December 8, 2011 News Thursday: BizTalk Server 2010 R2, Data Solutions for Small Business Webcast, and more Server and Tools News

by STB Blogger

Microsoft announces BizTalk Server 2010 R2
Today Microsoft has announced the next release of BizTalk Server: BizTalk Server 2010 R2.
BizTalk Server 2010 R2 will be delivered approximately 6 months following the release of Windows Server 8.  Release timing for Windows Server 8 is yet to be announced and will be disclosed by the Windows Server team in the future.

BizTalk Server 2010 R2 will focus on three primary themes:
• Platform Support – Supporting new and current server and development platforms
• Improved B2B – Aligning with industry standards and continuing to invest in performance improvements
• Ready for the Cloud – Enabling customers to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing
 
To learn more about this announcement, please visit the BizTalk Server Team Blog.

Microsoft and Jane Applegate host a free webcast on essential data solutions for small business
Microsoft is joining forces with small business management expert, Jane Applegate, for a free webcast today discussing the essential data solutions for 2012.  Please join us at 1PM PST today to learn how Small Business Server (SBS) 2011 Essentials provides a simple, easy-to-use solution to help protect your customers’ business data with daily backup features for their computers and servers.  We’ll also explain how SBS 2011 Essentials can help you organize and access business documents from virtually anywhere and connect with cloud services such as Office 365.  Register here to view the free webcast.

Additionally, during the webcast, we’ll introduce Tech Essentials with Jane Applegate, a new 20-minute program sponsored by Microsoft to help small business owners and managers make smarter buying decisions when it comes to technology and equipment.  To learn about Tech Essentials with Jane Applegate, go to www.myfirstserver.com. 

For more information about Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, Office 365 and how the two together can provide a great solution to any small business, visit our website and download the beta today.

Learn Windows Azure Next Tuesday
Next Tuesday, December 13th, Microsoft will host a special Learn Windows Azure training event for developers, offering a great opportunity to learn more about Windows Azure and how to start building cloud-based applications with it. We encourage anyone with interest to attend – either by watching the live online stream, or attending in person at the Microsoft campus in Redmond.

Scott Guthrie will kick-off the day with a 90 minute keynote, providing an overview of Windows Azure, the concepts behind it and the core features and benefits it provides.  He will also cover how to build applications using .NET, Visual Studio and the Windows Azure SDK. The rest of the day will be spent drilling into more depth on Cloud Data and Storage, how to use the Visual Studio Windows Azure Tools, how to build scalable cloud applications, and wrap-up with a Q&A panel featuring Scott Guthrie, Dave Campbell and Mark Russinovich.

For more information, please visit Scott Guthrie’s blog, or the Learn Windows Azure registration page.

New Veeam Backup and Replication v6 Offers Multi-Hypervisor Support
Veeam Software, provider of data protection, disaster recovery and management solutions for virtual datacenter environments, now offers Windows Server Hyper-V protection, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V Server protection with Veeam Backup & Replication v6. The new version offers a single solution for fast, efficient, reliable, and affordable data protection of multi-hypervisor environments encompassing Windows Server Hyper-V and VMware vSphere. With Veeam, customers can protect all virtual machines with a single product, from a single console, minimizing cost and complexity.

For more information, or to download a free trial, visit: https://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html?ad=pr2.

HP and Microsoft Deliver Global Communications and Collaboration Solutions via the Cloud
Microsoft and HP have formed a four-year, global alliance to market and sell cloud-based productivity solutions for large organizations worldwide. The alliance will benefit enterprises, governments and small businesses by providing efficiencies and flexibility with public and private cloud solutions.  As part of this alliance, HP Hosted Private Cloud Services will be built as a Microsoft Private Cloud using Windows Server Hyper-V. More information about the HP and Microsoft alliance is available at https://h10134.www1.hp.com/insights/alliances/microsoft/.