Microsoft Plans Tungsten Beta For Next Summer

The server, code-named Tungsten, is being handled by the Business and Productivity Services unit, which typically is responsible for client-focused software including Office and the newly announced OneNote (see related story page 10), although it also has responsibility for SharePoint Portal Server. The bulk of Microsoft's server software, including Content Management Server, Commerce Server and BizTalk Server, is handled by the .Net Enterprise Server group.

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%A0MICROSOFT'S DRM SERVER PLANS

>>%A0Beta of Tungsten is planned for summer 2003.
>>%A0Shipment is expected in late 2003.
>>%A0Product will enforce viewing rules as a document is routed.

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Some questioned the decision to place the DRM server under the Business and Productivity Services umbrella. "The fact that it's coming out of the Office group means it will probably fail as a server," said one source close to Microsoft.

A Microsoft insider confirmed the timing of the planned rollout and insisted Tungsten's derivation makes sense because of the Business and Productivity Services group's document-creation focus.

While it is too early to discuss its DRM technologies, Microsoft is committed to developing DRM solutions that protect content and personal privacy, a company spokeswoman said. Several music and video subscription services already use Windows Media DRM technology, but the need to protect content extends beyond music and movies, she said.

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One partner source said Microsoft continues to talk about providing both a DRM server and DRM Web services. But, he said, "right now, DRM itself is embryonic. The problem is that rules for viewing and editing documents are not enforced as the documents are routed from party to party. If a document starts out with pieces for only marketing to see and pieces only for technical people to see, those rules are not applied again down the routing chain."

Federal regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), are requiring those kinds of rights-access capabilities, the solution provider said. "You have to enforce security across the whole process," he said.

IBM already offers Electronic Media Management Systems, priced at $300,000, which can secure structured or unstructured data formats. Last March, CRN reported that Microsoft was developing a DRM platform, dubbed ePub.Net, to enable businesses and customers to distribute and exchange content, including Office documents, in transactions over the Web.

Last April, Microsoft invested in ContentGuard, a Xerox spin-off specializing in software to protect and manage Web-distributed content. Xerox and Microsoft agreed to push XrML (extensible rights markup language) as a standard for protected data exchange.

PAULA ROONEY contributed to this story.