WebProNews

Microsoft announced it has acquired .NET software development company devBiz Solutions. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant plans to integrate devBiz's web client products into its Visual Studio 2005 Team System (VSTS).

Microsoft says the tools devBiz offers will benefit software architects, developers, testers and product managers by allowing multiple ways to access the Team Foundation Server (TFS).

"This has been one of the most consistent pieces of feedback we’ve had about the product," said Brian Harry, Distinguished Engineer for the Visual Studio Team System.

"This is where devBiz Business Solutions comes in. devBiz has a great reputation in the industry for providing a number of solutions and extensions for VSTS, with the primary focus on making access to TFS easier for non-users of Visual Studio 2005."

The acquisition allows Microsoft to offer Web clients for TFS by integrating devBiz's TeamPlain Web Access for Team System, a platform for managing work items and shared documents, accessing automated build and project management, and viewing report and source-control repositories from a Web interface.

Access via a Web client, says Harry, will help streamline the development process because it offers multiple access points.

"Consider for instance what happens when a lead developer is out of the office," he said, "and a request is made to review some code before it is checked in. Previously, this developer would have needed Team Explorer installed on the machine they were using.

"They can access TFS through a simple internet connection…reviewing code, updating work items or even accessing core components of their source control systems, such as comparing changesets."

The company says that users will be able to set security parameters at the server level, deciding which IP addresses can access what. Microsoft assures that Web client users will not be able to access business-critical information like source code and other sensitive information.

"The TeamPlain client also supports Windows Integrated Authentication and Forms Based authentication configurations, and requires no applets, or ActiveX components," he said. "There isn’t even anything to install on users’ computers."