BizTalk Server 2010 was released just over a year ago now and has been the products most stable release to date (IMO). Yesterday Microsoft announced details of their next release, BizTalk Server 2010 R2.

From the product team blog:

BizTalk Server 2010 R2 will focus on three primary themes:

• Platform Support – Supporting new and current server and development platforms
• Improved B2B – Aligning with industry standards and continuing to invest in performance improvements
• Ready for the Cloud – Enabling customers to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing

BizTalk Server 2010 R2 will be delivered approximately 6 months following the release of Windows Server 8. Release timing for Windows Server 8 is yet to be announced and will be disclosed by the Windows Server team in the future

 

Platform Support	Improved B2B	Ready for the Cloud
New Platforms and Infrastructure Windows Server 8* SQL Server 2012* Increased Developer and IT Productivity Visual Studio 11* and Windows 8* to develop solutions In-place migration from BizTalk Server 2010 Extended Platform Integration DB2 client connectivity to SQL Server, conversion of commands to T-SQL, migration of packages to stored procedures Adapter connectivity to new data sources, including IBM Informix V11 and IBM IMS/DB V11	Agile Alignment to Industry Standards Regular updates to schemas, accelerators certifications and adapters. Highlights include: Healthcare: HIPPA 5010 extensions: 2777CA, 999, HL7 2.5.1 Finance: SWIFT SRG 2011 support, SWIFT SRG 2012, SWIFTNet 7.0 (new messaging platform) Improved Performance and Scalability HL7 MLLP adapter performance improvements Better performance with ordered send ports Enhanced scale out configuration with multiple hosts Expanded adapter options for faster batch processing	Extend on-premises solutions to the cloud Easily extend your on-premises BizTalk Server solution to the cloud in a secure manner Tighter integration of on-premises BizTalk Server applications with Windows Azure Service Bus Improved Licensing Adjustments to licensing that are geared towards cloud hosting, including: Purchase from a hoster on a monthly basis (SPLA) Register your existing license with a hoster (License Mobility)