BizTalk 2006 Ships with Adapters, Host Integration

BizTalk Server 2006 will cost slightly more than its predecessor, and a low-cost version for smaller businesses has been eliminated. BizTalk Server is Microsoft’s server product for enterprise application integration, business-to-business electronic commerce, and other tasks that involve integrating disparate applications and users into a larger business process. New features in BizTalk Server 2006 could simplify solution deployment and management, and some important bundled features could also speed integration projects involving the most common types of enterprise applications and mainframes.

New Features Aid Deployment and Monitoring

BizTalk Server 2006, which was released to manufacturing in Apr. 2006, is the latest version of Microsoft’s server product for enterprise application integration (EAI) scenarios, such as connecting a company’s warehouse and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems; business-to-business e-commerce, such as issuing and receiving purchase orders between business partners; management of business processes, such as purchasing approval; and customer relationship management (CRM) that involves both people and applications.