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22nd October was a pretty significant day for Microsoft.  As most of you will be aware, it was the day Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were launched, and both are monumental releases for a number of different reasons.  Windows 7 is a fantastic opportunity for Microsoft to drive the love back into the client OS after Vista, and in Server 2008 R2, there are enough Enterprise-class features and capabilities, for this to be classed as a major release, not the minor release suggested by the R2 naming…

Anyway, for you management fans, another product had a significant release on the 22nd; System Center Configuration Manager 2007, hit SP2.  Why’s that significant?  Well, how about this:

  • Full Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 support that enables customers to deploy and manage their Windows 7 client and server based systems.
  • Version 2 of the Intel AMT integration that includes the addition of updated firmware support along with support for key new features such as wireless profile management and 802.1x.
  • BranchCache support that enables customers to significantly reduce WAN utilization in branch office scenarios by leveraging new technology in Windows Server 2008 R2.
  • Greater 64-bit support that includes Remote Control, App-V, and the 2007 System Center Operations Manager agent

You can grab SP2 here.

Combine SCCM, with the free Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010, and you’ve got a very powerful platform for deployment within your infrastructure.