Microsoft .Net Case

Sample Case Report

Microsoft .NET Case

This report is provided as a sample to illustrate the level of work and research required, as well as the format of a case report. Obviously, the content of the report is not relevant for us. The report is a little longer than the required maximum of 3 pages (with additional material in appendices).

Case Study: Microsoft .NET

Not until recently, the phrase .NET has been used to describe everything from a “vision for the future” to a family of products and services and even individual technologies. This paper provides a brief review of what exactly is .NET, followed by an investigation of the promises it holds and how it compares with its other alternative вЂ" Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE).

(A) Provide an Overview of the Microsoft .NET Platform based on web research

Microsoft .NET is a set of software technologies designed to connect information, people, systems, and devices . . The diagram below illustrates a more comprehensive view of the components that make up .Net . It consists of:

• Smart clients вЂ" that include PCs and devices (of various form factors вЂ" tablets, handhelds, etc.) capable of accessing data and services anywhere, anytime, any means. Examples include Windows CE.NET, XP, XP Embedded, and any other client capable of using XML web services or equipped with a browser.

• Applications вЂ" that can run on any platform communicating through XML web services to retrieve data or invoke methods. They could be VB applications running on Windows or Java applications on Linux.

• Developer tools, such as Microsoft Visual Studio.NET, that provides an easy, truly object-oriented integrated rapid application development environment for programming with the .NET Framework.

• .NET Framework вЂ" a programming model that enables easy development of Web-based applications, smart client applications, and XML Web services. The focus is on server side programming that leverages on standard protocols such as HTTP, SOAP and WSDL. This is orchestrated by UDDI services, authentication services (Passport) and translation services (BizTalk) to provide a secure and comprehensible interface to other businesses.

• Server Platform вЂ" the basic building block that supports the hosting and operation of the .NET framework and all .NET services. This includes Windows 2000 Server, Application Center and Windows Server 2003 (to be launched on April 26, 2003).

• A set of .NET Enterprise Servers (recently renamed as Windows Server System) вЂ" including Microsoft SQL Server, Sharepoint Portal Server, Content Management Server, Mobile Information Server, Internet Security and Acceleration Server, Commerce Server, Host Integration Server, Exchange Server, and BizTalk Server вЂ" that provides a portfolio of infrastructure building blocks for integrating systems, data, applications, and processes. For example, Exchange provides a set of calendaring web services that enables collaborative scheduling.

• .NET Foundation Services вЂ" this is a commonly used set of services that applications can build on. Examples include Microsoft Passport services for authentication and .NET alerts for customer notification.

• Third Party Web Services вЂ" this can be provided by any industry player. Examples range from map services (such as MapPoint) to supply chain integration services.

Source: Microsoft Developer’s Network (MSDN)

Putting the components together, .NET can achieve business-to-business linkups, system-to-systems integration and people-to-people interaction. These are all built on industry standards such as SOAP, UDDI, XML and ODBC. In addition, the emphasis on development tools improves the speed and ease of programming in the .NET framework. The framework remains extensible by adding enterprise servers from Microsoft that performs specific functions. Also, anyone can extend the portfolio of services and applications вЂ" eventually building a connected web of services. Therefore, .NET can achieve greater flexibility (theoretically) and improve adaptability to business changes.

(B) Is the Microsoft .NET Platform “Vaporware”?

The positioning and branding of .NET has changed since its inception. But the underlying technologies have remained very much the same. We investigate the evolution and context which .NET evolved followed by a close look at the technological offerings it brought about.

Confusion and Evolution

Before .NET, Microsoft’s strategies in the post-Internet era have not made substantial differences in the practices of most Internet companies. Innovations that have mattered have been product-specific and functional. Microsoft was lagging behind in terms of server-side and web-based development capabilities.

When .NET was first introduced, its meaning differed internally and externally. Internally it represented a strategy and positioning that is able to rally the different (and sometimes competing) departments in Microsoft to work together towards a common vision and objective. Externally, it meant a new set of tools and technology that would enable a fully connected and interoperable web of services and businesses. These messages resulted in an unclear definition of whether .NET was a strategy, a product, a framework or just extensive marketing. Further evidence was seen in whitepapers where .NET was described in all encompassing manners. Leading to more confusion was that multiple product lines also carried the .NET brand name. Because Microsoft itself was confused, we can certainly see why everyone else was confused as well. Recently, with a more consistent definition, though still rather broad in scope, the idea has become clearer. Till today, Microsoft has been working to clear up the confusion.

To some the confusion seemed deliberate to certain extent. At the time when .NET was launched, the threat posed by Netscape and the browser was fading but Microsoft was faced with competition from Java as well as anti-trust issues . Therefore, .NET was positioned as a future platform, separate and distinct from Windows. This allowed Microsoft to compete effectively with Java (using the Windows name would have been a handicap), and served as a “Plan