With SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and Visual Studio at its core, the Microsoft Application Platform is a well-integrated suite of core capabilities and products that enable SaaS development.

Provides the core mission-critical operating system functionality expected in a demanding SaaS environment.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 offers an integrated portfolio of collaboration and communication services designed to connect people, information, processes, and systems both within and beyond the organizational firewall. It has been designed such that collaboration and lightweight business applications can be easily, rapidly, and cost-effectively deployed. Windows SharePoint Services includes 41 application templates—and that number is growing—tailored to address the needs and requirements for specific business scenarios, such as project management, document management and collaboration, business process management, customer interaction management, campaign management, and incident management, among others. These templates can solve many business needs right out of the box; they can be customized, or new applications can be built, with tools such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 or the Microsoft Visual StudioŽ development system, enabling even more sophisticated Microsoft ASP.NET–compatible solutions.

Provides an integrated, modular, and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)-based family of systems management solutions optimized for dynamic IT management. It consists of many subsystems, including Configuration Manager, Operations Manager, Reporting Manager, Data Protection Manager and Capacity Planning Manager.

Delivers a comprehensive set of modular but integrated systems and services to develop operational efficiencies and enable ISVs to shorten their time-to-market for an SaaS offering.