Microsoft previews two major products at Gitex 2005

The Microsoft stand at Gitex 2005, will feature Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft's core database solution, and Vision Studio 2005, the comprehensive .NET development tool. The stand will also include two demonstration areas that show how Microsoft technology can help organizations to go beyond conventional thinking for desktop and back office solutions.

The stand, located in the Sheikh Rashid Hall, will showcase solutions from Microsoft and many of its key partners from around the Middle East region. Microsoft's stand, which doubled in size last year, will feature even more space for demonstrations than in previous years. Microsoft will also have a major presence at the Gitex Computer Shopper Show, marking Microsoft's largest ever commitment to the show to date.

"Gitex provides an excellent platform to reach potential customers that we might not reach otherwise. Microsoft has been established in the Middle East for some time, and we have offices in almost every country in the region, including the state-of-the-art Microsoft Technology Center in Dubai, but Gitex gives us an opportunity to demonstrate the power of our solutions to attendees in a way that we cannot do through other means," said Ali Faramawy, Vice President, Microsoft EMEA.

Two special demonstration areas on the stand will illustrate how Microsoft solutions go beyond just product offerings. The first will show the New World of Work, which demonstrates how Microsoft solutions such as Office System, SharePoint Portal and Exchange can bring new ways of working to the office environment. There will also be a demonstration area dedicated to Operational Efficiency, which will showcase some of Microsoft's back office solutions, such as SQL Server, ISA Server and BizTalk Server, to give IT professionals an idea of how integrated Microsoft solutions can enable businesses to their enhance productivity and to offer better, more robust, services to their users.

"Microsoft is committed to the Middle East market," said Charbel Fakhoury, General Manager of Microsoft Gulf. "We are still seeing a very strong drive across the region from governments and leaders to harness the power of technology, and we are very pleased to be involved with some of the world-class e-government projects that have resulted from this drive. We also see more and more businesses in the region taking their technology solutions to the next level, looking to closer integration of solutions, and how they can leverage their technology investment to enhance business processes and creative a competitive advantage."