Compare Windows to UNIX

Enterprise Abilities for Mission-Critical Needs

Windows Server Meets the Demands of Mission Critical Workloads No matter what business you are in, certain applications and systems are vital to the daily operation and long-term success of your enterprise. E-mail, databases, and other business applications require the most reliable, scalable, and secure operating system platform to achieve maximum performance and reliability. To support these important workloads, Microsoft has developed Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition as the premier operating system for running your mission-critical applications. This release includes new features that improve system: Reliability Scalability Security In addition, Microsoft’s investments in management and interoperability solutions help customers build and maintain more productive systems. Microsoft System Center is a family of leading IT management solutions that help you proactively plan, deploy, manage, and optimize your IT environment. These enterprise class tools build on the built-in, easy to use management tools that are integrated into all Microsoft server products. Since virtually all enterprise datacenters have a diverse set of platforms and applications, a true enterprise platform must provide for cross-platform interoperability. Interoperability has long been a feature of Microsoft’s technologies, achieved through extensive work with customers, partners, competitors, governments, and standards-setting organizations. The resources below provide more detailed information on Microsoft’s vision for addressing enterprise ability needs and highlight several customers who have selected Windows Server over UNIX or mainframes to achieve superior reliability, scalability, security, manageability and interoperability.


	UNIX White Papers and Resources Overview of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition Microsoft Windows Server R2 Enterprise Edition is the premier platform for business-critical applications. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition builds on the standard features found in the Windows Server 2003 R2 family by adding features designed to increase the reliability scalability, security, and manageability of enterprise applications. Read the Report Running Mission-Critical Applications on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition E-mail, databases, and other business applications require the most reliable, scalable, and secure operating system platform to achieve maximum performance and reliability. To support these important workloads, Microsoft has developed Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition as the premier operating system for your mission-critical applications. Read the Report Migrating Business-Critical Applications from UNIX to Windows and Itanium 2-Based Servers Ideas International (January 2006): Learn how Itanium 2-based platforms offer you maximum scalability and flexibility for Windows Server workloads. Read the Report Scalable Windows Servers for the Datacenter IDC (March 2006): The Windows computing environment has matured in many ways in recent years, allowing workloads that formerly ran on other operating environments to move to Windows systems. Read the Report UNIX Interoperability in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 extends the Windows Server 2003 operating system by providing smooth interoperability with UNIX-based systems. Read the Report Case Studies Sony Ericsson Migrates SAP from UNIX to Windows Server, Boosts Reliability, Cuts Cost Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, decided to migrate its SAP system to Microsoft Windows-based servers running on Intel Itanium2-based computers. As a result, reliability is up, with the company saving a day per year in unplanned downtime. Read the Case Study RadioShack Improves Reliability and Security, and Saves Millions of Dollars by Moving to Windows After an extensive evaluation, RadioShack replaced its UNIX servers with Microsoft Windows Server software for its point-of-sale (POS) servers. The results are improved security and reliability for entire POS environment and cost savings through a reduction in servers and simplified management. Read the Case Study Rayovac Chooses Windows for Lower Cost of Ownership, Better Reliability, Less Risk Read how Rayovac chose Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to run its SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO) solution, not only saving Rayovac just under $1 million but also minimizing risk and ensuring reliability by utilizing existing processes, skill sets, and technology partners. Read the Case Study Watch the Video


	Mainframe White Papers and Resources Overview of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition Microsoft Windows Server R2 Enterprise Edition is the premier platform for business-critical applications. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition builds on the standard features found in the Windows Server 2003 R2 family by adding features designed to increase the reliability scalability, security, and manageability of enterprise applications. Read the Report Microsoft Operations Framework for Legacy Modernization This document provides a bridge between established best practices in the mainframe environment and those in an environment based on the Windows operating system. Read the Report Understanding ESM Tools and Processes Between the Mainframe and Windows Server Robert Frances Group (October 2006) Enterprise systems management (ESM) is a method for modeling and monitoring business systems and practices to determine the overall health of a system or application. This paper describes the differences in ESM between the mainframe and the Windows Server operating system. Read the Report A Comparison Between IBM CICS RACF Security and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Security Find out how the security of Microsoft Windows Server System compares with the security of IBM Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) and its third-party alternatives. Read the Report Disaster Recovery: Mainframe vs. Windows—Dispelling the Myths Robert Frances Group (August 2006) Disaster recovery is a critical consideration in comparisons of mainframe and Windows-based systems. Read the Report Case Studies Ameren UE Callaway Nuclear Plant Sees Mainframe-level Reliability Saves $1 Million with Move to Windows The IBM OS390 mainframe was running fine at AmerenUE's Callaway nuclear power plant but executives sensed that the inflexibility of mainframe technology would position them poorly for the future. So they migrated and consolidated 50 mainframe applications to an infrastructure based primarily on the Windows Server operating system. Read the Case Study CheckFree Chooses Windows and Nets 24 Percent Lower TCO over Linux for IBM Mainframe Migration In one of its core businesses, CheckFree was using IBM zSeries mainframe computers, but it sought to lower cost per transaction without sacrificing performance or availability. CheckFree chose a Microsoft solution for one of its next-generation platforms, finding that it delivered 14 percent faster performance and an anticipated 24 percent lower TCO while delivering levels of system reliability that are the hallmark of its business. Read the Case Study Watch the Video Scandinavian Airlines Gets Mainframe-Class Data Warehouse with Windows SAS replaced its IBM DB2 system with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Windows Server 2005. The new solution provides mainframe-class processing power and reliability without the high purchase and operating costs of proprietary technologies. Read the Case Study