A TFS (Team Foundation Server) is a server software developed by Microsoft that allows developers to make the process of developing and managing video studio projects more efficient and easier. Microsoft first developed this software for their programmers that crank out and maintain large amounts of complex code. Now their offering the same software they use to other developers out there. This software includes features that will aid developers in defect tracking, work item tracking, version control, build management, data collection, and reporting. The developers “Team Project Portal” access all these features, which also is the central point of communication.

Setting up your own hosted team foundation server will probably just give you a headache. To begin with you need Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or Windows Server 2008 just to run the software. Second, the TFS software costs around $3,000 US dollars. Third, the Microsoft server must have IIS 6 or 7 and SQL Server 2005 SP1 or later. On the bright side it does support both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

A good option for most people is to look into tfs hosting from a trusted company such as Phase2.com, a trusted SaaS (software as a service) solution. Their IT people are among the best in the world that deal with high-end business software. You’re guaranteed to get a good hosted tfs through them.