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Microsoft set to update BackOffice

Microsoft Corp. next week at Internet World Fall will officially launch BackOffice 4.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft Corp. next week at Internet World Fall will officially launch BackOffice 4.0, a collection of the latest updates to all of its server components.

BackOffice 4.0 will consist of NT Server 4.0, Exchange Server 5.5, SQL Server 6.5, Systems Management Server 1.2, SNA Server 4.0, and Internet Information Server 4.0. The 4.0 version -- which succeeds the current BackOffice 2.5 offering -- is expected to be released to manufacturing next week, according to sources close to Microsoft. The CD version of the integrated suite should be available to resellers and customers in the first quarter of 1998.

Microsoft also is enhancing Site Server, the Internet/intranet publishing and management of its BackOffice Enterprise Edition family. BackOffice EE currently consists of NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition, SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition, Exchange 5.5 Enterprise Edition, and Site Server 2.0 Enterprise Edition. The latter includes electronic commerce management and analysis capabilities, in addition to the basic Web deployment and management ones.

Microsoft is expected to release Beta 3 of Site Server 3.0 on the Web in the next week or two. The final shipping version of Site Server 3.0 is not expected until next spring.

Microsoft officials did not return calls for comment.

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