Windows Deployment Stuff

Infrastructure Optimisation (IO): The Foundations of Dynamic IT

2008-12-17T03:02:45Z

Many organisations today realise the value of technology in driving business differentiation. A lot of the time technology is imperative to increase and improve business performance in today's enterprise environments and thus become a true corporate asset that delivers that business value. CIO's require their IT infrastructure to help advance rather than impede the business. These business needs bring greater pressure and ever increasing demands on IT departments to deliver technically enhanced infrastructures.

The vision of infrastructure optimisation and Dynamic IT is to help customers realise the value in their IT infrastructure investments and to make the IT infrastructures a strategic asset by reducing cost and increasing agility within their organisations.

Many organisations have embraced IO, yet it still surprises me when I speak to customers and how many either haven't heard of IO or have investigated IO but feel it is to much to implement. IO is there to help customers achieve truly optimised infrastructure solutions either as part of implementations delivered internally or through partnerships with system integrators who specialise in IO delivery.

A great IO success story was, when in 2005 The City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with their outsource partner BT used the IO model to embark on a service led engagement to deliver their Smart City vision. The vision will enable the council to make a total saving of approximately £6.4 million over 5 years whilst optimising the IT infrastructure to drive improved application performance and business resilience, achieve more effective partnerships with partners and implement an environment that will enable all citizens to engage more easily with the council.

As Doug Barney, editor in chief of Redmondmagazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group says in his article 'Infrastructure Optimization for IT';

"IO is a rich and detailed model, and well worth the time it takes to fully understand it."

IO is always a topic that gets addressed when I talk to organisations about deploying Windows Vista. By introducing a modularised, HAL independent OS, a new file based, non destructive imaging format (WIM) and a new servicing stack, Windows Vista enables organisations to simplify image management and reduce the number of images that need to be maintained. This, in conjunction with using the new deployment tools like the Automated Installation Kit (AIK) and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, can help organisations move along the Core IO model in Desktop, Device and Server Management by reducing manual complexity and increasing optimised automation. Many people are still struggling to see the value in moving to Windows Vista in the enterprise. Aside from increased security and compliance (with features like BitLocker Drive Encryption, Windows Service Hardening, User Account Control and enhanced IE 7 and firewall security) and end user productivity (with integrated search, AERO and mobility improvements), the way in which we can deploy and manage the Windows platform really can derive true value in the investment many organisations have already made and optimise their core infrastructure. And by making the investments today to optimise infrastructures to deploy Windows Vista, making the move to Windows 7 could be as simple as making a ‘business as usual’ change control request to the new OS.

To find out more about Infrastructure Optimisation, visit http://www.microsoft.com/io or http://www.microsoft.com/infrastructure/default.mspx where businesses can learn more about IO and even take the self assessment to find out where their are measured on the IO scale. Partners fear not, as http://www.microsoftio.com provides the Microsoft Optimization Partner Resources.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 RTM Released

2008-11-13T01:54:39Z

Many of our customers do not know what computers are in their IT environment or what applications have been deployed. The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2 makes it easier for customers and partners to quickly identify what servers, workstations, and network devices are in their IT environment. MAP also provides specific and actionable IT proposals and reports to help customers get the most value out of Microsoft products and infrastructure. Over 500,000 Microsoft customers and partners have already used MAP and its prior versions including Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Banque de Luxembourg.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP)Toolkit is a scalable and agent-less assessment platform designed to make it easier for our customers to adopt the latest Microsoft technologies. In this latest version, MAP has expanded its assessment capabilities to include SQL Server 2008, Security Assessment Proposal, Forefront/NAP migration, Microsoft Online Services, as well as providing a Power Savings assessment to help your customers “go green.”

In summary, MAP Toolkit 3.2 assessment areas now include:

SQL Server 2008 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
Security Assessment Proposal (NEW!)
Forefront/NAP Readiness Proposals (NEW!)
Microsoft Online Services Migration Surveys, Proposals, and Reports (NEW!)
Power Savings Proposals (NEW!)
Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
Server Migration Reports and Proposals (Windows Server 2008 and “virtualized guests by hosts” reporting) (NEW!)
Server Consolidation Reports and Proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Hyper-V)
Desktop Security Assessment to determine if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and up-to-date, or if the Windows Firewall is turned on
Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Hardware Assessment Reports and Proposal

Toolkit Features

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit performs key functions that include hardware and device inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting.

