Microsoft expects steep adoption for Server 2008

Dubai: Microsoft has wrapped up a regional roadshow aimed at promoting its latest operating system for servers, Windows Server 2008.

Eric Rudder, Microsoft's senior vice-president for technical strategy, said he did not expect to see a low rate of adoption similar to the initial release of Microsoft's Vista Operating System, which was released in January 2007.

"We expect the early adoption rate to be very steep," Rudder said, citing the region's general lack of older technology, often called legacy infrastructure, which can hamper the installation of newer technology.

He said the lack of a need to invest heavily in physical infrastructure and the option to purchase Windows 2008 incrementally would help drive the software's adoption.

Rudder added that security, which was one of the main concerns voiced by IT professional about Vista, would not hamper the adoption of Server 2008.

"Some of the newer technology can even reduce risks," he said.

Strong hopes

Microsoft not only expects to sell the software to new companies purchasing servers in the region but expects to gain market share from existing competitors, Rudder said.

"I'm pretty optimistic that we can beat Oracle and SAP," he said. Oracle and SAP are two of Microsoft's biggest competitors in server software in the region.

Windows Server 2008, along with Visual Studio and SQL Server 2008, was released last month. To promote the new software, Microsoft held a six-city roadshow in the Middle East that concluded in Dubai on Thursday. The show included several earlier adopters of the new software, including Bahraini telecommunications company Batelco, the UAE's Higher Colleges of Technology, Oman Mobile and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

Several technology companies, including Intel and HP, also joined the roadshow to help promote Server 2008.

Samer Karawi, HP's marketing director in the Middle East, said partnering with Microsoft in promoting Windows Server 2008 was "absolutely key".

"Microsoft has over 70 per cent server share, and servers are our bread and butter," he said. "There is a lot of money going into common research and development. When Microsoft makes an application for a server, we need it to work on our server."