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Can Microsoft System Center 2012 change the private datacenter?

Summary: Microsoft's revamped System Center 2012 looks to manage all your cloud needs from one unified interface.

David Chernicoff

By for Five Nines: The Next Gen Datacenter |

On Tuesday, Microsoft released new versions, as either release candidates or betas, of every component application that comprises the next generation of their comprehensive systems management package, Microsoft System Center 2012. Microsoft sees this new version of the product as redefining the way that private clouds are run. Despite the mix of RCs and betas, Microsoft expects the entire release version package to ship in the first half of 2012.

The eight components that make up System Center 2012 are:

App Controller (beta) - This application is designed to be a single point of control for applications across both private and public clouds. System administrators can both deploy and manage these applications through this interface.

Configuration Manager (RC)  - Microsoft completely redesigned the rule model of Configuration Manager for this release., It was a necessary change in order to support a broader range of devices, in including support for mobile devices running Android, iOS, and, of course, Windows Phone 7.

Data Protection Manager (beta) - DPM continues its real-time data protection capabilities and adds single-window management across security and other services.

Endpoint Protection (RC) - Improvements in the anti-malware, signature detection, vulnerability warning system, and a focus on user controls. In addition to those in place for device control

Operations Manager (RC) - The core product of the Systems Center line, Ops Manager provides centralized, single console management of your public and private cloud resources.

Orchestrator (RC) - management for process automation with hooks to the major automation player's management tools (IBM, BMC, EMC, CA, and most notably, VMware).

Service Manager (beta) - The primary tool for deploying services across your cloud infrastructure.

Virtual Machine Manager (RC) - With support for more than just Microsoft's basic hypervisor, VMM now also handles VMware, along with Xen and Azure.  It can combine capacity from all the different virtualizations into a single cloud.  As they are not the leading player in the VM market it makes sense to support alternatives to their own system.

Topics: Storage, Data Centers, Data Management, Microsoft

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6 comments
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  • RE: Can Microsoft System Center 2012 change the private datacenter?

    Microsoft should not support inferior products. IOs, hemmoroid, anf Linux are all inferior products Crapple only changed the name from OS x to IOs to fool people into believing their product was not a bad copy of Windows!
    Stephen-B
    Reply Vote

    • MS apparently disagrees

      @Stephen-B Whatever one's opinion, these things do, in fact, exist. They are in widespread use, and darn it if some of them aren't the most useful critters you could ever find.

      Either Microsoft supports other products or they move themselves in the direction of irrelevancy. I think they've made a very smart (and competitive) move here.

      I'm glad to see VMware in the mix, much easier to deal with than VMM in my opinion.
      pgit
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Can Microsoft System Center 2012 change the private datacenter?

        @pgit you cou8ldn't be more wrong, if you tried. Microsoft makes the best products. I love my 3 windows 7 computers, my two X-box 360s My Zune HD, and my 4 Windows Phone 7 phones. I am looking forward to getting my next Windows Phone 7 phone as soon as it's released. In fact I'm going to camp out overnight the day before it comes out. Why you ask? because it is the best phone ever made, and I want to make sure I get one, before they sell out in record time. Expect Nokia to sell 10 million Lumia 900s in the first three months, from there expect 100 million in the first yer. You'll see Windows Phone 7 catapult to the number 1 position, almost overnight.
        Stephen-B
        Reply Vote

      • win7 phone

        @pgit I'd only get a windows based mobile device myself. I'd have it for remote admin, and none of the alternatives have any of the apps I'd need.

        Either I'd need a completely unlocked, full version of Linux on the device, or windows. The latter is available, so if I ever get around to getting something "smart" and mobile it'll run windows.

        This article is about data center management, tho. MS realizes there's a lot of people out there using a lot of non-windows systems. I'm very interested in seeing this system center 2012 in operation...
        pgit
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Can Microsoft System Center 2012 change the private datacenter?

        @Stephen-B,
        Microsoft makes great products. They aren't the best in class at everything. Prior to Windows Phone 7, the mobile OS wasn't competitive with iOS or Android. Regardless, I would prefer that Microsoft continues to move towards a strategy of competing on the merit of each of their products and move away from a strategy of leveraging their current market position and exploiting it through vendor lock-in.
        bmonsterman
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Can Microsoft System Center 2012 change the private datacenter?

    @ Stephen B: ???In fact I'm going to camp out overnight the day before it comes out.??? That would be a funny sight. Waiting overnight for something all alone. It is called wannabe effect. btw, r u paid hourly or ???comment-ly??? U have posted in-awe-of-Microsoft comments on anything even remotely related to M$.
    Mike Dee
    Reply Vote
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