Windows Server and Hyper-V Seed Business Growth

  • Article

Both industry
watchers and customers are closely watching the effects that virtualization
and cloud computing will have on Windows Server's evolution. Most people are
embracing the benefits of virtualization, and many are wondering how
virtualization relates to the cloud. Businesses want to know what that
relationship will mean as they bet their future on Windows Server. The good
news is that those very factors-virtualization and the cloud-are the seeds for
Windows Server growth and new advantages for business.

We continue to be bullish on Windows Server because we believe
that the economics
of the cloud will dictate ongoing investments in servers. So it's no surprise to see that in today's
report from IDC, "Worldwide Windows Server
Operating Environments Forecast for 2011 - 2015," the forecast emphasizes
growth.

Windows
Server 2008 new license shipments is projected to grow at a
2010-2015 CAGR of 8.7%, and the reason is that customers can
build on Windows Server and Hyper-V as they explore the benefits that the cloud
can bring. IDC credits Microsoft for evolving Windows Server with Hyper-V to
expand the advantages of virtualization: "The recent release of Windows Server
2008 R2 SP1 marked an important milestone, not for the operating system itself
but rather for the benefit it brought to Hyper-V. It included two technologies
that were virtualization related: Dynamic Memory for Hyper-V (for better scale
and performance of the base hypervisor) and Remote FX (for better client
performance in a virtualized client deployment)."

The report also suggests that virtualization brings with it new
opportunities for Windows Server customers.

  • Cloud
    Integration:     While much of the focus today is on
    Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), IDC (and other analyst firms) predict a
    major shift towards Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). With the shift, IDC expects Windows
    Server and Hyper-V to be integrated with Windows Azure as part of a hybrid
    cloud solution, in addition to being proven standalone virtualization
    solutions.
  • Unlimited
    Virtualization:     IDC sees more customers buying premium SKUs that offer
    better virtualization rights. Because of that, IDC suggests that there will be
    greater demand for solutions like Windows
    Server 2008 Datacenter     with unlimited virtualization rights.

These findings deliver good news to Windows Server
customers. Whether companies are just starting to virtualize or are ready to
take advantage of the cloud, Windows Server and Hyper-V are growing because
they help businesses ensure success.