Microsoft attracts 1,000

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Event promoted new versions of Windows Server, SQL Server and Visual Studio

By Ulrika Hedquist | Auckland | Monday, 31 March, 2008

Around 1,000 people turned up for Microsoft's Launch Wave event in Auckland last week, promoting new versions of Windows Server, SQL Server and Visual Studio.

Microsoft held en extra event in Wellington, as the first one booked out, and attracted around 600 people in total in the capital. An event was also held in Christchurch.

Keynote speaker John Case, Redmond-based general manager of development and UX platforms and tools, told attendees that the virtualisation capabilities of Windows Server 2008 are some of the most innovative features of the three products combined.

Although it is estimated that less than 10% of organisations worldwide use virtualisation, Microsoft is hoping to tap into that market as it grows, said Case.

Case also said that immersive online experiences are increasingly becoming a customer demand. Organisations will lose customers in the future if they don't offer good online experiences, he said.

Microsoft's answer to how to build these immersive sites is Silverlight, the cross-browser, cross-platform runtime that was launched in August last year. He said a big Silverlight project is in pipeline this year in New Zealand.

Silverlight is being downloaded up to two million times a day, said Case. Silverlight 2.0 is scheduled to be officially launched in mid-2008.