14 DAY TRIAL // According to the latest Microsoft forecasts, the company estimates a strong level of growth on the home server front. Windows Home Server, the brainchild of Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Product Unit Manager, was introduced at CES International 2007, by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. The Redmond company then rapidly went through the last stages of the development process and released the home server operating system to manufacturing, in mid 2007, while the official launch was celebrated in November. Windows Home Server then shipped to system builders and to original equipment manufacturers and hit store shelves just in time for the holidays.
By the summer of 2008, Microsoft announced that it would ship the first minor update to Windows Home Server. At this year's International CES, the Redmond company showcased Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The update is designed to enhance the current capabilities of the operating system, but also to add new features, including Windows Home Server Connector software support for 64-bit editions of Windows Vista, as well as to boost efficiency via increased power consumption.
For Microsoft, Windows Home Server literally meant venturing into a whole new product category and, apparently, it was the right decision. Now, the Redmond company, considering predictions from Forrester Research is looking for Windows Home Server products to run into in excess of 4.5 million households in the next five years.
"Windows Home Server will spearhead the growth of an important new product category. Forrester's Windows Home Server Outlook and Forecast. The proliferation of consumer digital assets creates a need for the functionality of a home server. And multi-PC households are growing rapidly, along with home networks", revealed J.P. Gownder, principal analyst at Forrester Research.
At CES 2008, Microsoft offered illustrative examples of the hype building around Windows Home Server. Case in point - the strong support from hardware makers that the product is enjoying, with no less than 15 manufacturers having announced products focused on the platform.