ADCB leads the industry with early adoption of next generation Windows Server

Formed in 1985, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) began a radical programme in 2003 designed to make itself the foremost financial institution in the UAE and the wider GCC region. The key pillars of this regeneration are total and continuous commitment to serving customers through every tool available, including innovative use of technology and continuous investment in the skills and knowledge of all people at ADCB. ADCB has been named "Best bank in the UAE" by international finance magazine Euromoney at the 2007 Euromoney Awards for Excellence in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi this month.

Windows Server 2008 reached a significant milestone with the release of Beta 3, which is now publicly available to download and evaluate. Windows Server 2008, previously known as Windows Server codenamed "Longhorn", builds on the improved reliability and security of Windows Server 2003 R2 to help alleviate the pressures of rapidly changing technology, security concerns, increasing costs and expanding business needs by addressing the automation of daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability.

"We are constantly looking at technology providers to help deliver solutions based on our business priorities and we strive to implement innovative technologies that will place our institution one step ahead of the competition," Said Lee North, Head of IT, ADCB.

"Our commitment to the early adoption of Windows Server 2008 reflects the added value that this new technology will bring to our institution and will help us adapt rapidly to changing business needs. We believe that this will enable us to deliver services quicker, more reliable and secure."

According to Microsoft internal research, approximately 70 percent of an IT budget is devoted to daily management tasks, indicating a high demand for services such as help desk, infrastructure health monitoring, systems and update management. Windows Server 2008 helps simplify administration tasks via improving event logging, task scheduling, enhanced remote management and the powerful scripting capabilities.

"Customers and partners will find we made some vast improvements in Windows Server 2008 to help them reduce costs and adapt to changing business needs," said Desmond Nair, Business Group Manager, Microsoft Gulf, "We offer early adopter programs to a select group of our best customers. ADCB was a natural choice as they are a premier financial institution in the region, constantly looking to use technology to provide enhanced services to their customers."

Windows Server 2008 also features innovative security technologies that help prevent future attacks by helping reduce the server footprint and potential attack surface with the new Server Core installation option, and by providing ongoing health monitoring and compliance through new features such as Microsoft Network Access Protection (NAP,) Read-Only Domain Controllers and the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.

Many have hailed Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 as an important step towards the future of IT infrastructure management in data centers.