Finally, Microsoft has realized it's position on virtualization in the Enterprise Datacenter is ancient!

It isn't just ancient, it is actually just plain stupid and short-sighted.  Thankfully, Microsoft has stepped up and reconciled this with the real world.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/32260

I do believe that this will help some companies finally make the push to VMWare for virtualization, but I think VMWare has such a battle on it's hands with Microsoft that Microsoft has just put down a move that might lead to a "checkmate" scenario in the future.  Unless VMWare can forge ahead, and stay far out in front of Microsoft with new Enterprise Datacenter features for higher availablity, lower power consumption, and the like, they will be crushed by just a war of attrition from Microsoft.  This move sets Microsoft up to just absorb all those VMWare customers when that War of Attrition finally wears them down.