Microsoft Corp. will ship Content Management Server 2002 by year’s end, adding new support for XML (Extensible Markup Language) content management and Web services, company executives will announce Tuesday at the start of the Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC).
The follow-on to Microsoft’s server software for managing content on the Internet and within intranets is designed around the .Net Framework, Microsoft’s products for building and running .Net applications and services, according to Chris Ramsey, a product manager in Microsoft’s .Net Enterprise Server group.
One key addition to the software is its integration with Microsoft Word. Users will be able to author content in a Word document with text and graphics and publish that content directly to Content Management Server 2002. In such a case, users will have an option in the File menu in Word that brings up a wizard to help format and set parameters for publishing content to the Web.
Developers should also have an easier time developing applications around Content Management Server 2002 compared with the current version of the product, Ramsey said. Microsoft has integrated many of the development tools for the server software into the Visual Studio .Net development environment.
Some customers have already started to roll out production intranets and Web sites using test versions of the software released in July, Microsoft said. JetBlue Airways Corp. is running its corporate portal on Content Management Server 2002. Volvo AB and Ford Motor Co. are also upgrading their consumer Web sites with the software, according to Microsoft.
The product plans for Content Management Server 2002 will be among several announcements from the Redmond, Wash., software maker at its annual MEC user show, taking place in Anaheim, Calif.. Paul Flessner, senior vice-president of Microsoft’s .Net server team, will deliver a keynote Tuesday detailing new features in Content Management Server 2002, as well as other products in the company’s line of enterprise server software.
Microsoft has already said that it will detail at MEC the next version of its Exchange server software, code-named Titanium. More news is also expected in regards to Microsoft Windows .Net Server 2003, which is due to reach customers early next year, according to the company.
MEC runs Tuesday through Friday. More information about the show can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/corpevents/mec2002/default.asp.