Efem Nkanga
12 March 2008
Lagos — Microsoft, software giants have unveiled a first of its kind heroes theme and three new solutions that will redefine how large companies and governments use and manage their widespread computer networks.
The simultaneous launch of the three new solutions in Lagos, windows server 2008, visual studio 2008 and SQL server 2008 was part of a global event billed as the largest from Microsoft in its over 30 years history of making softwares.
Microsoft's Director of marketing and launch manager for the 2008 launch wave, Mr. Joseph Landes at the occasion described the launch as Microsoft's biggest launch event ever. He stated that "With our plan to reach more than 1 million I.T professionals, this will be the biggest developer outreach in the history of Microsoft"
Landes pointed out that present I.T research showed that 80% is spent on maintenance while innovation is 20%. "We want to flip that equation and we want to help businesses spend only 20% on maintenance and 80% on innovation. This will enhance their performance massively as well as their valve proposition" Mr. Landes also highlighted "the Dynamic I.T initiative of Microsoft under which we created the infrastructure optimization model. We want to get businesses to more I.T from a basis level to a dynamic level where I.T is a strategic asset and component of the business"
Ejike Maduka- Ezeadiugwu, Marketing Manager for Microsoft Nigeria Enterprise Partner Group(EPG) at the launch described the heroes theme christened "Heroes Happen Here" as a global theme that takes out time to recognise and appreciate unseen and unheard heroes behind the scene who have worked over time to put businesses on the front burner of relevance. Information technology (IT) professionals and managers, executives and senior public officials responsible for IT, and people who develop software applications for particular needs were singled outfor honor at the dual event that attracted the best of IT in the country.
According to Ezeadiugwu "Under the theme of 'Heroes Happen Here', we bring these landmark solution to Nigeria to help people secure their information, manage their networks more efficiently and ensure their users deliver better results."
"Heroes Happen Here" is our way of putting the spotlight on the customers, the partners and the users who take these technologies and make a significant impact every single day". She added that "It could be making a business run more smoothly, it could be helping Government to deliver better services to citizens, or it could be someone developing a piece of software to meet a specific, local need; these are all ways that IT professionals are heroes in their everyday work"
Microsoft's creation and launch of these software solutions is based on feedback from IT professionals who say they spend too much time and money managing existing systems and not enough investing in new capabilities that give them a strategic business advantage.
"That feedback is at the core of the new developments in this new wave of products,"said Maduka Ezeadiugwu.
"Already, the response from IT professionals and developers around the world is that this is the most secure enterprise platform that Microsoft has ever delivered. They say it will simplify network management and enable IT professionals to focus more on driving their businesses forward."
Much as Windows Vista SPI drives desktop personal computer, window server 2008 is the operating system that drives the servers that sit at the heart of a large-scale computer network.
Microsoft also celebrated a Nigerian hero, Niyi Omotoyinbo of 1st Intellit Solutions. He is West and Central Africa's only Microsoft Most Valuable Partner (MVP) for server infrastructure- putting him in prime position to roll out Windows server 2008and train customers on how best to maximize the use of the product.
Niyi has no small job at hand as he brings Windows server 2008 to Nigerian enterprises. And one such enterprise's efficient operation can, quite literally, mean the difference between life and death for the hundreds of thousands of tourists and business people who make use of Nigerian Airspace-
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). Key to NAMA's efficient operation is its ability to communicate effectively, both externally to aircraft and internally between various branch offices scattered across Nigeria. Also, a critical component of NAMA;s operations is the ability to run a stable and secure network.
According to Ogochukwu Ifeanyi, the ICT Manager at NAMA, the highly sensitive nature of flight planning, air navigation and air traffic control- particularly in today's security conscious post- 9/11 climate- meant that strict security measure were needed for internal and external customers and users.
"We realized quickly that we needed a strong and secure identity and access management solution, as well as strict and policy enforcement for our entire network, 'says Ifeanyi.
"To this extent," Omotoyinbo said, "NAMA will be making wide use of the enhanced Network Access Protection features of Windows server 2008- helping to maintain a healthy network environment by protecting it from outside security threats and 'unhealthy' PCs that may be connected to the network.
"Windows server 2008 will help NAMA do more with less technology investment- reducing the overall technology overheads and increasing productivity and the organisation's ability to deliver a quality service to its customers- the very people who rely on NAMA to ensure that they depart and arrive safely from airports across Nigeria," Omotoyinbo added.
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