December 2001

Below is an excerpt of a research report published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

C O N T E N T S:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Product Strategy for the Data Center
• Overview: How well the current Microsoft server product line provides the major capabilities demanded by the enterprise server market, including scalability, availability, management, integration, and security
• Pricing and Licensing Practices
• Overview: Microsoft has changed the way it prices and licenses server products to reflect traditional enterprise purchasing patterns and the practices of its enterprise data center competitors
• Selling and Supporting Solutions
• Overview: In an effort to make inroads into the enterprise datacenter, Microsoft is changing how server products are developed, sold, and supported
• Resources
• Overview: Additional sources of information about Microsoft products and services targeted at the enterprise datacenter