Today at Microsoft�Tech�Ed: IT Forum, Microsoft Corp.�s foremost technology show in Europe for IT professionals, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, emphasized the increased value that Windows Vista�, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Microsoft Exchange Sever 2007 and Windows Server� �Longhorn� will bring to customers� IT environments. Speaking to a sold-out show with more than 4,750 IT professionals from around the world, Muglia articulated the role of these next-generation products in supporting Microsoft�s vision of the infrastructure for the People-Ready Business. Muglia detailed a variety of new IT offerings, including updates to the Forefront� and Microsoft System Center product lines, to help businesses prepare to take advantage of the new wave of products, which are designed to simplify how people work together, protect and manage content, find information, improve business insight, increase security, and ultimately reduce IT costs.

�As we look ahead to the release of new versions of our flagship products, our focus is to help our customers evaluate how the new wave of innovation can help them drive new levels of business success,� Muglia said. �We have worked with partners in Europe and across the globe to create a vast ecosystem that gives our customers a rich set of solutions for Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system and Exchange Sever 2007. In fact, a recent IDC study of 28 European countries forecasted that Windows Vista will support more than 1 million IT jobs in this region and encourage the creation of up to 55 percent new IT jobs.�

Microsoft also announced names of European customers that are evaluating versions of Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system and Exchange Server 2007 and are seeing increased efficiencies in simplifying, managing and securing their IT environments.