Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the Management and Security Division at Microsoft, took the stage this morning to kick-off the first day of the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas. 

Anderson delivered the opening keynote to nearly 5,000 IT professionals, highlighting how customers around the world are already using System Center 2012, available today for evaluation and purchase, to move faster, save money and better compete with Microsoft private cloud.  Anderson also spoke to how IT professionals can evolve their role as cloud innovators, which he further detailed in a blog post today.  A replay of his keynote is available here.

News highlights include:

  • System Center 2012 is generally available now for evaluation and purchase.
  • The Walsh Group, EmpireCLS and Apartments.com are betting on the Microsoft private cloud and System Center 2012 today to more nimbly and cost effectively deliver applications to employees and customers.
  • Windows Server “8” has been officially named Windows Server 2012.  The new “cloud optimized OS,” due out later this year, will make the Microsoft private cloud even more powerful. 

Additional news from MMS 2012:

  • New Microsoft Certification Program for the Cloud:  Following the announcement from Microsoft Learning on April 11th, changes were made to the Microsoft Certification Program to help address the growing skills gap in the IT industry and new job roles in the cloud.  Program changes will help technology professionals and developers gain the skills they need to plan, design, implement, and operate cloud and hybrid solutions today and into the future.  At MMS, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) private cloud exams will be offered free to all attendees.  Go here to learn more.
  • System Center Advisor, Microsoft’s cloud service that enables IT professionals to assess server configuration and proactively avoid problems, has been updated to support SharePoint and Exchange.  Additional details are available here.
  • Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track Partners deliver solutions with System Center 2012:
    • Dell: Dell announced enhanced systems and systems management solutions for System Center 2012. Check out the Direct2Dell blog for more information.
    • HP VirtualSystem: HP announced HP Virtual System VS3 for Microsoft with support for System Center 2012. Visit HP’s blog for more information.
    • Cisco, Fujitsu, EMC and Hitachi are also delivering Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track solutions with System Center 2012.

For more information on MMS 2012 news, please visit the Microsoft News Center.  Customers can find out more about Microsoft’s private cloud solutions here.  The conversation on Twitter can be followed at #MMS2012.