Microsoft Hedging on BizTalk Server 2004 Due Date
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Microsoft on Wednesday released pricing and packaging details for its BizTalk Server 2004 integration server. But the company is remaining mum on when the product will launch. Earlier this year, Microsoft execs said they were planning on shipping BizTalk Server 2004, code-named "Voyager," by the end of calendar 2003. But with the year winding down, it is looking less and less likely that Microsoft will make good on its goal. As a result, it's looking like the product will live up to its name and be released some time next year. Microsoft officials said on Wednesday that the company is planning to offer four versions of BizTalk Server 2004 — the same ones it offers for the 2002 BizTalk release. These are the Enterprise, Standard, Partner and Developer editions.
Company officials said the pricing would be "on par" with the 2002 edition, with Enterprise Edition starting at $25,000 per CPU; $7,000 per CPU for Standard; $1,000 per CPU for Partner; and $750 per CPU for Developer. (All prices are estimated retail prices for customers on the Microsoft Open licensing plan.) Current BizTalk 2002 customers who have subscribed to Microsoft's Software Assurance Plan will automatically receive a license for BizTalk Server 2004, company officials reiterated. BizTalk Server 2004 is part of Microsoft's Windows Server System family of products, and is the first of its e-business family of products, code-named "Jupiter." "Discovery" is the code name for successor to BizTalk Server 2004. According to Microsoft's latest roadmap, it is due to touch down in 2005. (If "Discovery" falls in line with the rest of the "Longhorn" wave, however, it probably won't go live until 2006.) It will be an integrated suite comprised of BizTalk Server 2004, Content Management Server, Commerce Server and Host Integration Server 2004. Microsoft announced earlier this week the first beta release of Host Integration Server 2004.
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