Performance Improvements in Windows Server 2003

Microsoft has improved the performance of Windows Server 2003 by enabling it to take advantage of recent hardware advances, redesigning the OS architecture, and enhancing common Windows services. These improvements could prove valuable to IT managers implementing cost-saving measures, such as consolidation, and help developers relieve performance bottlenecks in certain applications. However, taking advantage of some high-performance capabilities may require new hardware or force developers to rewrite or optimize applications.

The improved performance of Windows Server 2003 could encourage customers to update their systems from Windows NT 4.0 (NT 4) and Windows 2000 Server. Better performance benchmarks could also help Microsoft fend off defections to Linux and Unix-based systems as businesses contemplate upgrading from older versions of Windows or migrating from proprietary Unix-based platforms to Intel-based servers running Windows. However, some older Windows server applications may need to be rewritten to run on Windows Server 2003, which could complicate the picture for businesses and create resistance to Microsoft’s sales efforts.