Welcome!

Welcome to the System Center Online Services, Asset Inventory Service forums.  If you are participating in our current  Asset Inventory Service Technology Preview,  you are already one of our best customers with Windows Client, Software Assurance and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. You may have questions that others have had before you, or you may have suggestions for the Microsoft development team for the next version of the service.    If you don’t have all that, you may be here because you want to hear about other people’s experience with the service, or register for our upcoming technology preview. 

In both cases we want to welcome you and encourage you to post your ideas, feedback, questions, input and comments.

 

What is it?

Asset Inventory Service is a hosted service that allows you to download a small client and install it on your PCs, upon which the client will register and report the software inventory of that PC to a web-based service.  The service compares the list with the AIS central software title catalog, rationalizes the publisher, names and version numbers, and categorizes the software in your report.  You (and your designee’s) can then securely access the reports through a simple-to-use webpage after providing proper credentials.  You can use these reports to simply count your installations, prepare for your next round of procurement, or check the successful deployment of applications.

In the future, you will also be able to compare this information to your Microsoft software licenses and automatically build your license reconciliation reports.

 

How is the service available?

Currently in beta, the Asset Inventory Service ‘Community Technology Preview' is a beta program available only to Software Assurance customers who have purchased the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).   The CTP program provides a pre-release opportunity to deploy the final release candidate of the AIS service before the final release to MDOP for SA customers later this year.

We will be expanding the availability of the Asset Inventory Service offering to more customers in future releases.

 

MDOP customers can register for the CTP program via the Asset Inventory Service Connect site once they have activated their AIS account. After logging in to AIS, simply click on the “AIS Support” link on the right side of the AIS homepage.  From there, you can register on the AIS Connect site.    The AIS Connect site allows you to post feedback directly to our development team, and participate in feedback and discussions about the service.

 

 

More information about MDOP and Asset Inventory Service:

For more information on Asset Inventory Service, find our datasheet here.  A video and other information about the service can be found under this link: www.windowsvista.com/optimizeddesktop.  Here, you will also find information about the other components of MDOP.

 

Thank you and we look forward to your participation in these forums for our new AIS service.

 

The AIS team

 

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