.

Customers benefit immensely from integrated systems architectures that have been built, tested and proven before they ever start their implementation.
“Clear Channel is a Fortune 500 communications company with more than 1,200 U.S. radio stations and 776,000 outdoor advertising displays,”
said Joe Shannon, CTO of Clear Channel Communications Inc.
“Building a distributed corporate communications system based on MSA EDC guidance centered in a main data center and including six regional data centers enabled us to consolidate 135 geographically scattered servers running Windows NT® 4 into more easily managed regional data centers and increase IT availability, reliability and scalability.”

“ServiceMaster needed to provide a centralized messaging solution for our eight independently owned service organizations throughout the United States as well as our corporate headquarters,”
said Scott McClure, director of Enterprise IT at ServiceMaster Co.
“Using the Enterprise Data Center architecture from Microsoft, we’ve been able to quickly deploy a consolidated message center in Memphis and merge our existing mail systems into a consolidated solution.”

The Enterprise Data Center infrastructure solution includes the Reference Architecture Kit, Prescriptive Architecture Kit, and Solution Services and Support Kit. It is available now at no charge from Microsoft’s TechNet Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/edc/

More information about the Microsoft Systems Architecture program is available on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/systemsarchitecture/.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies 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. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .

Related Posts