Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Team Blog

[RTM News] Security Baselines for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8!

2009-10-31T00:13:00Z

The Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is very pleased to announce the release of new security baselines for Windows® 7 and Windows® Internet Explorer® 8. These new baselines are now included with the Security Compliance Management Toolkit Series. Over the past few months, our team has collaborated with Microsoft security experts, multiple government agencies worldwide, and a large community of IT security professionals to develop and test these new security baselines. Now that Windows 7 has shipped,...(read more)

RTM News - Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess Now Available!

2009-10-26T16:41:00Z

With the new DirectAccess feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 you’ll now have the ability to allow remote users to seamlessly access enterprise shares, websites, and applications without the need to connect to virtual private network (VPN) systems. DirectAccess also gives IT managers the ability to update remote PCs anytime they are connected to the Internet, without the user being logged on to the machine. As you prepare to take advantage of DirectAccess, your first step should be about...(read more)

7 Deployment Tools for Windows 7

2009-10-22T17:37:00Z

Today, Windows 7 is released to cities around the world. Are you thinking about migrating your PCs to Windows 7 for your organizations? To help you with deploying Windows 7 successfully and quickly, Microsoft has been developing lots of great tools and best practice (available on Microsoft.com). Here's a list of my 7 favorite deployment tools to help you more easily and quickly plan and deploy Windows 7 to your organization. Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 4.0 - Download the MAP Toolkit...(read more)

Win Zune HDs Now - Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides Case Study Contest

2009-10-20T23:23:00Z

Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is currently looking for deployment stories around the use of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Series . Winners chosen by the IPD Team will each receive a Zune HD music player. Infrastructure Planning and Design Series gives you architectural guidance for deploying Microsoft infrastructure products such as Windows Server 2008 R2, App-V, MED-V, DirectAccess, Hyper-V virtualization, System Center, SQL Server 2008, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online,...(read more)

Don't Compromise Your IT! Modernize It!

2009-10-18T02:05:00Z

Here's my latest blog post on the " Because It's Everybody's Business " site on Microsoft.com. The article titled " Don't Compromise Your IT! Modernize It! " lays out a few key challenges and solutions to help you save IT costs while maintaining agility and operational efficiency. Check it out! Baldwin...(read more)

Windows 7: The 10 Things to Do First for Windows 7

2009-10-17T18:33:00Z

Are you getting ready for Windows 7? Read the latest TechNet Magazine article, The 10 Things to Do First for Windows 7 , by Bill Boswell. Learn from the expert on how you can use tools like the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) for Windows 7 , Application Compatibility Toolkit , Key Management Server, and more to accelerate your Windows 7 projects. By the way, if you haven't heard, Windows 7 PCs will be available in stores near you starting October 22. Start evaluating Windows 7 . You'll...(read more)

[Video Demo] Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Demo #3 – Server Migration and Virtualization Assessments

2009-10-15T21:55:00Z

Have you considered consolidating your datacenter servers down to a more manageable number? Are your servers taking up too much of your IT budget simply to power and cool them? Did you know that many organizations like yours may have under-utilized servers lying around that ought to be virtualized? Try using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for Hyper-V to help you create an inventory of under-utilized servers and generate potential virtualization candidates. The new MAP Toolkit...(read more)

[NEWS!] Two New Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides for System Center Operations Manager and Windows Deployment Services

2009-10-13T20:10:00Z

The Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Team from Microsoft Solution Accelerators recently released two new IPD guides to help customers with deployment planning for these Microsoft products: System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Windows Deployment Services (WDS) as part of Windows Server 2008 R2 You will find these 2 IPD guides key to shortening your planning and deployment time and costs. These guides offer easy to ready materials with decision flow charts etc. Download IPD Guides today...(read more)

[News!] Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 In Development (Beta Program Now Open)

2009-10-07T00:04:00Z

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Beta Program is now open for registration. This upcoming release of MAP Toolkit will offer new areas including potential scenarios such as desktop migration assessment to Office 2010 and server migration assessment from Linux platforms to Windows Server 2008 R2. If you are not a current beta group member of MAP Toolkit, join the MAP Toolkit Beta Program now! If you are a current member of the MAP Toolkit beta program, view the MAP Toolkit Beta Page...(read more)

[Video Demo] Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Demo #1 – Windows 7 Hardware Assessments

2009-09-30T21:44:00Z

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit makes it easier for you to determine if your existing Windows PCs are compatible for Windows 7 upgrade. Use this free toolkit to conduct a quick network-wide assessment now. 1) Download the MAP Toolkit for Windows 7 today! 2) View the MAP Toolkit demo for Windows 7 hardware assessments Thank you, Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators) ";" mce_src="http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/mapblog/WindowsLiveWriter/Microsoftassessmentandplanningtoolkitdem_A52A/video9832ee40bdb1.jpg"...(read more)

[RTM News] Just Released: Planning and Design Guidance for Microsoft Virtualization Technologies

2009-09-24T22:30:00Z

Today, the Infrastructure Planning and Design Team from Microsoft Solution Accelerators is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Windows Server Virtualization and System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). Now updated for Windows Server 2008 R2 and SCVMM 2008 R2, these 2 updated guides provide actionable, best practice guidance that you can leverage to more quickly design your infrastructure for Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V...(read more)

[RTM News] Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit for IBM

2009-09-22T01:48:00Z

Today, the Solution Accelerators Team is pleased to announce the release of the initial version of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for IBM . This release, based on the MAP Toolkit platform, was developed by IBM at the IBM Center for Microsoft Technologies to help IT organizations deploy server virtualization hardware including IBM® System x® and BladeCenter® and Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization more quickly. The MAP Toolkit is an integrated planning toolkit that makes it easier...(read more)

[News!] Microsoft New Site - Because it's everybody's business!

2009-09-18T22:00:00Z

Microsoft has just released the "Because it's everybody's business" site with lots of new information about how Microsoft customers can leverage the latest products and technologies to control IT costs while maintaining agility and flexibility. You can save money and increase revenue and profitability for your business. Start saving now... Visit the new " Because it's everybody's business " site View my first blog post on Driving IT Efficiencies in Your Organization Baldwin (Sr. Product Manager,...(read more)

[NEWS!] Launch of the New Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides Portal

2009-09-18T07:52:00Z

The Infrastructrure Planning and Design Team is pleased to announce the new web portal that will help Microsoft customers and partners more easily find the IT guidance for different product and technology scenarios. The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides (IPD) offers practical architectural guidance for Microsoft infrastructure products such as Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Virtualization, SQL Server 2008, System Center, Microsoft Online Services, and more. Use these guides to help clarify...(read more)

[Beta News!] Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide (Beta) for DirectAccess Now Available!

2009-09-15T03:59:00Z

Are you looking to deploy DirectAccess available from the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems? And, are you planning to allow users to access corporate resources (such as e-mail servers, shared folders, or intranet Web sites) securely without connecting to a virtual private network (VPN) using DirectAccess? Good news! The Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Team has just announced the Beta release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess from the Microsoft...(read more)