The D-spot

Windows 7 is the NEW Desktop Operating System around. Recently we hosted an event about “Managing the Dynamic Desktop”. This seminar not only listed many of the new features and functionality that are included in Windows 7 but also answered many deployment questions. Some of them were “how do I know which deployment system is best-suited for my organization?” and “how can I certify this to be my final mass deployment”

 The result can be found here:

http://seminar.the-d-spot.org/Windows 7 Presentation_part1.pdf

http://seminar.the-d-spot.org/Windows 7 Presentation_part2.pdf

In an older post on The D Spot we announced MDOP 2009 R2. As of today the product is available for MDOP customers. You can download MDOP 2009 R2 through Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS).  For others who wish to evaluate MDOP products, the MDOP software is available at MSDN and TechNet (in accordance with your MSDN or TechNet agreements, except for AIS).

If you’re not using MDOP, we recommend you take another look because it can provide immediate savings with little IT investment, especially when integrated into your Windows 7 plans. For example:

• By using Application Virtualization, you can optimize your Windows 7 deployment by reducing PC provisioning time, simplifying application delivery and update, and increasing productivity with user roaming
• You can enhance your Windows 7 manageability by addressing common system/application failures (with DEM), repairing unbootable PCs (with DaRT), and controlling Group Policy change (with AGPM).

Beyond MDOP 2009 R2, the MDOP roadmap includes:

1. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) V 1.0 SP1 – This updated tool will support Windows 7 and enable enterprise deployment of virtual Windows XP environments to support incompatible applications. A Beta version of MED-V 1.0 SP1 will be available by the end of 2009 and final release is scheduled for the first quarter of calendar year 2010.
2. Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0 – AIS 2.0 can track your existing assets to improve Windows 7 deployment planning and will have a series of enhancements that customers have requested: Enhanced hardware inventory, new Silverlight-based user interface, scale to 100,000 PCs, improved volume license reconciliation and ability to track virtual applications. The AIS 2.0 beta is now available (registration closes by October 24th) and the final release will be available in H2 CY2010.

Encouraging feedback

Already MDOP has been licensed for over 21 million desktops worldwide and more customers are looking forward to MDOP 2009 R2 and Windows 7! Below are a few quotes from some of our top customers who are seeing real and immediate value with MDOP:

BMW completed a proof of concept of application delivery with Application Virtualization. “We expect cost savings on desktop support once we start deploying App-V with Windows 7,” said Mr. Bernhard Huber, Head of IT Workplace Systems at BMW. “We are also considering AGPM [Advanced Group Policy Management] and MED-V [Enterprise Desktop Virtualization] at a later stage of Windows 7 deployment.”

Heinz Koehler, VP of Infrastructure for E.O.N., Power and Gas Company with 85,000 desktops that are being upgraded to Windows 7, talks about MDOP: “We also expect to use App-V to help reduce the packaging and testing costs of applications and use MED-V to help resolve any application compatibility issues.”

“…MDOP, specifically App-V, has been a hidden gem our customers have found to help them quickly deploy, and then easily manage and maintain their applications in an efficient manner.  In an economy when they are being asked to do more with less, the timing couldn’t have been better for MDOP 2009 R2 to help our clients meet their IT initiatives…,” said Rand Morimoto, President of Convergent Computing.

In addition, Answers Research recently surveyed 1000 IT pros across five countries (commissioned by Microsoft) and we found out that:

• 66% of MDOP customers deployed three or more of the MDOP products
• 52% of them deployed MDOP across more than half of their PCs
• 94% of MDOP customers said they would recommend MDOP to a colleague
• When comparing MDOP and non-MDOP customers, customer satisfaction with Software Assurance increases by 25%

To sum up, MDOP 2009 R2 is available today and it’s there to help you save money and reduce complexity, especially with your Windows 7 deployment.

Source: The Official MDOP Blog and Windows Team Blog.

Microsoft announced that Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 R2 will be released in late October 2009 and will add Windows 7 support for all components, except for MED-V.  Server and management components will support Windows 2008 R2.

Microsoft is promising that the new MDOP tools will have management components that support Windows Server 2008 R2, which was released to manufacturing on Sept 14 and available through MSDN as we speak.  In addition, all of the components in MDOP 2009 R2, except for MED-V, will support Windows 7.  Microsoft expects to add Windows 7 support in MED-V when it releases MED-V 1.0 Service Pack 1 sometime in the “first quarter of calendar year 2010″, according to the blog.

MDOP employs six innovative technologies to increase desktop manageability, reduce TCO, and improve overall infrastructure satisfaction:

• Application Virtualisation. Deploy software applications that are never installed and never require regression testing, yet follow users anywhere, on demand.

• Advanced Group Policy Manager. Help IT take control of the desktop through effective change management, versioning and resets.

• Asset Inventory Service. Scan software inventory and transform title data into information that can help administrators make better asset-management decisions.

• Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset. Quickly repair unbootable or locked-out systems, restore lost data, remove malware from infected systems and diagnose problems.

• Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (MED-V). Enhance deployment and management of Virtual PC images on a desktop running the Windows operating system. Simultaneously provide a seamless user experience on a virtual PC environment independent of the local desktop configuration and operating system.

• Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring. Prevent or reduce the response time for system crashes and freezes with granular error filtering and automated alerts.

With its virtualization technologies and manageability components, MDOP 2009 R2 is an essential part of your Windows 7 planning and deployment strategy.
This is a great opportunity to highlight the key innovations of MDOP 2009 R2 and talk about how MDOP can help you rapidly migrate to Windows 7, deploy applications with greater ease, resolve application incompatibility, and reduce desktop management costs.

Full Article on The Official MDOP Blog.