Microsoft BizTalk is one of the sleeper products in the Microsoft Windows Server family. BizTalk is at the core of Microsoft’s Business Process Automation (BPA) solutions and – with the release of BizTalk Server 2006 – is maturing nicely.
One of my investments – Oxlo Systems – has built its products for the auto industry on top of BizTalk and has had great success with the BizTalk Server platform. Microsoft recently wrote up a nice case study on Oxlo and what they’ve done using BizTalk. Oxlo has received a lot of help and support from Microsoft – both the BizTalk product team, the vertical sales organization, and Microsoft’s Emerging Business Team (lead by Dan’l Lewin.)
Scott Maxwell – a partner at Insight Venture Partners – has an extensive post up about Microsoft’s Emerging Business Team. Scott and I sit on the Microsoft EBT VC Advisory Board, along with several other VCs – and have watched Microsoft continue to increase and improve their focus on working with and helping VC-backed companies. Oxlo is one good example of where it is working.