With Microsoft Windows Vista scheduled to soon become available to business customers, many IT managers have a key question: Will the new operating system work with my existing applications?

As most enterprises have hundreds — even thousands — of applications, application compatibility is one concern of organizations ready to roll out Windows Vista when it is available later this month. Microsoft is taking its commitment to addressing this challenge a step further with the Windows Vista Application Compatibility Factory. The ACF, for short, is an initiative that teams Microsoft with services partners — such as Wipro Technologies, Satyam Computer Services and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) — to help customers overcome the application compatibility challenge.

To learn more about the Windows Vista ACF, how it works and what benefits it offers to customers and partners, PressPass spoke with Dave Wascha, director of the Windows Client business group at Microsoft, and with executives from three participating systems integrators: Michael Bailey, senior business development manager of Wipro Technologies; Sean Bowen, assistant vice president of Satyam Computer Services; and Pavan Sabharwal, global alliance manager of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).