Hopefully by now you are looking at virtualization of your servers, application, and various other IT needs as viable candidates to support your business. As you may have found during your research, there are several benefits virtualization can give your organization.
Virtualization will help to:
Specifically, I hope you are looking at the improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper -V to handle those work loads. From key improvements like Live Migration to Virtual Desktop Infrastructures, Hyper-V is designed to help your business run more virtualized servers efficiently and effectively. But where do you start?
Really, the key lies in knowing how to answer some questions about your environment:
Going down this road can be difficult, but there is a great, free tool to help you answer those questions and so much more. The tool is called the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP), and it will allow you to quickly generate reports assessing your environment.
MAP quickly collects and organizes system resources and device information from a single networked computer. Assessment tools often require users to first deploy software agents on all computers to be inventoried, but this tool does not. MAP uses technologies already available in your IT environment to perform inventory and assessments. The tool performs assessments, not only for Virtualization, but also Windows 7 readiness, Security, and many more! Check out the tool today!
Like any good start to a road trip or project you need to simply plan and get a MAP.
You can download the MAP 5.0 beta here: Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Beta 1
Or if you would like the current MAP tool: Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit
As always Microsoft provide the best information and support for there software whatever type it maybe, also they provide solutions for more or less every platform that one could possibly think of. Helping there customers all the way 24/7.