New customer deployments, rising popularity and an expanding partner ecosystem demonstrate demand for a more scalable and sophisticated operating platform.

Microsoft, yesterday announced, changes in the way software is delivered to businesses and consumers are spurring strong demand from service providers for Microsoft hosting solutions, at HostingCon 2006.

Microsoft claims that it has seen the popularity of its solutions in the web server industry grow dramatically in the past year, driven by new customer deployments by such hosting providers as Intergenia AG in Germany and Portal Tone in South Korea. At the same time, Microsoft has also focused on expanding its partner ecosystem. In addition, software companies SWsoft, SMBLive Corp. and WebHost Automation have created new hosting applications for the Windows platform that enable service providers to offer more choices to their customers.

According to Microsoft, it has aligned its hosting group to enable service providers to capitalize on the changing market dynamics brought about by the SaaS model and to derive new revenue streams. Microsoft, through three solutions (Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration, Solution for Windows-based Hosting Version 4.0, and the Solution for Windows-based Hosting for Applications) provides the platform, tools and guidance necessary for service providers to develop and deploy SaaS-enabled applications and manage increasingly complex infrastructure.

John Zanni, Director of Worldwide Hosting at Microsoft, says, "In the past, both consumers and businesses created relatively simple sites with features such as photo albums and product displays. Today increasingly rich user experiences and almost unlimited bandwidth have driven demand for highly interactive applications delivered through the browser as a service."