Joint Launch date for Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008

Microsoft recently announced that Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008 would be launched together on February 27, 2007. While not all of these products will be released on the exact same day during Q2 CY2008, we want to clearly communicate with our customers and partners that their greatest value is as integrated, complementary solutions. We recommend that customers and partners think about, and ultimately implement, this next wave of innovation holistically.

During the next year, we will deliver a set of products that will provide a reliable enterprise platform with enhanced security features. This platform will serve as the foundation for the next generation of Web-based service applications, and broadly support virtualization and business intelligence. During this launch wave, we will also deliver products to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses, or to address specific workloads, such as storage and high-performance computing. The combined capabilities and benefits Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008 present the greatest opportunity for enterprise customers, as well as the partners that serve them.