MAP utilizes an enterprise-scale, agent-less architecture that enables users to inventory their servers, desktops, applications, and network devices without installing any software agents on each machine being assessed. This tool has the ability to discover all computers within Active Directory, and most importantly, non-IT managed machines such as workgroup members.
Additionally, MAP can generate localized desktop readiness reports in seven languages including North American English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Benefits to Customers and Partners

Fast and Agent-less. MAP provides secure network-wide assessment of environments of up to 100,000 computers in a matter of hours instead of days, all without deploying any software agents on each inventoried machine.
Saves Pre-Sales and Planning Time. For most IT consultants and Microsoft Partners, a detailed network inventory and assessment of servers and desktops often takes days of manual labour. With MAP, they can now drastically reduce the time it takes for the same inventory to a matter of hours; allowing them more time to focus their efforts on critical pre-sales engagement tasks. For IT professionals, MAP can significantly reduce the time it takes to gather the information necessary to make the business case for client and server migration, as well as for their upcoming virtualization projects.
Actionable Recommendations and Reporting. MAP offers valuable inventory and readiness assessment reports with specific upgrade recommendations and virtualization candidate reports that make it easier for IT migration and deployment projects to get off the ground and running.
Coverage from Desktops to Servers. MAP provides technology assessment and planning recommendations for many Microsoft desktop and server products including SQL Server 2008, Forefront/NAP, Microsoft Online Services, Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office, Microsoft Application Virtualization (or App-V), System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and more.

Next Steps

Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 (RTM Bits)

Learn more about MAP on TechNet or Microsoft Partner Program Portal

Read Hyper-V/MAP Toolkit Case Studies: See how Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Banque de Luxembourg benefitted from using the MAP Toolkit

Read the MAP Team Blog

Listen to TechNet webcasts on MAP

Join the TechNet Forum Community for MAP

Use MAP together with the Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool

MAP is a member of the family of Server, Desktop, and Virtualization Solution Accelerators.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 Release for Beta!

2008-10-15T00:39:59Z

Many of our customers do not know what computers are in their IT environment or what applications have been deployed. The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2 Beta makes it easier for customers and partners to quickly identify what servers, workstations, and network devices are in their IT environment. MAP also provides specific and actionable IT proposals and reports to help customers get the most value out of Microsoft products and infrastructure. Over 500,000 Microsoft customers and partners have already used MAP and its prior versions including Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Banque de Luxembourg.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a scalable and agent-less assessment platform designed to make it easier for our customers to adopt the latest Microsoft technologies. In this latest version, MAP has expanded its assessment capabilities to include SQL Server 2008, Security Assessment Proposal, Forefront/NAP migration, Microsoft Online Services, as well as providing a Power Savings assessment to help your customers “go green.”
In summary, MAP 3.2 assessment areas now include:

SQL Server 2008 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
Security Assessment Proposal (NEW!)
Forefront/NAP Readiness Proposals (NEW!)
Microsoft Online Services Migration Surveys, Proposals, and Reports (NEW!)
Power Savings Proposals (NEW!)
Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
Server Migration Reports and Proposals (Windows Server 2008 and “virtualized guests by hosts” reporting) (NEW!)
Server Consolidation Reports and Proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Hyper-V)
Desktop Security Assessment to determine if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and up-to-date, or if the Windows Firewall is turned on
Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Hardware Assessment Reports and Proposal

Toolkit Features

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit performs key functions that include hardware and device inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting.

Benefits to Customers and Partners

Fast and Agent-less. MAP provides secure network-wide assessment of environments of up to 100,000 computers in a matter of hours instead of days, all without deploying any software agents on each inventoried machine.
Saves Pre-Sales and Planning Time. For most IT consultants and Microsoft Partners, a detailed network inventory and assessment of servers and desktops often takes days of manual labour. With MAP, they can now drastically reduce the time it takes for the same inventory to a matter of hours; allowing them more time to focus their efforts on critical pre-sales engagement tasks. For IT professionals, MAP can significantly reduce the time it takes to gather the information necessary to make the business case for client and server migration, as well as for their upcoming virtualization projects.
Actionable Recommendations and Reporting. MAP offers valuable inventory and readiness assessment reports with specific upgrade recommendations and virtualization candidate reports that make it easier for IT migration and deployment projects to get off the ground and running.
Coverage from Desktops to Servers. MAP provides technology assessment and planning recommendations for many Microsoft desktop and server products including SQL Server 2008, Forefront/NAP, Microsoft Online Services, Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office, Microsoft Application Virtualization (or App-V), System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and more.

Next Steps

Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 BETA and give us your feedback (Live ID login and registration required)

Learn more about MAP on TechNet

For Technical Feedback on MAP 3.2 Beta, please contact us at MAPSBETA@microsoft.com

Read MAP Toolkit Case Studies: See how Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Banque de Luxembourg benefitted from using the MAP Toolkit

Read the MAP Team Blog

Listen to TechNet webcasts on MAP

Join the TechNet Forum Community for MAP

MAP is a member of the family of Server, Desktop, and Virtualization Solution Accelerators.

