Microsoft Moves to Solidify Virtualization Offerings
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft made several moves this week intended to help solidify its place in the market for virtualization software by making virtualization easier to use and more accessible to customers. This includes acquiring desktop virtualization software developer Calista Technologies, expanding its partnership with Citrix Systems and its XenServer business, and loosening the licensing screws previously preventing virtualization from running on certain versions of Windows Vista. READ MORE >

Microsoft to IBM: Tolerate PSI Mainframes or Quit Europe
by Hesh Wiener

If you think Microsoft has an aversion to Article 82 of the European Treaty, the anti-monopoly law that forced it to open some Windows server APIs and also to live with others' media players on desktops, think again. Microsoft is backing Platform Solutions (PSI) in an Article 82 action that could loosen IBM's grip on the mainframe. If PSI is given the keys to every glass house in Europe, Microsoft will be one of its principal guests. In fact, PSI could get more from IBM than it wanted when it first announced mainframe-compatible systems. READ MORE >

Dell Launches New, Power-Efficient Blade Servers
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

PC and server maker Dell was getting kicked around in the IT sector throughout 2006 and 2007, but 2008 might be shaping up to be a year of recovery for the company. Dell has competitive market share in the entry X64 server market, but has been an also-ran in the blade server space dominated by IBM and Hewlett-Packard. The new PowerEdge M series blade chassis and related X64 blade servers could get Dell its rightful share of the blade space, which should account for around $5 billion in sales in 2008. READ MORE >

E-Government Program Unveiled by Microsoft
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft this week launched the Citizen Service Platform (CSP), a new e-government program designed to help local and regional governments use computers to more effectively serve their constituencies. As part of the CSP, Microsoft will create standard deployment templates for products like SharePoint Portal and Dynamics CRM, and combine those templates with technical services provided by local partners. In the end, the aim of CSP is to create extensible e-government packages that enable fast and repeatable implementations. READ MORE >