On Tuesday, a System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 was launched by Microsoft. Through the launch of this Virtual Machine Manager, Microsoft added another key component to its virtualization arsenal. 

All important virtualization management pieces of Microsoft's strategy can be handled by Virtual Machine Manager 2008, and it has been learnt that Microsoft has spent much of 2008 deciding as to how the software could manage both Hyper-V and VMware's ESX hypervisor, as well as physical servers, through a single interface. 

“Virtual Machine Manager 2008's ability to manage VMware environments is a key selling point for Microsoft. When you look at VMware's market share, it makes a lot of sense, because Microsoft has to do something to gain a foothold,” reported Kevin Baylor, principal at Aequus IT, a solution provider in Bradenton, Fla. 

As of now, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 is available for evaluation. From 1st November, SCVMM 2008 will be available for $1,304, that also has two years of Software Assurance, a volume licensing contract during which companies have access to new software and can spread payments over a three-year period.