Microsoft Outlines Developer Benefits for Building Connected Systems

Microsoft Outlines Developer Benefits for Building Connected Systems

Microsoft Highlights 'Indigo' as Key Technology in Making Web Services Accessible to Broader Set of Developers

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In his keynote address today at Fawcette Technical Publications' VSLive! San Francisco 2005, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Senior Vice President of Servers and Tools Eric Rudder outlined the shift under way toward a world of highly connected software and described how "Indigo," the code name for Microsoft's next- generation Web services technology, will enable developers to reduce the complexity associated with building more-secure, reliable and interoperable applications on the Windows(R) platform. Applications built using "Indigo" are able to interact and exchange data with other applications, independent of the underlying platform. Rudder also announced the next key development milestone for "Indigo," a community technology preview (CTP) slated for March 2005 that will enable developers to test, experiment and give feedback on the features in "Indigo" prior to beta releases.

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Today's Web services technologies support basic interoperability between applications running on different platforms; however, few of these technologies can provide that interoperability along with the advanced level of security and reliable communications that customers need. "Indigo" takes Web services to the next level by providing a unified programming model for building more-secure, reliable and interoperable applications that take advantage of built-in support for the WS-* specifications. The WS-* specifications are a group of interoperable protocols, developed by Microsoft and a wide range of industry partners, that deliver the advanced Web services capabilities developers increasingly require when building enterprise-critical software.

"The world we live in is more connected than ever before," Rudder said. "It is vital that developers have the tools to build connected systems that can enable organizations to reach out beyond their four walls to interact with customers and partners in new and valuable ways. With 'Indigo,' customers have the tools to create software that reflects the dynamic nature of their business."

Building on a Web Services Foundation

"Indigo" continues Microsoft's commitment to Web services and Microsoft(R) .NET by providing a technology that facilitates the development of service- oriented applications. Microsoft's efforts around service-oriented development began with the 2002 release of the .NET Framework, the premier environment for building Web services, as well as with the availability of Web Services Enhancements for Microsoft .NET (WSE), a technology that enables early adopters to take advantage of leading-edge Web services security to build service-oriented applications.

"Indigo" builds on Microsoft's Web services customer experience and leadership, offering a comprehensive and integrated platform for building service-oriented systems. While "Indigo" provides dramatic improvements in developer productivity, it also ensures that investments in existing technologies including ASMX, .NET Remoting, .NET Enterprise Services, WSE and System.Messaging can be applied and extended when building applications with "Indigo."

In addition, because Microsoft will deliver "Indigo" as an extension of the .NET Framework 2.0, the more than 6 million Visual Studio(R) developers worldwide will be able to build more-secure, reliable, interoperable Web services using any of the programming languages supported by the .NET Framework, such as Visual Basic(R) .NET and Visual C#(R). By enabling customers to take advantage of existing skills and investments, "Indigo" results in less complexity for developers, fewer components to be managed by IT professionals and, ultimately, significant cost savings for organizations.

Growing Industry Support for "Indigo"

There is significant customer and partner momentum behind "Indigo," with a number of early adopter customers already planning implementations for their organizations. Eclipsys Corp., a leading provider of advanced clinical, financial and management information software and service solutions to more than 1,500 healthcare facilities, is one such customer.

"We believe 'Indigo' is an important leap forward for providing the technology that will enable us to respond more effectively to changing market dynamics," said John Gomez, executive vice president and chief technology and strategy officer at Eclipsys. "We are excited to be an early adopter and plan to implement 'Indigo' into our healthcare information systems, allowing us to create better, more cost-effective solutions that maximize the value we provide to our customers."

Expanded Scope of Opportunity

In addition to being available on "Longhorn," code name for the upcoming version of the Windows client operating system, "Indigo" will be made available for Windows XP and Windows Server(TM) 2003. This availability will expand the scope of opportunity for developers by enabling them to write applications that can run on a broader set of platforms.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

NOTE: Microsoft, Windows, Visual Studio, Visual Basic, Visual C# and Windows Server 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.

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