The Hindu Business Line : Clientele for Windows Server 2003 widening

MICROSOFT has said that its Windows Server 2003 has gained considerable momentum in the Indian market over the last one year, even as the company gets ready to phase out the support services offered to its Windows NT Server customers by the year-end.

Apart from winning new clients for Windows Server 2003, the company has also been able to migrate majority of its existing customers to the new server platform, according to Mr Yasir Yousuff, Senior Manager, Marketing.

"We have been able to migrate over 50 per cent of the Windows NT Server users to the Windows Server 2003 since April last year," he said, but refused to divulge numbers.

About half of the Windows NT customers have proactively migrated to the latest Windows Server platform to leverage the new features like enhanced security and scalability among others, he said.

In tune with its global strategy, Microsoft plans to stop offering support services to Windows NT Server users in India by the year-end, Mr Yousuff said.

Launched in 1995, Windows NT was in the market till the launch of Windows 2000.

The company, however, continued to offer support beyond 2000 and has extended it twice over the last few years.

Microsoft is targeting verticals such as the IT services segment, finance, manufacturing and Government with its Windows Server 2003. "We are seeing a huge traction in these verticals," Mr Yousuff said, adding that the company has signed up several big customers including PowerGrid, TVS Electronics, Eicher among others in the recent past.

According to IDC, the x86 server market in India, estimated at a little over 50,000 units last year, is projected to grow at 15-20 per cent this year.

Microsoft, according to IDC, commanded a 66 per cent market share in the x86 server segment in the first quarter this year, he said.