Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will include 16 new application and technology adapters in the Enterprise and Standard editions of BizTalk� Server 2006 at no additional charge, including adapters for Oracle Corp., PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems Inc. This announcement marks a significant break from the industry norm of charging additional license fees for application and technology adapters, and offers customers a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the complexity of purchasing, building and implementing application integration and business process automation solutions. Separately, Microsoft announced pricing, licensing and product timelines for BizTalk Server 2006.

�Enterprises and medium-sized businesses continue to rank the integration of diverse applications and the automation of business processes among their most pressing IT needs,� said Robert Wahbe, general manager of the Connected Systems Division at Microsoft. �With BizTalk Server 2006, we are building on the growth of the most successful integration technology in history to deliver new value to customers, including improved deployment, management and business activity monitoring capabilities. The feedback we are getting from IT professionals, developers and business users validates our approach to the development of this product.