Solutions Inc. Is A Community Effort

Welcome to the second issue of Solutions Inc., a CMP Channel magazine dedicated to the Microsoft ecosystem—those companies and individuals who wake up every day trying to solve customer problems through the application of Microsoft technology. In this issue we tackle several key subjects of importance to the Microsoft developer and broader solution provider community, including our cover story on the Redmond, Wash., tech giant's efforts in virtualization. Solutions Inc. magazine is all about preparing for the future: We delve into Microsoft's plans to compete in the server virtualization space with its Viridian hypervisor, slated to ship in the second half of next year, not long after the release of Windows Server 2008. Microsoft partners face a dilemma, given the product's delay and the meteoric rise of VMware's products.

In our Trend Watch section, we examine the efforts Microsoft is making in simplifying its customer volume licensing contracts, which are being phased in between now and the end of the year. Find out why Microsoft partner David Sobel of Evolve Technologies believes Microsoft's moves are a "great first step."

There are many members of the Microsoft community focused on vertical markets, with health care being one of the most popular. Partners see the opportunity to help a local medical clinic convert its paper records into digital files to meet regulatory requirements, but just how should they go about it? To help simplify their jobs and meet their customers' needs, we outline imaging solutions for the health-care market in our Solutions section.

Finally, in our Systems section we examine several hardware-based solutions for biometric security including those from Upek, Motorola and Panasonic. If you haven't given serious consideration to this market, you should give it a second look considering that analysts expect it to double by 2012 to $7.4 billion. We also look at the explosion in wide-screen displays being fueled by Vista.

Enjoy this issue of Solutions Inc., and by all means tell us about your favorite Microsoft-based solution. You can e-mail me at rdemarzo@cmp.com.