Microsoft has announced the first public beta release of its BizTalk Server 2009 enterprise connectivity software, which can take advantage of virtualization and enhanced failover clustering featured in Windows Server 2008. Virtualization is enabled by Windows Server 2008’s Hyper-V virtualization. Clustering capabilities let BizTalk be deployed in multi-site clustering environments without additional software or hardware. The product offers scalability and reliability through its support of Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 database. BizTalk Server also can connect with Oracle’s E-Business Suite. The general release of BizTalk Server 2009 is due in the first half of 2009.

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