“Over the next couple of years, virtualization will transform the way IT approaches the data center,” says Mike Neil, product unit manager for Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual Server, and Microsoft Windows* virtualization. “Our early customers say that virtualized systems will be their default configuration in the future.”

Intel Virtualization Technology will be supported by a future version of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, scheduled to beta test in the first half of 2006 and be available in the second half of the year. Neil adds that virtualization will be integrated into the wave of products tied to the next major version of Microsoft Windows Server*, code-named Longhorn, beginning in 2007.

Neil sees recent enhancements from Intel-Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology, multi-core processors, and Intel Virtualization Technology—providing a great foundation for high-performance, scalable systems that can be virtualized. “Intel Virtualization Technology simplifies our virtualization software, reducing the complexity of the trusted computing base-the software that runs directly on the metal. This makes virtualization a mainstream technology that can be widely deployed.”

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