Enterprise Software Roadmap

The the ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE ROADMAP [past report in its entirety] provides estimated release dates for future products, release histories for past versions, product overviews and new feature summaries, code names, support deadlines, retirement dates, and product dependencies for 100+ versions of MS enterprise software products, including:

• Windows client OSs (e.g., NT4, Windows XP, Vista)
• Windows server OSs (e.g., NT4, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Longhorn Server)
• Windows Server Feature Packs (e.g., Windows Update Service)
• SQL Server database and business intelligence platform (e.g., Analysis, Reporting, and Notification Services)
• Visual Studio Developer tools and .NET Framework
• Web Site and Portal Management products (e.g., SharePoint Portal Server and Commerce Server)
• Application Integration products (e.g., BizTalk and Host Integration Server)
• Business Apps (e.g., Office suite, Visio, OneNote, and Project)
• Communications and collaboration (e.g., Outlook, Exchange Server, and Live Communications Server)
• Business Intelligence and Self-Service Applications (e.g., Business Scorecard Manager and PerformancePoint Server 2007)
• Virtualization technologies (e.g., Virtual Server, Virtual PC, and Softricity)
• Systems Management (e.g., SMS, Operations Manager, System Center, Application Center)
• Security (e.g., ForeFront unified malware scanning and Antigen antivirus)
• Network Interoperability (e.g., Internet Security and Acceleration Server, Identity Integration Server, and Services for Unix)

Developer Platform Roadmap

The latest version of the DEVELOPER PLATFORM ROADMAP reviews future releases, retirements, and migration paths for key Microsoft developer technologies—both developer tools and APIs—that are likely to be used by corporate developers and ISVs, including:

• Visual Basic (VB) and its associated APIs and tools
• The Office development platforms used to build smart client applications
• ASP.NET and other Web application components
• Visual C++ and other tools and APIs used by ISVs.

Microsoft Business Solutions Roadmap

The latest version of the MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ROADMAP summarizes current and planned versions of the main products produced by the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) division. The Roadmap provides a single reference for MBS customers and partners, providing answers to questions such as:

• What are the main functions and target markets of the Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) product lines from MBS?
• What other products does MBS ship and what do they do?
• Which of these products work together and how?
• How do these products work with traditional MS products, such as Office and SQL Server?
• What are the release plans for these groups of products over the next several years?
• What is the status of Microsoft's plan to converge on a single ERP product?

Updates to the Developer Platform and Enterprise Software Roadmaps

We continually update our roadmaps, publishing the most recent changes as part of our weekly UPDATE news & analysis. These changes appear in the subsequent edition of our roadmap reports. The following roadmap-related articles recently appeared in UPDATE:

Free Systems Management Product Roadmap (May 26, 2008)

Updates to System Center management products will support Windows Server 2008, cross-platform management, and virtualization

Free Management, Security Products Need Updates for New OS (Mar. 24, 2008)

Windows Server 2008 has been released, but several System Center server management and Forefront server security products will gain compatibility only later in 2008

No Course Change for Dynamics Line (Mar. 24, 2008)

Microsoft will update each of its Dynamics ERP products and Dynamics CRM by 2010, but opted out of discussing product consolidation at Convergence 2008

Visio Roadmap Leads to Web (Feb. 18, 2008)

The next version of Visio will include a user interface similar to that of Office 2007 and will support Web publication of diagrams, according to plans outlined at Microsoft's 2008 Visio Conference

Duet Roadmap Tweaked Again (Nov. 19, 2007)

Plans for a second major version of Duet in 2008 have been canceled, which will delay several interesting features but should help Microsoft and SAP ship Duet 3.0 on time

Messaging, Workflow Roadmap Announced (Nov. 5, 2007)

A project code-named Oslo will deliver updated messaging and workflow technologies in the next version of BizTalk Server and other products starting in 2009

Free Windows Server, Service Packs Due in 2008 (Sep. 17, 2007)

Windows Server 2008 and the first Vista service pack will emerge in early 2008, and Microsoft has updated other scheduling information for Windows as well

Commerce Server Updates Planned (Aug. 20, 2007)

Planned enhancements to Commerce Server 2007 could fast-track development of new e-commerce Web sites ahead of a new release of the product planned for 2010

'Stirling' to Unify Forefront Family (Jul. 16, 2007)

'Stirling' should unify Microsoft's Forefront family of security products for the enterprise, but integration may take longer than planned

End of 32-Bit Windows Servers in Sight (Jun. 4, 2007)

Windows Server 2008's successors will be 64-bit only, but the future of the client OS and Itanium support remains unclear

Free System Center Product Roadmap (May 7, 2007)

The first round of System Center management products designed specifically for Microsoft's Dynamic Systems Initiative will ship during 2007 and into 2008

Dynamics Consolidation Plans Intact (Apr. 23, 2007)

Plans remain intact to update and support Microsoft's four enterprise resource planning products for several years before converging them into a single product, but new leadership could change course