Windows 7 will become…

2008-10-14T13:51:33Z

Windows 7 has been the codename for the next release of Windows for some time now and today the Windows team have been pleased to announce the official name for the next version will be… Windows 7. The guys over at Windows Vista Blog state;

“The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about simplicity. Over the years, we have taken different approaches to naming Windows. We've used version numbers like Windows 3.11, or dates like Windows 98, or "aspirational" monikers like Windows XP or Windows Vista. And since we do not ship new versions of Windows every year, using a date did not make sense. Likewise, coming up with an all-new "aspirational" name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows.

Simply put, this is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore "Windows 7" just makes sense.”

As Louis Walsh says, I like it. It is simple, to the point, we don’t have to keep thinking of elaborate names and after months of calling it Windows 7 I won’t have to remember calling it anything different. It took me a while to get used to Vista from Longhorn client. And though I’m sure this will attract the usual tirade of disgruntled anti Windows pundits, on the whole early feedback has been very positive and welcomed. Oh well, here’s to Windows 7!

What Am I?...

2008-09-30T00:54:00Z

The Windows Vista Activation Forum

2008-09-23T17:50:43Z

Do you have questions or issues regarding Windows Vista Activation? Then the Windows Vista Activation forum is the thing for you. The forum offers a new dedicated resource to assist in answering both technical and licensing questions regarding MAK, VAMT, KMS, planning, deployment, operations and other aspects of Volume Licensing Activation v 2.0 in Windows Vista.

Attend London's Small Business 2.0 Conference Free With Microsoft

2008-09-18T12:43:15Z

On Saturday 11th October 2008, Microsoft is sponsoring the Small Business 2.0 event in Covent Garden.

A member of the team over at the Microsoft adCenter Blog are speaking at the event as well as partnering with the Office Live team to demonstrate the commitment Microsoft has made to the small business community.

As part of this commitment the organisers of the event have been very kind and offered a free pass to the first 10 readers of the adCenter Blog who register using the promo code posted on the blog. And if you’re unlucky not to be amongst the first 10 to register, fear not, as you’ll still get 20% off the entry fee.

So head over to the adCenter Blog to get your code and find out how to register today.

Under the Hood: Windows Vista Performance…Need Answers?

2008-09-16T13:02:40Z

On Wednesday, September 24^th, join Mark Russinovich and a panel of industry experts for a LIVE virtual roundtable to explore your top of mind performance issues, common misconfigurations, and tips on how to fix them.

From boot times and applets to disk performance and battery life, find out how to optimize Windows Vista and what you can do to improve overall system performance.

Ask your questions live during the event!
As a virtual attendee, you will have the opportunity to submit questions to the panel during the live event. You can also submit your performance questions in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com.

JOIN US SEPTEMBER 24TH
HTTPS://MS.ISTREAMPLANET/SPRINGBOARD

Save the date!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
9:00am Pacific Standard Time (GMT –8)

England Wins The World Cup!!

2008-09-11T20:56:07Z

Well, the UK that is. If only the English football team could follow suite! The annual World Cup Demo Competition is an internal demo contest that pits Microsoft employees against one another to see who can deliver the best presentation and demonstration of Microsoft technologies and solutions to become World Cup winners. This years business category pitted our very own Victoria Yates & Rachna Patel, Unified Communications Specialists in the STU, against some of Microsoft’s best UC & Exchange specialists from around the world. It was a hard fought contest but after making it all the way to the final, and with an outstanding demo of our Unified Communications technologies including Exchange 2007 and Office Communicator 2007, Victoria & Rachna shone to take the title of World Cup Winners.

Thanks to the guys over at Edge for posting the highlights of the girls win.

World Cup Demo Winner

The Ultimate Steal…back for seconds

2008-09-10T15:04:33Z

Last year as some of you may recall we ran the “The Ultimate Steal” promotion which entitled university/college students and staff the right to buy a full copy of Office 2007 for a heavily discounted price. This year it’s back!

So what’s the deal?

Students and staff with an ‘ac.uk’ email address can download a full copy of Office Ultimate 2007 for £38.95 (offer ends June 2009).
Option to purchase the full DVD media for an additional £9.95
Can save over 90% off the E.R.P. That’s a saving of over £500!

More and more students use laptop computers to aid their studies, but many can’t always afford the right software to help them with effective studies. With the pressures to do well they may fall into the trap of acquiring non-genuine software to get them by. With the Ultimate Steal students can get the right software, at the right price as they embark on the new academic year. And from October 10 2008, Office Visio Professional 2007 will be available for £36.95 and also… drum roll please… Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade w/SP1 will be available for £40.95!

As stated this is a time limited offer so to register & purchase, head over to http://www.theultimatesteal.co.uk.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 – Update 1 is here!!

2008-08-03T22:29:43Z

Download Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 Update 1 Today!

