Microsoft announces availability of Commerce Server 2002 beta

Microsoft Corporation has announced that Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 beta is now publicly available for testing and evaluation. Building on the success of Commerce Server 2000, Commerce Server 2002 is designed to enable rapid development of personalised sites and provide a highly scalable foundation for global e-commerce solutions.

"Commerce Server 2002, with its ability to tightly integrate with Visual Studio .NET, demonstrates Microsoft`s commitment to empowering developers with tools and products to build .NET-ready e-commerce sites," says Neil Isserow, product marketing manager at Microsoft South Africa.

"Commerce Server 2002 delivers everything an organisation needs to manage a global network of customers and trading partners, while providing the high performance and scalability necessary for today`s enterprise."

Commerce Server 2002 provides a broad set of tools, integrated with the .NET infrastructure, that allow developers to create powerful, secure and comprehensive e-commerce solutions, including:

* Global e-commerce support. Commerce Server 2002 provides enhanced catalogue features, support for multinational sites and powerful business analytics that enable sites to manage customers who use different languages and transact business using different currencies.

* Visual Studio .NET integration. The Commerce Server Developer Portal provides a suite of tools that are integrated with Visual Studio .NET and help jumpstart the development of .NET-based Commerce Server applications.

* Commerce Server 2002 .NET application framework. Commerce Server 2002 enables developers to create Commerce Server applications using ASP.NET and the .NET Framework with an Application Runtime, Base Class Library and Common Language Runtime Interoperability Layer, allowing ASP.NET applications to benefit from core Commerce Server services and systems.

* Enterprise performance, availability and management. Commerce Server 2002 delivers high performance and availability combined with powerful, easy-to-use management tools. Richer B2B catalogue capabilities; more granular user and data security; and faster, more manageable analytics empower business managers to rapidly respond to changing business needs.

The beta version of Commerce Server 2002 is immediately available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/. Commerce Server 2002 is scheduled to be released in June 2002. More information on Commerce Server 2000 also can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/.