SeeBeyond Migration: Frequently Asked Questions

Lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). BizTalk Server reduces the cost and complexity of automating and managing business processes with a single, unified solution for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Business-to-Business integration (B2Bi), and Business Process Management (BPM). With the Windows Server System integrated server infrastructure, Microsoft has helped companies reduce the cost and complexity associated with building applications and managing information technology (IT) environments. BizTalk Server builds on this platform, providing companies with a unified environment for business process automation and integration. The product also delivers business process management capabilities through Microsoft Office System to empower business users with better insight to design and monitor key business processes. This integrated infrastructure is the unique value Microsoft provides customers in building business process automation solutions.

Enhanced productivity through integrated management and development tools. BizTalk Server provides IT professionals with a common administration management environment based on Windows Server System, which allows them to more easily manage and monitor business processes across the extended enterprise. This single, unified management environment expedites business process optimization and empowers IT professionals to deliver more solutions to the business and at a lower cost. Tight integration with Visual Studio empowers developers to rapidly build critical business process automation solutions that orchestrate Web services to connect applications, people, or systems. Delivering this capability to developers enables more manageable business processes that require less code and deliver greater flexibility.

Greater benefit to the business user. With access to information in real time through Microsoft Office, business users can initiate business process designs and actively analyze and optimize them all within a familiar environment, such as in Microsoft Office Excel and Visio. This ensures that empowered business users have visibility into the health and status of business processes as well as access to business process data. BizTalk Server 2006 extends business user capabilities introduced in BizTalk Server 2004, including the new Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) features that now deliver real-time support for business activity subscriptions and alerts. Additionally, the product includes customizable out-of-the-box BAM portal capabilities built on Microsoft ASP.NET technology.