NEW ORLEANS - Microsoft this week will continue its campaign to demystify the company's .Net and Web services efforts at the annual Tech Ed conference in New Orleans.
The company will officially launch Commerce Server 2002, a .Net server and accompanying tool kit for building, deploying and managing e-commerce storefronts. This new version of the server includes new catalog features and is closely integrated with Microsoft's Visual Studio.Net. Microsoft is working to align the stable of 12 .Net servers, which includes Windows 2000, with its Visual Studio.Net development tools.
Microsoft's .Net Web services platform is a means of delivering software as a service instead of in shrink-wrapped packages. The platform consists of the .Net servers, a range of client devices and development tools. The theme of the conference will be the unification of those three areas under the .Net banner, including where the effort is today and how it will evolve.
Observers say Microsoft has some explaining to do.
"What is unclear to me is what dependencies does .Net have on Windows.Net Server, and what can I do with that server that I cannot with Windows 2000," says Dwight Davis, an analyst with Summit Strategies. "If people are actively deploying .Net on the current stuff, why do I need all this stuff that is coming out?"
As always, Microsoft will get support for .Net from a gaggle of partners at the show.
NetIQ and Compuware will show the latest revisions of software designed to secure and manage Microsoft environments, respectively. Enterprise Management Associates analyst Jeb Bolding says widespread adoption of Web services won't happen until vendors can guarantee users that those services can be secured and managed.
"These vendors are taking a first step toward securing and managing disparate applications and transactions outside of the firewall," Bolding says. "I don't think too many users will be taking many steps toward distributed Web services until security and management are resolved."
For its part, NetIQ will debut Security Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager (SMP for MOM) and Security Manager 3.5. SMP for MOM lets users manage security from a single console, and the software can send notifications of security breaches. The package includes management modules for Microsoft Windows Security, NetIQ Security Analyzer and antivirus applications.
With Security Manager 3.5, NetIQ adds integration with Internet Security Systems' Real Secure product line and Cisco PIX Firewall appliances. The security software, which monitors security data from separate security devices across a network, now also supports Office XP and XP Professional software.
SMP for MOM and Security Manager 3.5 are available now. SMP for MOM 2000 is priced at $470 per processor. Pricing for Security Manager 3.5 starts at $900 per server and $35 per workstation.
Also at the show, Compuware will display its Vantage 8.0 suite of performance-monitoring software that now supports .Net applications (see www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 8847). The products can test the viability of .Net applications before users deploy them. Specifically, Application Expert now can help users identify delays in HTTP, Simple Object Access Protocol and XML payloads, which may help to better track the performance of Web services, Bolding says.
Products in the Vantage 8.0 suite range in price from $25,000 to $35,000.
A number of companies will announce products around Commerce Server 2002. Equilibrium will unveil integration of its MediaRich Image Server with Commerce Server 2002. The server features automatic image processing that renders images for the Web or mobile devices. CyberSource will unveil CyberSource Commerce Component, which provides access to e-commerce transaction services, including global payment processing and tax calculation. And Fast Search & Transfer, which develops search and real-time alert technology, will announce that its product is integrated with Commerce Server 2002.
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