Hello IT Pros!

February 27 is a big day.  Windows Server 2008 will be officially launching in Los Angeles with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, kicking off in just a few hours. 

In support of this very important technology milestone as well as the Windows Vista SP1 release, the Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team has just released the third-generation of the agent-less infrastructure assessment platform called Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator 3.0 (or simply MAP).  Through the use of remote WMI calls and secure inventory engines, the MAP tool enables you to quickly inventory a wide variety of networks (AD-managed, IP ranges, and workgroups), securely assess IT environments of servers, desktops, applications and devices, and auto-generate specific and actionable reports and proposal documents in a matter of hours.

Expanding from the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment code base, this new tool now enables users to generate the following assessment reports and proposals for server and desktop OS migration as well as virtualization projects.

• Windows Vista SP1 OS migration - hardware and device compatibility, applications inventory, BIOS compatibility, and upgrade recommendations
• Microsoft Office 2007 assessment on existing desktops to check for hardware and device compatibility
• Windows Server 2008 migration - hardware and device compatibility, applications inventory, roles inventory, and upgrade recommendations
• Server Virtualization candidacy report for consolidation of the datacenter (currently covers Virtual Server 2005 R2 - will support Hyper-V in the near future)
• Microsoft Application Virtualization - desktop and server readiness for Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid)

In addition, here are the KEY FEATURES:

• More scalable enterprise-grade inventory of networks large and small (WVHA previously can only scan up to 25,000 PC's; MAP can support scans of at least 100,000 PC's)
• Brand new user interface for multi-product assessment scenarios
• Expandability to include other assesments such as security and compliance assessment in the future 
• Localization of report generation (WVHA scenarios) to SEVEN languages including English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese

In a matter of hours, you can get these reports and proposals in Microsoft Word and Excel and jumpstart your IT migration project.  As Microsoft Partners or IT consultants, this makes it easier for you to close the deal during pre-sales phase by offering quick infrastructure assessments - all without deploying any software agents (i.e. it is agent-less).  For IT professionals, having these tangible and actionable reports and proposals can certainly increase your credibility within your IT organization and help you plan for your next IT projects (e.g Windows Server 2008 migration or Windows Vista upgrades).

BENEFITS

• Agent-less and zero-footprint approach is one of the most secure and remote way to conduct a network-wide assessment without deployment of any software agents
• Multiple-Technology coverage of the tool makes it an essential tool for every migration or virtualization projects - from desktops to servers and virtualization
• Specific reports and actionable recommendations are key to success in every IT project
• Reduce planning and pre-sales cycle with speedy inventory and assessments

WHAT'S NEXT?  JUMPSTART YOUR OS OR VIRTUALIZATION PROJECT NOW!

• CLICK HERE - Download the RTM Version of the MAP Tool 
• View or Listen to our webcasts, video-casts and more
• Read John Obeto's NetworkWorld Blog Post and Mitchell Ashley's NetworkWorld Blog Post on MAP
• View the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Team Blog
• Check out our Virtualization Solution Accelerators Suite Page
• Visit other IT resources on TechNet and Microsoft.com regarding Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft Virtualization.

That's all for now.  I will be releasing more blog posts on other solution accelerators as well as covering more tips and tricks about MAP throughout this week. Stay tuned for more by subscribing to this blog's RSS feed.

Regards,

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Assessment and Planning, and Virtualization Solution Accelerators)