Microsoft
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Reorganizes Its Platform Group; Effect On DSI?
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Office Accelerators
A
Status Report
It
turns out that when Bill Veghte spoke on using DSI (Microsoft’s
Dynamic Systems Initiative) to help run your Data Center in Las
Vegas in December at Gartner’s DataCenter conference, it was
really his swan song as Vice President of the Windows Server Group.
Veghte said what you’d expect – how DSI would help them
reduce the complexity of their IT systems.
This
starts happening with Windows Server 2003, with Visual Studio .NET
2003, and new versions of Systems Management Server 2003 and
Microsoft Operations Manager 2004. Also Automated Deployment Services for Windows Server 2003.
There are also interoperability and migration tools, Software
Update Server 2. for patch, update, and install, and Virtual Server
2004 as well as the Whidbey version of Visual Studio.
We’ll also be releasing MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager)
2004 and Microsoft Systems Center.
ISVs
can participate by developing management packs for the MOM to help
manage their application. Later,
via the System Definition Model, developers will be able to develop
operationally aware applications in Visual Studio.
Microsoft
Reorganizes Its Windows Platform Group
Meanwhile,
Jim Allchin moved to reorganize Microsoft’s Platform Group.
The goal is to focus on engineering discipline and excellent
and product quality and, we think, to make sure products get out the
door in good shape and on schedule.
This
is how big companies organize to deliver complex software.
Maybe the only thing that should surprise us is that
Microsoft wasn’t doing this already.
Or maybe it was and this is just a rearrangement meant to
emphasize different priorities and tune for better results.
The
new Windows Core Operating System Division will be led by Brian
Valentine, Senior Vice President.
He will be in charge of everything: customer
and market requirements, architecture and technology, and tools,
planning, and processes
Microsoft
tells us that, “In a nutshell, the COSD is committed to:
• Ensuring the highest level of quality and best architected
operating system foundation for our customers
• Delivering on a predictable schedule with clearer priorities
and more streamlined decision making
• Enabling the Client, Server and other Windows businesses to
plan effectively, innovate, and meet customer and market needs.
• Enforcing discipline excellence for development, test and
program management.
Everyone
on the core teams for Windows Server and Tools now reports to Eric
Rudder. Windows Server
and Storage and Management will be run by Bob Muglia, an old
Microsoft techie. He
will have the future responsibility for DSI.
Note
that we’ll be updating our Microsoft Virtual Computing Charts
(which are all about DSI) in the early part of next year.
Office
Accelerators
As
we have noted in these pages before, Microsoft has been building
Templates for the Office Systems platform that offer functionality
for specific business problems. Microsoft has just announced its seventh Office Solutions
Accelerator for Sarbanes-Oxley; it will be available in March.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Office Accelerator is designed to make it easier for
publicly traded companies to meet their compliance needs, with an
immediate emphasis on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, using such
Microsoft products as Windows SharePoint Services, Office InfoPath
2003, Windows Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000.
Microsoft
has worked with the Big Four accounting firms to ensure that this
customer compliance platform will work easily and well with current
control libraries and accounting methodologies.
The Office Solution Accelerator for Sarbanes-Oxley is the
initial offering in Microsoft’s long-term compliance strategy.
There
are currently seven core Office Solution Accelerators. You can find
them at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/sep03/09-22officeacceleratorprogrampr.asp.
Please note that not all of them are available yet.
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