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Microsofts annual Tech Ed 2004 conference opens Monday in San Diego, Calif. The sold-out event includes almost a dozen tracks with hundreds of sessions.
Unlike some of the companys recent events that focused on long-term strategic products, such as the Longhorn version of Windows due in 2006, Tech Ed offers practical information for in-house developers, software architects and managers involved in the daily activity of rolling out technology in an enterprise.
Integration and security look to be key subjects as Microsoft execs talk up the benefits of “integrated innovation” across Windows server and client products. The architectures can help developers and customers cut costs and improve productivity.
Heres a quick look at some of news expected at the show:
- Microsoft will launch officially its Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 firewall product as well as several service packs. However, Microsoft Watch reports that Release Candidate 2 (RC2) of its Windows XP Service Pack 2 release may not be ready in time for the conference.
- According to sources, Microsoft is also readying a new tool that is designed to connect Microsoft Office applications to back-end enterprise systems, called the “Information Bridge Framework,” or IBF. The code will connect Web services to the Office client with no “extra hops” or intermediate servers required.
- Microsoft will release the first feature pack for Windows Storage Server, which includes support for Microsofts Exchange Server 2003. Storage systems developed from the pack could help reduce interoperability and training headaches for SMBs.
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