BizTalk Server 2002 Focuses on Deployment and Management

BizTalk Server 2002, in concert with two other Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server products—Application Center and Operations Manager—makes application integration easier. Gains come in areas such as deployment, application monitoring, and development of .NET-based XML Web Services.

BizTalk Server helps organizations make their internal applications work together and integrate their internal applications with those of their partners. (For more information on application integration, see the sidebar “Why BizTalk Server Is Necessary“.) It integrates applications by acting as a specialized hub that connects disparate applications and passing messages among the applications. (For more details on how BizTalk Server works, see the illustration “BizTalk Server’s Architecture“.)

Improving BizTalk Deployment

BizTalk Server 2002 facilitates two specific deployment scenarios: first, administrators can use Application Center to manage clustered “farms” of BizTalk Servers within an organization; and second, it provides the SEED Wizard to make interorganization deployment easier. SEED is an acronym for Super Efficient and Effective Deployment, but it may be better to think of it simply as a way to “seed” deployment information.