Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Is Available Worldwide Today

New Releases of Windows Server 2003, Visual Studio .NET 2003and Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-Bit) Enable Customers to "Do More With Less"

SAN FRANCISCO -- April 24, 2003 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the general availability of Windows Server (TM) 2003, an integrated server platform that enables customers to improve information technology (IT) efficiency, increase user productivity and build better performing applications faster than ever. With the Windows Server platform, customers can power Microsoft® .NET-connected applications, networks and Web services from the workgroup to the datacenter while deriving more value from their existing IT investments and lowering overall computing costs. Simultaneous with Windows Server 2003 availability, Microsoft also today announced Visual Studio® .NET 2003 and SQL Server (TM) 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit). This trio of products establishes a new standard in business value by providing an integrated, interoperable infrastructure that delivers the industry-leading performance, scalability and reliability required to support the budget demands of today's lean IT departments.

"As Microsoft's flagship server product, Windows Server 2003 delivers the performance and productivity business customers expect, while maximizing every dollar of their IT investment," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Windows Server 2003 with Visual Studio .NET 2003 and SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) is the cornerstone of Microsoft's enterprise strategy and lays the foundation for customers to implement integrated, cost-effective solutions that connect information, people, systems and devices."

Windows Server 2003 Enables Customers to Run Their Server Infrastructure 30 Percent More Efficiently Than Windows NT 4.0

IT administrators around the globe are challenged to build secure and manageable infrastructures, while reducing downtime and operational costs. Windows Server 2003 was designed to support the demands of today's businesses by delivering consistently high levels of reliability, scalability and manageability while consistently delivering breakthroughs in cost reduction and accelerated return on investment for customers. Even before general availability, Windows Server 2003 is being deployed by more than 50 enterprise customers in some of the most demanding business environments throughout the world. Results of early Windows Server 2003 deployments demonstrate that customers can run their server infrastructure up to 30 percent more efficiently than Windows NT® 4.0.

"The Kentucky Department of Education made a strategic decision to upgrade the entire statewide education IT infrastructure from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows Server 2003," said Chuck Austin, project manager, Kentucky Department of Education. "The significant improvements in security and manageability in Windows Server 2003 will allow us to centralize management and be more proactive in securing the infrastructure. As a result, we will be able to drive down costs and provide a better experience to the school districts we serve."

Improved IT efficiency and reduced operating costs are core principles for the development of the entire portfolio of Microsoft servers as well as for Windows Server 2003. Last week, Microsoft introduced a new brand, Windows Server System (TM) , which underscores Microsoft's long-term commitment to the Windows Server platform as the foundation for its overall server infrastructure strategy. This brand also reinforces Microsoft's ongoing commitment to reducing IT complexity and cost by delivering a comprehensive, integrated and interoperable server infrastructure with which customers can build, deploy, connect and operate agile business solutions.

Windows Server 2003 Delivers the Best Server Infrastructure for Enhancing Information Worker Productivity

Today's companies rely on computing technology to improve productivity across their businesses -- from the front-end knowledge worker who wants powerful tools that are easier to use to back-end administrators who require services that are quick to deploy and easy to manage. Windows Server 2003 provides a foundation that makes it easier to collaborate and share projects, leverage critical information from anywhere, and deliver through corporate intranets and the Internet richer, more-effective streaming media training and communication with Microsoft Windows Media® Services 9 Series.

"We are deploying Windows Server 2003 because we think it will provide tremendous business value to the Automation and Control Solutions divisions of Honeywell by providing our employees with flexible access to resources in our network," said Ramon Baez, chief information officer of ACS at Honeywell. "We are deploying Windows SharePoint (TM) Services to empower our employees to increase the range of ways to access the information they need to do their jobs."

Windows Server 2003 Scales From the Largest Enterprise to the Smallest Business

Designed to meet high-end enterprise workloads and levels of demand, Windows Server 2003 is the first Windows® server release to support Intel Itanium 64-bit systems. The combination of Windows Server 2003 64-bit edition and SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) edition has achieved world-record database performance results.

"JetBlue Airways uses Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition and SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) to power its network," said Jeff Cohen, chief information officer at JetBlue Airways. "IT infrastructure is a strategic asset for this company. We depend on the scalability and reliability of the Windows Server platform for vital operations such as the delivery of up-to-date electronic flight manuals for each and every flight that help us to meet FAA regulations and for our mission-critical maintenance and engineering system."

