Microsoft Gulf launched a suite of next-generation technology offerings including its much awaited virtualisation solutions – Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008.

With the new offerings, Microsoft expects to transform the local technology landscape as organisations in the UAE get set to adopt the latest technology solutions and get virtual.

The company also showcased the next version of its data platform, the SQL Server 2008 and the feature rich browser plug-in, Silverlight 2.0.

According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Server Virtualisation Tracker, Microsoft Hyper-V is growing rapidly and has a market share of 23 per cent of new shipments when combined with Virtual Server 2005.

With nearly 1.5 million copies of the Hyper-V pre-release version distributed globally, customer interest in virtualisation is moving from evaluation to the deployment phase.

As a feature of Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V is available as a free web download and is designed to provide customers with familiar and cost-effective virtualisation infrastructure software that can help reduce operating costs, increase hardware utilisation and optimise infrastructure.

“Now is the time for customers to get virtual,” said Ahmer Hassan, server and tools, business group lead, Microsoft Gulf.

The company also showcased Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Silverlight 2.0. SQL Server 2008 provides powerful new capabilities for business-critical applications and is a key component of the Microsoft Application Platform that is designed to help customers build, run and manage dynamic business applications.

According to a September 2008 report conducted by Forrester Research, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 already has the strongest combination of price, performance, manageability, security and productivity.

The latest version offers hundreds of new features that boost the productivity of database administrators, improve support and enhance security.

Silverlight 2.0 is the industry’s most comprehensive and powerful solution for the creation and delivery of applications and media experiences through a Web browser, said a statement.-TradeArabia News Service