Microsoft yesterday made available the Windows Server 2008 release candidate one (RC1) for customers to download and evaluate.
Windows Server 2008 will be launched early next year along with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.
“Irish customers are excited and already adopting these products, and Microsoft Ireland will be making this the biggest launch in our history,” said Bill O’Brien, server business group lead at Microsoft Ireland. “Irish developers and IT professionals are keen adopters of these products and the launch is hugely anticipated and generating great excitement.”
Windows Server 2008 RC1 is available to customers for download at www.microsoft.com/ws08eval. As the code approaches final sign-off, RC1 is one of the last opportunities for customers and partners to evaluate it and provide feedback. So far, more than 1.8 million customers worldwide have obtained Windows Server 2008 evaluation code.
“We are excited about the innovations in Windows Server 2008 and the business opportunity it will create for us. The demands in the Irish market for these are huge,” said Novosco sales director Eddie O’Rourke.
Microsoft partners are also participating in a multitude of training activities on the suite of products and working to train customers in preparation for the launch. More than 40 hardware and software partners have committed to supporting and participating in hundreds of events worldwide.
To date more than 140,000 IT professionals and developers have been trained on Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 and 3,100 certifications have been granted on Windows Server 2008.
By Niall Byrne
