It didn't take long for businesses to embrace Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Within 90 days of its April 2003 release, sales of the new operating system soared to a level three times that of Microsoft Windows 2000 at the same date milestone. Today, more than a year later, Microsoft industry partners report that the pace of deployments continues to increase, with platform upgrades from Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 sharply accelerating in recent months.

According to recent interviews with Microsoft partners, positive word of mouth from other IT professionals is frequently cited as motivation for customers to make the move to Windows Server 2003. Peer-to-peer testimonials from customers and partners confirm that the upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 is an investment that is often quickly repaid.

"It used to be that customers didn't want to be among the first to install new software," says Kevin Bento, president and founder of Netstream, a consulting and solutions provider based in New York City. "Their attitude was, 'Let someone else be the beta tester.' But with Windows Server 2003, the word on the street about the power of the platform has been very positive. Because of all the built-in features, Windows Server 2003 can deliver customers a return on investment right out of the box."

Partners report that the benefits of the new platform -- cost savings, improved security and enhanced performance -- as well as the coming phase-out of technical support for Windows NT Server 4.0, provide strong incentive for customers to make the move to Windows Server 2003, and to make it now.

Moving to a New Windows Server Delivers New Advantages
Windows NT Server 4.0 was released in 1996; the platform was new when the movie "Bridges of Madison County" heated up the silver screen, and modems blazed at baud rates of 28.8 kilobytes. With eight years of technological advances reflected in Windows Server 2003, former Windows NT Server 4.0 customers are finding that upgrading to Windows Server 2003 provides dramatic improvements in performance, security and efficiency.

"As part of our commitment to supply partners with the resources and opportunities to help them succeed, Microsoft is providing the tools and support to help make the migration from Windows NT Server to Windows Server 2003 as smooth as possible for our customers," says Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft. "Our goal is to continue to help partners educate their customers about the benefits of having Windows Server 2003 and ensure they have the resources available to meet this growing customer opportunity."