Windows Optimized Desktop

Microsoft DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant - Now Available!

Tejinder Singh — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:05:00 GMT

Are you using DirectAccess or planning a deployment soon? The Microsoft DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant (DCA) is designed to help DirectAccess customers reduce the costs of supporting mobile users, and significantly improves mobile users’ connectivity experience.

DCA informs mobile users of their connectivity status at all times; provides tools to help them reconnect on their own if problems arise; and creates diagnostics to help mobile users provide IT staff with key information if necessary—all to help organizations operate with more efficiency, and at a lower cost.

DCA is the newest addition to the Windows® Optimized Desktop Toolkit 2010, which helps IT pros plan, deliver, and operate the right desktop technologies for users across their organizations.

DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant – Benefits

The DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant provides organizations with the following benefits:

· Lets mobile users know their connection status: DCA provides an indicator in the notification area that keeps mobile users informed of their connectivity status with an organization’s intranet.

· Reduces the number of support calls: DCA has built-in remediation tools that help mobile users solve connection problems on their own, without calling the help desk.

· Reduces the duration of support calls: If support is needed, DCA helps mobile users provide IT staff with key diagnostics to zero in on the source of a problem, so IT can resolve the issue faster and get users back to work.

· Helps users stay productive: Because DCA helps IT solve connection problems faster, mobile users have more reliable access to network-based resources, and can stay more productive.

Next Steps

· Download the DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant.

· Learn more about the DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant.

· Learn more about the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit 2010.

Give Us Your Feedback - Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit

Tejinder Singh — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:29:00 GMT

The Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is currently planning the next release of the Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit (previously known as Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator). To help identify and prioritize features to include in the toolkit, we have created a survey to gather information about our customers' desktop infrastructures.

The survey is now available on http://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/Survey.aspx?SurveyID=9329&SiteID=729 and will be open until September 22, 2009. If you have difficulty accessing this survey, contact wodtfb@microsoft.com. We appreciate your taking the time to help us understand your desktop infrastructure optimization needs.

To express our thanks, we will offer a free copy of OneNote software from Microsoft to 5 survey participants from a random drawing on September 22, 2009.

Take Action Now and Thank You!!

[RTM News] Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios 1.1 Solution Accelerator Now Available!

Tejinder Singh — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:04:00 GMT

The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios (WODS) Solution Accelerator relates the IT and user business requirements for a flexible, efficient, and managed desktop environment to sets of complementary Microsoft technologies. It accomplishes this by defining and using five standard user scenarios that map business requirements to technology solutions. These core scenarios cover most desktop user situations including: Office Worker, Mobile Worker, Task Worker, Contract Worker, and workers who need to Access from Home.

Each scenario puts a different emphasis on applications, security, and networking. In this way, these scenarios provide a flexible, adaptable desktop experience that meets the business requirements of each of these users.

Introducing Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator 1.1

The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator 1.1 consists of two key components:

Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Assessment (a guide)
Windows Optimized Desktop Scenario Selection Tool

The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Assessment describes the five user scenarios defined for the Windows Optimized Desktop and further describes the Microsoft products and technologies that underpin each scenario solution. Additionally, this document guides you through an assessment of the user profiles in your organization to identify which scenario or scenarios best meets their needs. You may find the following decision flow very useful as well when selecting various desktop technologies.

The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenario Selection Tool is a Microsoft Excel-based tool (see picture) that is designed to help you identify applicable scenarios, based on user and business requirements, for each user segment within your organization.

What’s New with Version 1.1?

This version incorporates updates to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 technologies that are applicable to optimizing desktop infrastructure including:

BranchCache
DirectAcess
BitLockerToGo
AppBlocker
Remote Desktop Services (formerly Terminal Services)

Benefits to Microsoft Customers and Partners

Reduce Complexity. For most desktop administrators, IT architects and Microsoft Partners, asking the right questions to solicit user requirements is key to a successful project. WODS provides a framework with predefined questions to make the process easier. The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Assessment guide offers infrastructure planning guidance. In addition, the Windows Optimized Desktop Scenario Selection Tool complements the guide with a simple-to-use Microsoft Excel spreadsheet tool that maps user requirements to the different Windows Optimized Desktop scenarios.

Deploy the Right Technologies. WODS offers customers and partners a quicker and easier way to select the right technologies for a diverse population of desktops users with varying degree of needs.

Cover Wide Range of Scenarios—from Thin to Rich Clients. WODS covers a wide range of desktop and server technologies to deliver the best and optimal desktop experience to desktop users. The technologies include Windows 7, Windows Vista, Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack components (App-V and MED-V), Windows Server 2008 R2 technologies such as DirectAccess, BranchCache and Remote Desktop Services, and the System Center family of management solutions.

Get WODS 1.1. Now!

Download Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator (tool and guide)
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Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios - Solution Accelerator

Tejinder Singh — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:04:00 GMT

Organizations today face the challenge of maintaining rigorous controls over their computing environments while providing the power and flexibility users need to be productive. User and IT goals can sometimes appear to be in conflict. Optimizing the corporate desktop environment resolves this conflict by providing IT the manageability it requires while giving users the varying levels of power and flexibility they need.

The Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios relate the business requirements (IT and user) for a flexible, efficient, and managed desktop environment to sets of complementary Microsoft technologies by defining and using five standard user scenarios that map business requirements to technology solutions. These core scenarios are: Office Worker, Mobile Worker, Task Worker, Contract/Offshore Worker, and workers who need to Access from Home

The guide and supporting tool in this Solution Accelerator use the five standard user scenarios to map requirements to technologies and help with the selection of solutions. Read more here.