Microsoft Announces General Availability of Microsoft Solution For Windows-Based Hosting Version 3.0 [November 16, 2004]

Solution Enables Service Providers of All Sizes to Significantly Reduce Operational Costs And Create New Revenue Opportunities

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 16, 2004 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the general availability of the Microsoft® Solution for Windows®-based Hosting Version 3.0. The Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 offers a flexible, modular management platform and features new out-of-the-box services that enable service providers to more rapidly and cost-effectively deploy hosted offerings.

“According to our customers, operational efficiency and the ability to increase average revenue per user are must-haves in today’s highly competitive Web-hosting environment,” said Pascal Martin, general manager for Hosting Solutions at Microsoft. “We designed the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 with these critical goals in mind, and we are extremely excited to be delivering the latest version of our proven Microsoft hosting tools and tested best practices to service providers of all sizes.”

The Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 comprises eight modular components, including infrastructure components to handle building, provisioning, patching and monitoring servers. Each component is designed to easily integrate with existing environments, preserving investments while providing the flexibility to add new components as needed. With the three new service components introduced in the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0, hosting providers can more quickly launch new value-add services to increase revenue.

“Windows-based hosting is a vibrant and growing business,” said Andrew Schroepfer, founder and president of Tier 1 Research. “We consistently hear from hosting service providers and hosting automation ISVs that they are working to better address this market demand. With Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0, Microsoft further enables hosters to tap into this burgeoning market.”

“With the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0, we’ve been able to keep our staffing levels low and streamline operations,” said David Sipes, chief technology officer of iPowerWeb Inc. “Moreover, we’ve been able to improve our customer experience across all servers, and that really helps us reduce customer churn and build loyalty.”

New Features of Microsoft Solution for Windows-Based Hosting Version 3.0

Faster and Easier to Deploy

The Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 leverages Automated Deployment Services (ADS), resulting in shorter server building times and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) per server. The Microsoft Provisioning System now includes a new deployment tool that automates 85 percent of installation and maintenance tasks.

Allows Service Providers to Add New Hosting Services Quickly and Easily

Service providers will benefit from three new out-of-the-box hosted services components:

· Windows SharePoint® Services hosting enables customers to create team-oriented Web sites for information sharing and document collaboration.

· Data hosting with SQL Server™ offers customers shared or dedicated database services to power their Web sites and applications.

· Web hosting with Internet Information Services (IIS) provides a variety of Web hosting services including support for ASP.NET, SSL, FTP, e-mail and FrontPage® Server Extensions.

Shorter Building Times and Lower TCO per Server

In addition to image-based installations, the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 now provides the scripts and framework necessary to perform an unattended installation using ADS.

Commitment to Community Support

Microsoft is committed to hosting and offers a fast-growing number of technical programs and resources that enable service providers to launch and grow their Windows-based hosting operations. For example, the Microsoft Windows Web Hoster Program provides service providers of all sizes with free access to resources such as webcasts, live seminars and an online information library. In addition, service providers can receive free technical assistance from Windows-based hosting experts at Microsoft’s Windows Hosting Forums on the ASP.NET forums.

“We got answers from the online forums extremely fast, often in a few hours,” said Mike Palmer, chief technology officer of Xiolink LLC. “Those quick answers together with the solution documentation helped us get the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 deployed quickly, in just 20 hours. Now, instead of it taking 12 to 18 hours to deploy each system, we can use ADS to achieve deployment in less than one hour.”

“We want to be seen as the best hosting provider out there,” said John Brown, Hosting and Security products manager for PIPEX Communications Hosting Limited. “To accomplish this, we needed a shared hosting platform based on Microsoft Windows. The Microsoft Solution

for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 allowed us to quickly deliver compelling and affordable offerings to our customers.”

Availability

The Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 is commercially available today. Additional information about the Microsoft Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 3.0 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/hosting.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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Microsoft, Windows, SharePoint and FrontPage are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information, press only:

United States:

Dagmar Glier, Weber Shandwick, (425) 452-5439, dglier@webershandwick.com

International:

Helen Murphy, Weber Shandwick, + 44 (0) 20 7067 0531, hmurphy@webershandwick.com