Microsoft talks up ecommerce future

Microsoft announced a raft of new products, services and partnerships for its ecommerce business at a press conference in San Francisco yesterday. Chief operating officer, Robert Herbold, said: "Our goal is to enable ecommerce for a million new businesses."

The company will release Microsoft Commerce Server as an update to its Site Server Commerce Edition 3.0 to make it easier for businesses to build more sophisticated Web sites. The platform will also include a Microsoft BizTalk Server with tools and services to help companies share data.

Microsoft said BizTalk support in its expanded commerce platform would allow tighter integration of promotional services with its portal MSN - so companies have better access to customers.

The software giant also announced the start of Microsoft Passport, a scheme designed to allow faster, more secure consumer transactions online. The company said the single sign-in, registration and electronic wallet services would provide improved secure online purchasing and personalised content.

During the conference, enterprise software giant SAP announced it will work closely with Microsoft to develop new content specifications for ecommerce. The collaboration will focus on developing new XML specifications for the SAP Business Framework and BizTalk framework and develop business document interchange between SAP and Microsoft applications.

Microsoft chairman and CEO, Bill Gates, concluded: "We think everyone can be drawn into this because the Internet is the ultimate marketplace."