“To attract the high-end corporate buyers, Microsoft today
demonstrated two networking features it has built into its new
operating system. Windows 2000 has the ability to prioritize
data traffic on a network. to make sure important software has
enough bandwidth. The operating system also supports Virtual
Private Network (VPN) technology, which allows mobile workers
to securely connect to their corporate networks through the public
Internet.
The two technologies could make Windows 2000 more appealing to
corporate users building larger, mission-critical applications,
said International Data Corporation analyst Dan Kusnetzky.
‘Microsoft is very serious about making Windows 2000 considered as
an enterprise platform and they understand the Internet is likely
to be the backbone network for company communications.’ “
“Microsoft is also bundling VPN software on the desktop version
of Windows 2000, which will allow mobile users a safe, secure
connection to their corporate network. For the server edition of
Windows 2000, Microsoft has built in VPN technology that ensures
the connection between the user and the corporate network is secure
and routes data and transactions back and forth on the public
Internet.”
“Windows NT currently leads the server operating system pack
with 38 percent of total units shipped, beating out Novell’s
NetWare, with 24 percent market share, and Unix, with 18 percent.
But sales of Unix–which can support thousands of users–reached
$2.5 billion last year, while NT sales amounted to roughly $1.4
billion.”
