Over the last few months we've been delivering evidence to demonstrate the value of App-V, one of the six components delivered through MDOP. You've heard us discuss App-V in the context of our Desktop Virtualization strategy where we break down the layers so that virtualization itself is more consumable for the novice and the expert. When we talk about Microsoft's view on Desktop Virtualization we look at the following:
Overarching to these layers is Microsoft's strength in management. Our System Center family of products enables us to manage from desktop to the datacenter including but not limited to applications, devices - phones, servers, client systems, licenses, and inventory. A key differentiator is that System Center manages both physical and virtual assets using the same infrastructure.
This gives you a quick view into our Desktop Virtualization approach and where App-V fits into the bigger picture, now let's get back to App-V specifically and the value it provides. Apps that are virtualized, in most cases, can be used across multiple target mediums. For example, you can use your virtual applications on rich clients or virtual machines, in your Terminal Services environments, or in VDI. So your investment here with App-V reaps huge benefits. Just a short time ago we published the App-V TCO study where we demonstrated that on average, customers can realize a savings of $82 p/pc p/yr, pretty significant when you start to multiply that across thousands of machines.
We're also hearing that customers are shifting their approach to delivering applications on the desktop. For example, take a look at BMW's approach. CIO Magazine recently wrote an article that highlight's how BMW is using App-V in conjunction with their Windows 7 rollout. They have ~80,000 pcs across 24 production sites in 13 countries with 250 global branch locations, over a 1000 applications to deploy, with an average cycle time of 4 week-long packaging & compatibility testing per application. BMW's choice for deployment, App-V NOT VMware's ThinApp. Why???
BMW chose App-V because it is part of the MDOP suite and integrates smoothly with System Center Configuration Manager, Microsoft's software suite for managing large groups of Windows-based computers
"We found App-V streaming to be better than the comparable [VMware] ThinApp capability," says Dr. Martin Rudolph, Product Manager, Office Applications, BMW Group. "Packaging, testing, and delivering applications is so much faster, and by enabling zero-touch deployment, App-V helps us realize significant monetary savings."
Their approach, all new computers have the App-V client installed, including machines that are being upgraded to Windows 7. All applications — both virtual and physical — are available to BMW employees through an internal Web portal. Virtualization will now be the main packaging and delivery method for all applications requested by BMW employees.
In the end, Microsoft's App-V has helped BMW reduce application deployment time by 50 percent and compatibility testing by 90 percent — from six days to less than a day. By December 2010, more than 400 BMW applications will be virtualized, saving $200,000 that the auto maker spent each year on manual installations.
That is a significant shift in strategy from the traditional approach and we are seeing this with more and more customers. You can find some more examples of real world value at our case study site where there are over 100 cases of businesses using App-V in production NOW.
You love what you're hearing but still want more proof? Forrester applies their TEI Model to App-V to see how impactful this technology really is.
Well, you can see that we work closely with our customers to bring their stories to market so that others can realize the benefits that Microsoft technologies deliver. But sometimes you want to hear it from someone other than us. So we asked Forrester to apply their Total Economic Impact (TEI) model to App-V and see what shook out. TEI goes beyond just TCO and Forrester will explain the differences. Now, I should mention that this is unfiltered and unbiased discussions between Forrester and a number of App-V customers. We weren't on these calls, this was Forrester and the customer, direct, 1:1.
Ben Gray, Sr. Analyst and Jeff North, Principal Consultant at Forrester Research will share their findings via Live Webinar on June29 @ 9am PST. In addition, they will walk through their TEI methodology and tool that you can use to determine the value App-V can provide for your business.
Registration for the event is now available.
What are you waiting for? Check out App-V and realize the same great benefits as others!
Karri Alexion-TiernanDirector of Product ManagementMicrosoft Desktop Virtualization
In my last several blog posts, I’ve used a lot of words to tell you why I think the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a great way to optimize Windows 7 deployment. I’ve provided links along the way, of course, but I really haven’t told you about all the great resources that you can use to discover on your own what makes MDOP so great. I’ll fill that gap now.
The first resource is probably the most obvious, but I need to mention it anyway. The Enterprise products: MDOP page provides a good overview of the products in MDOP. This isn’t technical content. This is high-level descriptions of each product. All of Microsoft’s MDOP resources are probably within three or four clicks of this Web site, but I’m going to make it easy for you by aggregating some of the most notable resources right here.
For technical content about MDOP, there is no better place than TechNet. The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) on TechNet Web page contains links to technical information on the entire suite of MDOP products, including Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM), and so on. If you’re striking out to learn more about MDOP, this is easily the best place to begin.
For the bigger MDOP products, like App-V and MED-V, there are a video series that provide in-depth demonstrations and are great for getting acquainted with them. These video series include:
· Application Virtualization (App-V) Video Series
· Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) Administration Video Series
In addition to these videos, a number of DemoMate demos are available from the Microsoft Download Center. In case you’re not familiar, DemoMate demos are simulations that can give you a reasonable idea of product’s experience without actually installing the product. While the following DemoMate demos are for older versions of MDOP products, they might still be useful learning resources:
· Application Virtualization DemoMate
· Asset Inventory Service 1.5 DemoMate
· System Center Desktop Error Monitoring DemoMate
· Diagnostic and Recovery Toolkit DemoMate
· Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization DemoMate
· Advanced Group Policy Management DemoMate
Of course, there isn’t any real substitute for installing the MDOP products in a lab environment. You can download evaluations from MSDN and TechNet. Volume License customers can download MDOP from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS). If you’re more interested in understanding the business value and the return on investment (ROI) of MDOP, then take a look at the variety of Microsoft Case Studies or check out the MDOP ROI Tool
This blog post wraps up my series of entries on how the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) can help make the move to Windows 7 a bit easier. Just to recap, I described the MDOP products that you can use during the Planning, Deployment, and Operating phases of your project to help make the work more efficient and less frustrating and possibly a little fun (yes, IT can be fun with the right tools):
Planning phase:
· Microsoft® Asset Inventory Service (AIS). AIS can help you better understand the hardware and software in your inventory while you’re planning Windows 7 deployment. This information can help you plan hardware upgrades, compatibility testing, application migration, and so on.
· Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring (DEM). DEM is an agentless monitoring system that can help give you a deeper understanding of the errors in your environment. For example, what are the top application errors that users are experiencing? By deploying DEM early in the Planning phase, you can establish a baseline for monitoring the stability of your environment during the Deployment and Operating phases. Nothing is better than real-world data when judging the stability of your deployment.
Deployment phase:
· Microsoft® Application Virtualization (App-V). By virtualization your applications, App-V can help make it easier to not only deploy applications but to also maintain them over time. Virtualized applications don’t leave a heavy footprint on computers, so removing and updating them is super easy. Deploying applications to users is a simple matter of assigning users to applications. Where this fits in to the Deployment phase is App-V makes packaging applications easier, sometimes reducing the packaging time from hours to just minutes.
· Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). MED-V provides a solution for provisioning and managing virtual machines on desktop computers. As you know, virtual machines on the desktop are a great solution for running applications and Web sites that aren’t compatible with Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8, respectively. MED-V provides a solution around deploying and managing these virtual machines. By using MED-V to deploy virtual machines, you can take advantage of everything Windows 7 has to offer while continuing to use older applications.
Operating phasing:
· Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM). Group Policy is one of the simplest and best ways to take control of the computers in your organization. Organizations moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 will find that Windows 7 provides many more opportunities to manage settings. However, Group Policy doesn’t provide a role-based workflow for managing Group Policy objects (GPOs). AGPM provides that missing role-based workflow, allowing you to manage who can edit, review, approve, and deploy them in to production. I wouldn’t imagine using Group Policy in any environment without using AGPM.
· Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT). Things happen—especially when you’re touching so many computers when deploying Windows 7. For example, you might deploy a faulty device driver that previous Windows 7 from starting. A user might permanently delete important files when preparing for installation, and you need to recovery them. For many of these one-off problems, DaRT provides a set of tools that you can use to troubleshoot and repair them. Like AGPM, DaRT is super easy to set up, and it doesn’t leave a foot print on your infrastructure.
As I said when I first started this series of blog posts, don’t wait until you’ve already deployed Windows 7 to start using MDOP. The best time to deploy MDOP is when you begin planning deployment. You can learn more about how MDOP can help optimize Windows 7 deployment by reading the article Optimizing Windows 7 Deployment with MDOP. While you’re at it, give MDOP a test drive in a lab environment. Existing MDOP customers can download MDOP at the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC). You can also download MDOP at MSDN® and TechNet.
Recently we announced MDOP 2010 including App-V 4.6 and MED-V v1 SP1 and the feedback has been great! As customers make the leap from traditional applications to leverage virtualization to optimize their desktops, they are looking for ways to streamline their deployment. Today we are happy to share investments that will enable customers, partners MVP's and Microsoft to share their expertise!
Attachmate Reflection 2011 to Offer Native Support for Microsoft App-V!
Attachmate is the first software vendor to offer native support for Microsoft's Application Virtualization Solution. Attachmate Corporation today announced its next-generation terminal emulation software Attachmate Reflection® 2011, will soon be available for in App-V's native format for deployment within Microsoft App-V's application virtualization environment. For more information on see the full Press Release from Attachmate.
App-V Sequencing Community for recipe sharing now live !
Virtual applications are created using the App-V Sequencer, we call this process "sequencing". This is similar to "packaging" a physcial application using MSI. As with MSI packaging sometimes you need to follow certain steps or create "custom actions" to get the package to behave in specific ways when it installs, this knowledge is normally maintained by the individual creating the package. There are some similarities when sequencing virtual applications in that the individual has the knowledge in how to make it work. In the case of App-V the individual often creates a "recipe" which documents the steps they took to create the virtual application. The recipe allows the organization to share knowledge across individuals who are preparing applications for delivery and scale the knowledge throughout the organization.
Based on requests from the customers, partners and MVP's; we are extremely pleased to announce the launch of a new community driven Recipe Forum on Microsoft TechNet. This forum is intended for App-V IT Pros within the App-V community to:
You can now view prescriptive sequencing recipes for many applications at the Recipe Forum on Microsoft TechNet. In addtion to their announcement above, Attachmate has contributed to the recipe forum with a fully tested recipe for Reflection.
The CommUnity is successful when you contribute. Our MVP's, customers, product teams and ISV's have started the initiative, now we need the community to grow the shared knowledge. We highly encourage you to contribute your recipe's to the community!
Our Ask: CONTRIBUTE, SHARE, LEARN.
MED-V V2 Beta availability in Q4 2010!
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) removes the barriers to Windows 7 upgrades by resolving application incompatibility issues from legacy LOB applications and Internet Explorer 6/7 web apps. MED-V v2 Beta will enable customers to pre-configure MED-V workspaces that can be delivered to user desktops via System Center Configuration Manager or any electronic software distribution (ESD) tools, and will also provide users with all the functionality of Windows XP Mode including seamless applications, USB support and printer capabilities.
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) v2 Beta will be available in CYQ4, Customers wishing to participate in the TAP program that begins Mid-June can email medvtap@microsoft.com.
The MED-V v2 TAP program benefits you with:
We are extremely pleased by the momentum and the success of the MDOP technologies through the continued support of our customers, community and partners. If you are at TechEd 2010 this week, swing by the Desktop Virtualization booth to say hello, see a demo and share your feedback!
Enjoy!