Microsoft Takes A System-atic Approach

First came the Office System. Now, Microsoft has the Windows Server System.

The world's largest software company says its Windows Server 2003 operating system, due next week, and server software including database and E-commerce products, will carry the brand name Windows Server System. According to Microsoft, it's a signal that its software is designed to work in tandem.

"We're focusing on lowering costs and complexity and increasing interoperability" among products, says Barry Goffe, a group manager at Microsoft. The new brand name is "a commitment that the $5.5 billion in R&D Microsoft spends every year will go toward those issues."

Microsoft said last month that its Office 2003 software--being tested by customers now--will be sold under the brand name Office System. The new server brand doesn't indicate any pricing breaks for buying products together, Goffe says, nor does it mean changes in the way products are sold. Instead, he says, "this lets us communicate directly to the IT pro community the integrated capabilities the stack offers."