oTeKbits —2012 — Microsoft has launched the latest version of the world’s most widely deployed data platform, Microsoft SQL Server 2012 in Nigeria. The launch held at the prestigious Civic Centre in Lagos, Nigeria and had in attendance, professionals from diverse sectors of the economy including telecoms, banking, manufacturing and oil & gas.
Expanding on Microsoft’s commitment to help customers manage any data, regardless of size, both on-premises and in the cloud, SQL Server 2012 helps address the challenges of increasing data volumes by rapidly turning data into actionable business insights.
According to Worldwide Regional Public IT Cloud Services (2011 – 2015) forecast, digital data will grow 44 times over the next decade. So, whatever the type or size of data, SQL Server 2012 delivers the platform and familiar tools to manage data, generate actionable insights and help drive business impact. – Speaking at the launch, Olufemi George, Solutions Specialist, Microsoft Nigeria
Microsoft’s data platform has continued to advance and help us keep up with the evolving world of data. – Mr. Femi Oyenuga, Snr Manager, Enterprise Information Management, MTN Nigeria,
Highlight of the occasion was a panel sitting with speakers from companies such as Interswitch, Oando, MTN, etc. Reports by Forrester Consulting, a research firm, on the total economic impact and potential Return on Investment (ROI), confirms organisations might realise that by upgrading to the Microsoft SQL Server 2012, their server can deliver an anticipated ROI of between 149 percent and 189 percent with a projected 12-month payback period.
SQL Server 2012: Proven Capability
SQL Server 2012 has already been deployed for production use by hundreds of global, industry-leading customers, such as Volvo Car Corp., Revlon, the HSN, Sanofi Pasteur, Klout and LG Chemical. Customers choosing SQL Server 2012 enjoy the benefit of a rich hardware and software partner ecosystem that can create solutions for the most unique and demanding data management needs.
Tackling Big Data
IT research firm Gartner estimates that the volume of global data is growing at a rate of 59 percent per year, with 70 to 85 percent in unstructured form.* Furthering its commitment to connect SQL Server and rich business intelligence tools, such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPivot for Excel 2010 and Power View, with unstructured data, Microsoft announced plans to release an additional limited preview of an Apache Hadoop-based service for Windows Azure in the first half of 2012.
The company also disclosed additional details regarding its plans to release an Apache Hadoop-based service for Windows Azure. Since the first limited preview released in December, customers such as Webtrends and the University of Dundee are using the Hadoop-based service to glean simple, actionable insights from complex data sets hosted in the cloud. Customers interested in signing up for the latest preview should visit http://www.hadooponazure.com.
Continued Improvements, New Levels of Return on Investment
To help customers more cost-effectively manage their enterprise-scale workloads, Microsoft will release several new data warehousing solutions in conjunction with the general availability of SQL Server 2012, slated to begin April 1. This includes a major software update and new half-rack form factors for Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse appliances, as well as availability of SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse reference architectures for SQL Server 2012.
Microsoft and partners also announced that SQL Server 2012 has demonstrated new record-breaking performance benchmarks through partner- and Microsoft-led testing that underscores SQL Server’s ability to scale across the enterprise. Those interested can find more information about the announcements or download an evaluation copy of SQL Server 2012 at the SQL Server virtual press kit.
For more information, do get in touch with Editorial Contact – Olabisi Soleye (itg Communications for Microsoft Nigeria) E. bisi@itg-ng.com, T.08024723100, 08037188747
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