Microsoft has thrown down the gauntlet at virtualisation rival VMware, claiming that some business customer are saving on average €120,000 when they switch over to Microsoft technology from VMware.
Microsoft claims that customers are turning to Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center management tools to help reduce energy consumption, hardware costs and recurring licensing costs, and improve their overall management of virtual and non-virtual applications, servers and computers.
Microsoft cited a number of business customers who have made the switch to 2008 Hyper-V, System Center and other Microsoft virtualisation solutions, including: Ingersoll Rand plc; Mamut ASA of Norway; the National Concert Hall of Ireland; NetBenefits UK and Siemens Standard Drives in the UK.
Strong customer adoption of server and application virtualization software helped drive growth of the Microsoft System Center suite of management tools.
Microsoft recently reported that the company’s management division revenues grew more than 30 percent from 2008 to 2009 and is now at approximately $1 billion in annual sales.
According to industry consulting firm Information Technology Intelligence Corp’s “2009 Global Virtualisation Deployment Trends Survey” of more than 700 IT professionals Microsoft made big year-over-year market share gains across small and mid-size businesses and enterprise organisations.
The survey showed current use of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is 32pc. The survey also showed that 59pc of the respondents plan to adopt Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V in the next 12 to 18 months.
“The light switch has gone on for customers, and they realise they no longer have to pay a virtualisation tax with VMware that creates an isolated, virtual island within their IT departments,” said David Greschler, director of virtualisation and management marketing in the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft.
“The System Center management suite and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V provide a cost-effective, interoperable and scalable enterprise-class virtualisation solution. As a result, more and more customers are switching to the Microsoft solution, and some are saving on average US$170,000 when they switch,” Greschler said.
By John Kennedy
