Enterprise and retail Web sites are the target of a new Microsoft Solution Offering (MSO) that bundles several .NET Enterprise Servers, deployment documentation and training, and ongoing support. The Microsoft Solution for Internet Business (MSIB) provides content management, personalization, integration with business processes (such as ordering and fulfillment), and other features, and enables systems integrators or organizations to rapidly deploy a working solution.

MSIB is available in two forms:

The basic MSIB solution supports Web sites that want to provide personal profiles, customization, and content management. The base solution consists of Windows 2000, SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition for storing data and analyzing results, Commerce Server 2000 for customization functions, Content Management Server 2001 for creating and managing content, and Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000, a firewall and caching solution. Other options include advanced Web site search from third parties and Application Center 2000 for management of sites clustered on multiple servers.

The MSIB Retail Extension includes the base solution and supports Web sites with more advanced transaction and e-commerce capabilities, such as catalog publishing and transaction processing. It also adds BizTalk Server 2000 Enterprise Edition, which helps the site exchange data with business partners through Web services and to integrate its Web site with internal applications and processes.

MSIB includes a prescriptive architecture guide and other deployment and operational documentation. Customers can also engage the assistance of consultants at a Microsoft Technology Center to get hands-on guidance in deploying their solution. A special support package for MSIB includes ongoing consulting, incident support, technical workshops, and other services. More information about MSIB, including a list of partners ready to deploy or enhance MSIB, is available at www.microsoft.com/solutions/MSIB/. For details of Microsoft’s MSO strategy, see "Integrated Solutions Push Server Software Sales" on page 10 of the Jan. 2002 Update.