For small businesses with little or no IT staff, Windows Server 2003 offers increased simplicity and ease of use that enables these organizations to focus on managing business -- rather than technology.

"We are very excited to be upgrading our Windows NT 4.0 infrastructure to Windows Server 2003," said Eric Kestenblatt plant manager at Fleischer's Bagels. "It promises immediate value for our business -- lowering our IT costs while helping us improve operational efficiency by supporting new line-of-business applications on a system that is more reliable and flexible."

Windows Server 2003 Family

The Windows Server 2003 family includes the functionality customers expect from a mission-critical Windows server operating system, such as enhancements in security, reliability, availability, manageability and scalability.

• Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
• Windows Small Business Server 2003 (available in the third quarter of 2003)

Worldwide Availability

The Windows Server 2003 family of products was designed for customers worldwide. At launch, 13 language versions have been completed, with the remainder to become available over the next 30 to 45 days.

More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/.

For additional information about Visual Studio .NET 2003 and SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit), please see related press releases at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/Apr03/04-24VSLaunchPR.asp and http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/Apr03/04-2464BitSQLPR.asp.

About Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a comprehensive, integrated and secure infrastructure designed to help customers reduce costs and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of IT operations. Building on Windows 2000 family strengths, the new server platform helps customers extend existing resources while laying the foundation for building a new generation of connected applications that improve business productivity. Windows Server 2003 is the foundation for the Microsoft Windows Server System, an integrated server infrastructure for building, deploying and operating agile business solutions.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Windows Server, Visual Studio, Windows NT, Windows Media, Windows Server System, SharePoint and Windows and are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp

Windows Server 2003 by the Numbers: One of the Biggest Product Launches in Microsoft History

From the total number of developers on the project to the average number of donuts eaten at meetings, everything you'd ever want to know about the development and launch of Windows Server 2003.

REDMOND, Wash., April 23, 2003 — The launch of Windows Server 2003 marks one of the biggest product launches in Microsoft history. The goal for Windows Server 2003 was clear: create a comprehensive, integrated and secure technology infrastructure to help customers reduce costs and increase the efficiency of IT operations. But building software to accomplish this was, quite simply, the most ambitious and complicated programming effort ever at Microsoft. Here's a quick look at some of the facts and figures that led to the Windows Server 2003 launch.

The Final Product: Numbers Speak for Themselves

Though not yet released, preliminary testing from customers and industry groups have found that the numbers they're seeing imply that all that went into developing Windows Server 2003 has paid off.

Customer, Partner Input Drives Windows Server 2003 Development

Microsoft engaged the feedback from hundreds of customers, industry partners and of thousands of independent testers to help build the Windows Server 2003 family. Customer input has come from a variety of initiatives:

• Customer Preview Program, in which customers can order and evaluate an advance version of the product for a limited period;
• Rapid Adoption Program, which provides key development customers advance code to help them plan, design, and implement support for Windows Server 2003 prior to the launch date;
• Joint Development Program, which provides OEMs and software manufacturers access to production code before launch.

Customer and Partner Fast Facts:

• How many copies of Windows Server 2003 preview code have been distributed?
  More than 1 million customers have received the Windows Server 2003 preview code, the highest level of distribution for any server in the history of Microsoft.
• How many customers are in the process of deploying Windows Server 2003?
  Worldwide, at the time of launch more than 300 companies already have deployed Windows Server 2003 into their production environment.
• What is the number of servers deployed?
  Approximately 10,000 on pre-RTM code, into production.
• How many Windows Server 2003 applications will be available at launch?
  220
• How many will be Microsoft certified within 90 days?
  50
• How many are estimated to be available six months after launch?
  2,500
• How many customers are taking part in the Joint Development Program (JDP)?
  Currently there are 61 customers in the Windows Server 2003 Joint Development Program.
• How many individuals have been trained and will be available to support Windows Server 2003?
  By launch, 86,400 individuals worldwide will be trained to deploy and support Windows Server 2003. By 90 days after launch, that number will reach nearly 110,000 individuals worldwide

Customer Feedback from the Lab: The Enterprise Engineering Center

The Enterprise Engineering Center (EEC) is a new set of lab facilities in which Microsoft replicates real-world IT environments to test Microsoft products such as Windows Server 2003. Customers are able to validate their planned upgrades, migrations and deployments and test for compatibility and "deployment blockers," which enables Microsoft to improve the quality of its software before it is released.