Identity Management Roadmap Redrawn (Feb. 12, 2007)

An Identity Lifecycle Manager product planned for mid-2007 will merge Microsoft's primary identity management product, Identity Integration Server, with digital certificate management technology acquired from Alacris

New Roadmap for Duet (Dec. 18, 2006)

A reworked roadmap for Microsoft-SAP integration software includes an incremental release in 2007; existing Duet 1.5 applications will be easier to customize, but partners still cannot create new applications

Windows XP Embedded Roadmap (Nov. 20, 2006)

Windows XP Embedded has been updated to reduce its footprint and allow quicker OS builds, and Microsoft has revealed some future product plans

Unified Communications Roadmap (Oct. 2, 2006)

Components of Microsoft's unified communications platform (the company's name for its converging platform for e-mail, instant messaging, voice, and video) will get major updates in the first half of 2007

Management Model Roadmap (Sep. 18, 2006)

A multivendor systems management technology called the Service Modeling Language (SML) could play a central role in Microsoft's efforts to improve configuration and monitoring of its products

Free Systems Management Server Roadmap (Apr. 3, 2006)

In an unusual move, Microsoft has simultaneously released betas of the next two versions of Systems Management Server, but many customers may prefer to wait for the later release unless they have Software Assurance

Free More Editions in Windows Vista (Mar. 20, 2006)

Five main editions of Windows Vista with installation options for 32- and 64-bit processors will target consumers and businesses

Changes to Server Virtualization Roadmap (Dec. 5, 2005)

Virtual Server will get one more stand-alone release in 2006, then virtualization technology will become a core feature of Windows

Management Product Roadmap Expanding (May 23, 2005)

Although details about the Dynamic Systems Initiative are still hazy, 2005 brings many new or updated management products and technologies to Microsoft's arsenal

Business Solutions: ERP Support, CRM, and Retail Roadmap (May 23, 2005)

Although some planned releases have been delayed or scrapped, Microsoft will update each of the products that complement the MBS ERP portfolio at least once before the end of 2006

Free Roadmap to Longhorn Clarified (May 9, 2005)

Even after the release of a major service pack and Windows client and server editions for x64 processors, the Windows team still faces a crowded development roadmap

Business Solutions ERP Roadmap 2005 (Apr. 18, 2005)

Incremental releases through 2007 will drive consistency across Microsoft’s four enterprise resource planning (ERP) product lines; longer -term, the company has hinted that consolidation of its ERP lines remains a goal

Free Support Life Cycle Extended for NT, Exchange 5.5 (Apr. 11, 2005)

By adding a 'custom support' option to its product life cycle, Microsoft adds years to the life of older products, such as Windows NT 4.0 and Exchange 5.5

IM, VoIP, Conferencing Roadmap Unveiled (Mar. 21, 2005)

The first half of 2005 will yield a slew of new releases from Microsoft’s Real Time Collaboration group, including support for public IM networks and a further step into voice

BizTalk Roadmap, Service Pack Released (Mar. 7, 2005)

BizTalk’s future includes an incremental release in 2006 and another release following Longhorn Server; the company has also shipped SP1 for BizTalk 2004

Free Unified Messaging on Exchange Roadmap (Feb. 7, 2005)

The Exchange Server roadmap includes a service pack with new and improved features for 2005, and a new release for 2006 that will include native support for voice mail and faxing

Windows Server Roadmap Clarified (Nov. 22, 2004)

Cooperation with Cisco on network protection technologies and the need to maintain the Windows Server release cycle is causing Microsoft to tweak the feature sets of upcoming releases

Free Tools for Longhorn and WinFX Face Schedule Crunch (Oct. 4, 2004)

Developers who want an early start will have to target WinFX and Longhorn using Visual Studio 2005, although it lacks some of the tools that would make development easier for corporate developers

Longhorn Components on Windows Roadmap (Sep. 6, 2004)

The next Windows desktop OS, code-named Longhorn, is significantly scaled back, and Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 will get graphics features and APIs originally planned for Longhorn

Free Business Solutions Roadmap 2004 Updated (Aug. 23, 2004)

Many product and feature enhancements planned for Microsoft Business Solution’s product line in 2004 have been delivered; however, some have been postponed or cancelled

ISVs Are Major Focus of Visual C++ Roadmap (Aug. 23, 2004)

Visual C++ 2005, currently in beta, highlights two major themes of the product roadmap: making C++ better for developing .NET applications while simultaneously increasing support for ANSI C++ standards

Free No Standalone Updates on IE Roadmap (Jul. 19, 2004)

Customers will have to install Windows XP Service Pack 2 to get the strongest possible Internet Explorer security; the next new version of the browser will come with 'Longhorn'

Components Added to Exchange Roadmap (Jun. 14, 2004)

The Exchange messaging and collaboration server will be sold in more specialized editions for tasks such as spam filtering; major technical changes are unlikely through 2008