News
Microsoft Hits Million Mark With 2000 Server
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/07/2001
Microsoft Corp. is
approaching a milestone in its sales of the Windows 2000 Server family, surpassing 1 million licenses sometime
this month.
Microsoft said in a press release that licenses for Windows
2000 Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server will hit the magical
million mark sometime in February, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of
the release of Windows 2000.
"The 1 million server mark is strong feedback from our
customers that the Windows 2000 Server family is delivering the reliability and
business agility they need to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-paced digital
economy. We're delighted at the response from customers, as well as the growth
opportunity this represents for Microsoft," Microsoft president and CEO
Steve Ballmer said in a statement.
It has not been easy for Microsoft to reach this point.
Sales of Windows 2000 Server have lagged far behind that of Windows 2000
Professional, the desktop version of the OS, and Microsoft has been loathe to
release sales figures. Last December, analyst company IDC reported that Windows 2000 Server shipments
were picking up steam, and that by the end of 2001, they would account for 56
percent of total Windows Server shipments.
Although Microsoft has claimed since its release that 2000
Server sales were meeting expectations, it’s clear the company was disappointed
at the sluggish rate of adoption in corporate networks. Windows 2000 Server
is Microsoft’s answer to critics who have long claimed that Windows NT is not
scalable or reliable enough for mission-critical use in enterprises, and its
less than robust sales were a sore spot for Redmond.
In fact, those sales may have led to the departure of one
high-level executive within the company. As previously reported by ENT, Jim
Ewel, whose main responsibility was marketing Windows 2000 Server, quit the
company in January amid speculation that he may have been forced to leave due
to Microsoft’s unhappiness over sales figures. - Keith Ward
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.