Microsoft has unveiled Windows Server System Common Engineering Roadmap, its strategy for delivering common services across Windows Server System software products.

The first part of the plan - the Common Engineering Criteria for 2005 - is a set of capabilities that are expected to be available in all Windows Server System products released after 1 January 2005.

A key element is the Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) Management Pack support, which will allow customers to use MOM 2005 to remotely manage and monitor Windows Server System servers.

The software giant also promised improved support for Windows Installer and Windows Update.

In 2005, all elements of Windows Server System will support these technologies, which will offer transaction capabilities so that IT organisations can quickly roll back the changes if necessary.

Andrew Lees, corporate vice president for server and tools marketing at Microsoft, said in a statement: "Hundreds of IT professionals tell me that the lack of integration across IT causes complexity, cost and pain, hindering their ability to focus on solving business problems proactively.

"The establishment of the Common Engineering Criteria will reduce the complexity of IT integration, and deliver a consistent set of server capabilities enabling IT professionals to do more with less.

"We believe that we are in a unique position to deliver this value to our customers."

Microsoft also unveiled a revamped Windows Server System Infrastructure Environment designed to provide guidelines, integration guidance, patterns and practices for building infrastructures based on Windows Server System.