14 DAY TRIAL // After it has released its latest server operating system to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, Microsoft is now ready to push Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1 one step further and onto Cisco WAAS appliances. All with Cisco's blessing, of course. The two companies have produced a joint announcement revealing that a combined solution will be made available bundling Windows Server 2008 with Cisco WAN optimization, all wrapped into a new lineup of offerings addressed at branch office environments.
"Extending our collaboration with Cisco to integrated solutions for branch offices presents an exciting opportunity for our customers and for Microsoft and Cisco. The technologies announced today will help boost performance and availability by making critical Windows Server 2008 services available to remote offices through integration with Cisco's WAAS solution," stated Bob Muglia, senior vice president, Server and Tools Business division at Microsoft.
Taking Windows Server 2008 onto Cisco's Wide-Area Application Services appliance family means that the networking equipment and management supplier will provide an embedded component with its WAAS products, designed to host Microsoft's latest server platform. In fact, Cisco will deliver virtualized Cisco WAAS appliances with Windows Server 2008 preinstalled. Neither company informed of the actual availability date, only pointing to the second half of 2008 for the first solutions hitting the market.
The two companies have explained that, in their perspective, the bundling of Windows Server 2008 into the WAAS products is synonymous with the continuous growth of Cisco's Application Delivery Networks solutions. The new virtualized Cisco WAAS platforms plus Windows Server 2008 will deliver Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Active Directory, and Print Services.
"Building on our announcement last summer, Microsoft and Cisco are collaborating on a joint architecture and offering new technology that enhances the performance and efficiency of applications both locally hosted as well as delivered over Wide Area Networks," said Jayshree Ullal, senior vice president of Cisco's Data Center, Switching and Services Group. "This joint effort extends Cisco's Application Delivery Network strategy to meet customers' needs for flexible IT resources."