I don’t often blog here about the enterprise side of Microsoft though for digital media delivery it’s hard to beat Windows Server in terms of cost or scalability. Then comes news that Windows Server 2008 just got a Five-Star Rating from eWeek Labs, noting even "Faster" and "Slimmer":
The new Windows Server boasts a set of networking enhancements that dramatically boost file serving performance, and the product can be deployed in a new, stripped-down Server Core configuration, which significantly reduces the attack surface of systems hosting certain Windows Server roles.
Toss in a more modular and securable Web server in IIS (Internet Information Services) 7.0, Microsoft’s new hypervisor-based virtualization functionality and a host of management enhancements, and Windows Server 2008 merits eWEEK Labs’ Analyst’s Choice designation.
Congratulations to the Windows Server team- this is a huge feat. And for those in the digital media biz, be sure to check out Windows Media Services 2008 and the IIS7 Media Pack, both blogged about and available from Chris Knowlton’s blog here.
Why does this all matter? Fact is most video-serving sites are pigs when it comes to responsible use of Internet bandwidth. The average clip is about 5 mins in length, and only 20 seconds are watched, though most users receive the entire file. With the IIS7 Media Pack, all forms of digital audio and video – even QT, MOV, and FLV/SWF can benefit from the Intelligent Bit Rate Throttling built in. You’ll be hearing more about these features at MIX in a few short weeks.
eWeek: Windows Server 2008 Is Microsoft`s Leanest, Meanest Yet