Keynotes on day two of the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) included major announcements about Windows Server 2012 and Windows Phone 8.
By Rich Freeman
Presentations on day two of the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference made clear that the next 12 months will be about more than just client technologies like Windows 8 for Microsoft and its partners.
In the first of several morning keynotes, Satya Nadella, president of Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, announced that Windows Server 2012, the newest version of Microsoft’s server oprating system, will be released to market in August and reach general availability in September, roughly in sync with the release schedule for Windows 8.
“It’s a huge milestone for us,” said Nadella, who went on to describe Windows Server 2012 as a product that will “redefine” performance and scale for Microsoft customers. In an onstage demonstration, Nadella showed that Windows Server 2012 can transact over one million input/output operations per second, enough to copy a 10 GB file in about 10 seconds. “This kind of performance is unheard of,” he stated. “It makes Server 2012 a no-brainer for cloud storage.”
Nadella also positioned Windows Server 2012 as a solid foundation for linking private and public clouds, thanks to its native integration with Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform-as-a-service solution. That offering is coming off of a “breakthrough year,” according to Nadella. “We’re at a fantastic growth rate for Azure,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, Kirill Tatarinov, president of Microsoft’s Business Solutions Division had similarly enthusiastic things to say about Microsoft’s Dynamics portfolio of on-premise and cloud-based ERP and CRM applications.
“We’re taking share from incumbents and we’re rapidly gaining traction,” he said.
For their part, audience members displayed greater enthusiasm for Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Phone 8 operating system during a presentation that drew multiple rounds of applause. The new OS shares a common core with Windows 8, so it will offer users many of the same features, including Microsoft’s BitLocker drive encryption technology.
“It’s the best of what Windows Phone already is made even better,” said Charles Thomas Gruhler, corporate vice president in charge of Windows Phone marketing.
Gruhler also showed off Windows Phone 8’s enhanced interface, which gives users greater ability to resize, relocate, and customize tiles on their home page, and its tighter integration with Microsoft’s Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync applications for email, collaboration, and communications. “Windows Phone 8 is business-ready,” he said.
Gruhler acknowledged that awareness of the Windows Phone platform remains weak at present. “Smartphone users today don’t know about Windows Phone,” he observed, adding that Microsoft will soon begin spending heavily on advertising aimed at rectifying that fact. “We are truly committed to building consumer demand,” Gruhler said. That undoubtedly came as welcome news to partners who use and like Windows Phone themselves, but complain that convincing clients to try the young platform can be difficult. †
