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By Tim Ferguson, 12 June 2007 16:32

NEWS

Virtualisation will be the key to the popularity of Microsoft's long awaited server operating system, Windows Server 2008, analysts have predicted.

The final version of the OS - formerly known as Longhorn Server - is due to be released at the beginning of 2008 following a long and protracted development.

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The first public beta version of Longhorn was recently made available, with 100,000 downloads made since the end of April. But analysts are predicting the virtualisation app - Viridian - will be key.

According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 will initially include a beta version of its virtualisation application which will be updated when the full version becomes available within 180 days.

David Bradshaw, analyst at Ovum, emphasised the importance of virtualisation. "Virtualisation is the silver bullet. As with any silver bullet you have to treat it with caution," he said.

He said this will be very valuable for CIOs who are being put under increasing pressure to make better use of assets.

Bradshaw said leading-edge companies and those due for a server OS upgrade are more likely to go for Windows 2008. But he added much will depend on issues such as the extent to which users can mix and match server operating systems. "Companies will probably move very slowly," he said.

And Roy Illsley, senior research analyst at Butler Group, said: "I think it will become the default server operating system. It will over time become significant but where it's going to be challenged is virtualisation."

Illsley added: "Without it [virtualisation] people are going to be looking at it and wondering 'what's the benefit?'. Virtualisation is the one that's key."

But the virtualisation space is already getting crowded and Illsley envisages a "bit of a battle" ahead.

He predicts a "fair proportion" of companies will buy Longhorn on its release but are more likely to use it for testing, with only 10 per cent potentially taking it into production.

According to Illsley, companies may also be cautious about moving to the new OS and are more likely to wait for the first service pack to become available.

But he admitted Microsoft has a pretty strong base to work on with a significant presence in the server OS market.

As well as virtualisation, Microsoft touts other innovations in Longhorn - such as improved control and security features.

Microsoft UK Windows server product manager, Gareth Hall, said: "It's what IT admins have been asking for a long time," adding that customer reaction suggests "there's a fairly serious interest in the product".

Hall said: "Anecdotally it's been pretty positive. People are pretty eager to get hold of this. We're encouraged and optimistic."