"We want to make sure that our products are deployable from day one," says George Santino, Product Unit Manager, EEC. "Customers shouldn't have to wait until the release of Service Packs to realize the benefits of Microsoft products. With a facility like the EEC, we can address deployment issues before we ship the product so that customers can receive an immediate return on their IT investment."

• What was the first major product to undergo testing at the EEC?
  Windows Server 2003 was the first primary product to move through customer testing at the EEC.
• How many customers tested Windows Server 2003 in the EEC?
  The EEC hosted 47 customer engagements involving Windows Server 2003.
• What benefit does testing in the EEC provide to customers?
  Testing in the EEC is very efficient and customers are able to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. Customers are able to deeply and directly impact the quality and functionality of our software under development. Customers reported that testing at EEC lab accelerated their deployments 100 percent of the time by an average of 9.2 months.
• How many changes to Windows Server 2003 resulted from EEC testing?
  Microsoft made an average of 15 design change requests per EEC customer engagement, or nearly 650 design changes total from EEC-derived input.
• What percent of customers indicated that they would use the EEC for product testing in the future?
  100 percent. Several have already been back for additional visits.

The Largest Software Development Project in Microsoft History

Todd Wanke, project manager for Windows Server, was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day development of Windows Server 2003. "My job was to make sure that, day after day, everyone on the development and testing teams was working toward the same quality milestones," says Wanke. "Quality was our primary concern. We weren't afraid to let the product release date slip if that's what we needed to do for quality."

• How many people were involved in the development of Windows Server 2003?
  More than 5,000 developers worked over three years to produce the Windows Server 2003 code base. Over 2,500 testers ran assessments and testing. In total, nearly 10,000 people were involved in the project from start to finish
• How many technology advances are built into Windows Server 2003?
  The new server platform represents 650 technology advances and enhancements
• How many developer resources were put towards security?
  As part of the Trustworthy Computing initiative, Microsoft spent more than $200 million training more than 13,000 Windows Division employees on security-focused development techniques and new engineering process, resulting in a line-by-line security review of Windows Server 2003.

The Daily Grind: the "War Room" Meetings

An important institution for the Windows Server 2003 development team was the "War Room," where key development, testing and management team members met to discuss issues, settle disputes and "triage" bugs - work to fix bugs identified through testing or through employee's voluntary use of the day's "build," the daily release of the most recent code base.

As overseen by Todd Wanke, the War Room was also where key decisions were made regarding what features would be shipped in Windows Server 2003, and which would be postponed till later versions. Although War Room meetings were based on camaraderie and a format of open discussion, passions often ran high. Andrew Cushman, group manager for Internet Information Services (IIS), was a frequent War Room attendee. He recalls one War Room meeting attended by visiting Microsoft employees from the company's European offices.

"Our European colleagues were astonished by the intensity of the meeting and the authority delegated to teams' War Room representatives" says Cushman. "People were very passionate about decisions made in the War Room because they understood the impact their decisions would have on thousands and millions of customers around the world."

• How often did War Room meetings take place?
  The War Room met at least every day, including Saturdays and Sundays leading up to key milestones and deadlines. The War Room record was four meetings in one day. As workloads picked up and War Team meetings were held daily, team members were allowed to bring their partners and kids to the weekend meetings.
• When were builds released?
  A new build was released every day at 6 pm.
• How many people met in the War Room?
  A core group of 30 managers met each meeting, although as many as 100 people attended some meetings.
• How many people received Todd Wanke's daily e-mail report on the progress of Windows Server 2003?
  Wanke's daily email had 22,000 people on the To: line.
• How many Krispy Kreme doughnuts were consumed on average at a War Room meeting?
  Five dozen.
• The IIS 6.0 team celebrated how many births during the three-year development process of Windows Server 2003?
  A total of 20 births: 18 children and two grandchildren.
• What was the IIS 6.0 team's Xbox game of choice for Friday night tournaments?
  Halo.

Ending with a Bang: The Largest Microsoft Server Product Launch

A project that takes three years 7,500 developers and testers and tens of million of lines of code to complete deserves a party when all is said and done. The launch of Windows Server 2003 will fittingly be the largest server launch event in the history of Microsoft.

• Approximately 2,500 attendees are expected at the main San Francisco launch event.
• 173 other launch events will take place in 61 subsidiaries worldwide. An estimated 93,000 attendees will be present at U.S. events, with an estimated total of 168,000 attendees worldwide.