REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 1, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a new solution for midsize organizations with limited IT resources that are looking to efficiently deploy and manage server and desktop technology. Microsoft and its participating original equipment manufacturer (OEM) channel partners will offer customers a new software license, Microsoft System Center Essentials Management Suite, that includes Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008. The suite includes a technology upgrade program in the OEM channel, which ensures that customers who purchase the suite will have rights to Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010 when it is released next year.
Midsize organizations, which typically have 50 to 249 computers and five to 30 servers, often have no more than four IT generalists who perform a broad range of tasks on any given day. According to an AMI-Partners survey,* only 34 percent of medium-sized businesses with servers are using network management applications. These organizations are looking for a set of familiar tools that can help them reduce technology costs, improve availability and increase service quality while being within reach of customers’ limited IT resources.
“We’re helping midsize organizations optimize IT productivity and manage desktops and servers through a single management console,” said Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the Management and Services Division at Microsoft. “We’re partnering with Fujitsu, Lenovo and other OEMs so customers can work with familiar and proven solution providers. Together we’re delivering a solution that has been built and packaged to address the needs of these customers. An easy-to-use, integrated solution that helps reduce IT costs, and streamline control of physical and virtual desktops and servers.”
Microsoft partners Fujitsu Technology Solutions and Lenovo intend to offer a technology upgrade program for midsize organizations that acquire the System Center Essentials Management Suite between today and the final release of System Center Essentials 2010. The license also will allow customers to acquire System Center Essentials 2010 without repurchase of the product or purchase of new hardware.
In addition, Microsoft is making a promotion available Oct. 1 via Microsoft’s volume licensing channel, so that midsize organizations have upgrade rights to Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010. The promotion includes Software Assurance and discounted licenses for Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Workgroup Edition. The promotion available through Microsoft volume licensing channel and the Suite available through the OEM channel partners provide midsize organizations seamless management of physical and virtual environments in a single console.
The final release of System Center Essentials 2010 is scheduled for the second quarter of 2010. System Center Essentials 2010 will include functionality of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager combined with System Center Essentials 2007 helps enable increased physical server utilization, live migration of virtual machines between servers, software distribution and update management to servers and clients, inventory management, and centralized management of physical and virtual machines.
More information on how to begin cutting costs using virtualization, including customer case studies, can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization. Microsoft product and solution experts at VMworld 2009 can be followed via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/virtualization or by monitoring the hash tag #MS_Virt.
Partners Voice Support for Microsoft Virtualization and Systems Management
“Many midsize organizations want to standardize IT assets and operations while setting a course for future growth. Microsoft’s server and management solutions integrated with Fujitsu ServerView Suite and running on Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers offer customers an ideally matched and reliable infrastructure that increases their operational efficiency.”
Jens-Peter Seick
Senior Vice President, x86 Server Product Unit
Fujitsu Technology Solutions
“Lenovo ThinkServers, running Microsoft’s server virtualization and management suite, offer customers an ideal platform that can help them be more efficient, lower operational costs and optimize power consumption. Now customers will have a turnkey solution that allows for scalability in their business as well as one touch point to easily manage their physical and virtual IT systems.”
Tom Tobul
Executive Director, Enterprise Systems, Software and Peripherals
Lenovo
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Source: AMI-Partners 2008–09: U.S. Medium Business Market Overview
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