Download MDT 2008 Update 1

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 Releases New Update

We are pleased to announce the release of our first update to Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 (MDT 2008). We have added two major features: OEM preload scenarios for Lite Touch Installation and Zero Touch Installation with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and a new management pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 SP1. Minor updates include bug fixes and design changes to override driver platforms as well as the ability to inject all drivers into Windows PE.

MDT 2008 has been extremely well received since its initial launch and boasts over a quarter million downloads of its toolkit and documentation.

Get MDT 2008 Update 1 and the new Quick Start Guides from the Download Center. All of the latest documentation can be found within updated and searchable help files. However, if you would like a full collection of the Word documents, download it here.

Add these great deployment blogs to your list of resources: these experts are always sharing their latest knowledge around deployment. MS Deployment, Deployment Guys, Michael Niehaus

Related Resources

Learn about other Solution Accelerators

Windows Server and Windows Vista

System Center Family of Products

Deployment Tech Center

Join the deployment newsgroup or share your experiences in the deployment forums.

Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 is ALIVE!!

2008-07-21T22:29:56Z

Earlier today the long awaited Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 went live on the Microsoft Download Center. Get it here. The guys over at the Windows Home Server Team Blog have more info but here’s a brief clip of the new functionality which includes:

Fixes the data corruption bug
Supports home machines that are running Windows Vista x64 edition
Home Server Shared Folder backup
Improved remote access experience
Improves power consumption and performance
Localisation support for Japan and China

Great, now I can start rebuilding my old home PC as my new Windows Home Server (would have done it sooner but just haven’t had the time!).

iPhone Hilarity

2008-07-18T13:14:32Z

Many thanks to Jason Langridge for spotting this one, once I'd stopped creasing up with laughter I thought I had to share it.

Especially as I am loving my shiny new HTC Touch Cruise, which, along with a 3MP camera, GPS and Windows Mobile 6, is one of the best Windows powered devices I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. Who needs an iPhone!

Volume Licensing Explained

2008-07-15T14:20:40Z

For many customers Volume Licensing can be a mine field. From EA's to select, from Open to Software Assurance. It can be quite overwhelming for customers investigating their options. Well now we have released a comprehensive reference guide of the Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. Available here;

"The Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide provides comprehensive guidance to help you select the best options for the size, type, and business needs of your organization. This 64-page document details each of the Microsoft Volume Licensing programs in addition to covering the basics of product licensing and Microsoft Software Assurance. Each chapter includes case studies, tips, and next steps to assist you with the decision-making process. An excellent resource for those who want an in-depth look at Microsoft Volume Licensing and the ability to easily compare programs."

Often when I speak to customers, especially technical audiences, they know they have a licensing agreement of sorts, but don't know what the benefits of the agreements are. This is especially the case with Software Assurance (SA). So many people think that the only benefit SA has to offer is new version rights, and as they 'don't need the next new version, why do we need SA?' SA is one of those gems that has so much more to offer like Desktop Deployment Planning Services (DDPS), SharePoint Deployment Planning Services (SDPS), training vouchers, E-Learning and Home Use Program to name just a few.

The guide is great place to start to get a good understanding and grounding in the VL options available. Other resources include the Volume Licensing site and for Software Assurance try the SA section.

HEROES happened {in Birmingham} and it's still going... Virtually

2008-03-26T15:25:00Z

After spending the Easter break contemplating the events of that day, I can honestly say it was one of the, if not the best tech event I have ever been to or been a part of. It couldn't have gone better if we'd tried with 2500+ IT pros and developers attending the ICC in Birmingham. Gareth Hall even had the great fortune to announce the release of the Hyper-V Release Candidate just before Clive Watson & Julius Davies' Virtualisation Technology in Server 2008 breakout session. The timing was perfect. All the hard work by so many people over the past months really paid off and showed on the day with customers and partners alike commenting on what a great event it was and how much they had gained from the day. I personally felt proud to be part of such a great team of people.

Fear not though if you missed this monumental day as George and her team have worked hard to provide a "Virtual Launch Experience" (VLE). The VLE contains Steve Ballmer's keynote, sponsor and community stands and collateral, various breakout sessions, and a whole raft of documents, PowerPoint decks, videos and lots more. The great thing about the VLE is that it was designed, built, hosted and presented using Visual Studio 2008, Expression Studio, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Silverlight. A great platform experience. Visit the VLE now at http://www.microsoft.com/virtualevents/uk/.

Both Julius Davies and I have had some great feedback from people about the breakout session we presented on Windows Server 2008 Deployment. One of the biggest disappointments was having to turn away over 50 people from the session due to the fact we reached room capacity 10 minutes before the session was due to start. I never realised how popular this session would be. I have had some requests for the deck we used by those who attended the session and by those who were unable, so here it is:

Also for those wanting to see how to use the new release of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008, pay a visit to The Deployment Guys where Richard Smith has posted some great new video walkthrough guides on Lite Touch and SCCM with MDT.