In response to customer and partner feedback, Microsoft Corp. is extending its branch office promotion to enterprises with a large number of remote branch sites. The Microsoft Branch Infrastructure Enterprise Solution promotion is a new promotional SKU for customers needing an enterprise-class solution for branch offices. Available Feb. 1, 2007, through Jan. 31, 2008, the promotion offers a discount of up to 43 percent on a package that combines Microsoft's leading Windows®-based server, security and management technologies (http://www.microsoft.com/branchoffice).
With this package, Microsoft delivers the branch features of Windows Server® 2003 R2 and extends them with additional security, wide area network (WAN) optimization, system management and server consolidation capabilities - mapping to Microsoft's Branch Office Infrastructure Solution (BOIS) implementation guidance. Specifically, this promotion offers the following products:
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server) 2006 Enterprise Edition
- Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 Enterprise Operations Management License (OML)
- Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 R2 Server Configuration Management License (CML)
- Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2
Microsoft will be working with its partners to offer this promotion to customers worldwide. The package enables Microsoft solution providers, integrators and value-added resellers to meet a critical customer need around branch office IT with a cost-effective, all-in-one solution.
"Microsoft is increasingly becoming the solution of choice for branch offices, and this promotion will make it easier and more affordable for customers to take advantage of the latest in Microsoft's remote infrastructure technology,"Â said Harry Zarek, president and chief executive officer of Compugen Inc., a leading IT infrastructure and life-cycle management consultancy and a Microsoft partner. "Promotions like this also help Compugen achieve our goal of providing innovative technology solutions and services to help customers leverage their investments, and we see the branch office and remote infrastructure as critical to our customers' success."Â
The promotion includes 10-pack licenses for each of the included products, enabling a cost-effective deployment of the Microsoft branch solution in 10 or more branch configurations. This promotion is designed for customers with a large number of remote site branch offices who therefore are in need of robust remote management capabilities as well as better scalability.
"We have listened to our customers in the branch office and have created this product offering so customers can extend their Microsoft branch office solution to new or additional branches worldwide and realize immediate cost savings and enhanced information worker productivity,"Â said Bala Kasiviswanathan, group product manager for Windows Server at Microsoft. "This package promotion is also part of Microsoft's long-term strategy to help customers easily integrate server, security and management technologies for a more secure and well-managed infrastructure."Â
As an additional benefit to any customer who purchases this Microsoft promotional package, Packeteer Inc. is offering a 30 percent discount on its iShared FlexInstall wide area file services (WAFS) software product. Packeteer is one of Microsoft's key partners serving the branch office segment. iShared FlexInstall installs easily onto Windows Server 2003 platforms, leveraging an existing Microsoft infrastructure and integrating easily with other Microsoft branch office solutions.
"We see this offer from Microsoft as a unique opportunity for both Microsoft and Packeteer customers to utilize these exceptionally robust and widely deployed WAFS and branch office software solutions," said Dave Côté, chief executive officer of Packeteer. "Microsoft is one of the world's branch office solutions leaders, and this branch office promotion puts its full offering of WAN optimization and branch services technology in reach of all distributed enterprises, no matter their size or budget."Â
Posted January 24th, 2007 by Nymphadora
