Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 offers a lower cost, Microsoft-centric alternative to VMware's sophisticated server virtualization products, which help firms consolidate server hardware and ease some server administration tasks. But firms shouldn't get suckered into a feature function or price shootout — the real contest here is to see which vendor's product will integrate better with data center automation solutions that slash the costs of managing lots of OSes, whether they are virtual or physical.