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'Aurora,' 'Vail' Hit RC Stage

Microsoft took one step closer to general availability of Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and Windows Home Server 2011 today by issuing release candidates for both products.

Essentials had gone by the code-name "Aurora" while Home Server was referred to as "Vail."

In an e-mail statement announcing the release candidates, Microsoft described Aurora this way: "Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials provides a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution to help protect data, organize and access business information from virtually anywhere, support the applications needed to run a business and quickly connect to online services for e-mail, collaboration and CRM."

Of Vail, the statement said, "At home, the affordable and easy-to-use Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (WHS) is the ideal solution to help families keep their important digital files and PCs automatically backed up, organized, and accessible."

For a lot more detail on the capabilities and partner opportunities in the heavily online-dependent Aurora, check out J. Peter Bruzzese's RCP review of the Aurora beta back in October.

Meanwhile, RCP's Microsoft product roadmap, with detail on products across Microsoft's software and online services stack, has been updated for 2011.

Posted by Scott Bekker on February 03, 2011


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