Since we know you guys are always in learning about new and updated Microsoft products, we like to keep you informed of new tools, whitepapers, etc. as they release. This week’s been a busy one for our Solution Accelerators team, so forgive me for batching them all up together:

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Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 - Now Available!

clip_image002If you’re making the move to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and/or Office 2010, you need tools and guidance to help you through the process. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010, a free Solution Accelerator, is designed to fill that need.

The latest MDT 2010 Update 1 release, now available for download, offers something for everyone:

 For System Center Configuration Manager 2007 customers:

  • New “User Driven Installation” deployment method. An easy-to-use UDI Wizard allows users to initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs that’s tailored to their individual needs.
  • Support for Configuration Manager R3 “Prestaged Media.” For those deploying Windows 7 and Office 2010 along with new PCs, a custom OS image can easily be loaded in the factory and then customized once deployed.

For Lite Touch Installation:

  • Support for Office 2010. Easily configure Office 2010 installation and deployment settings through the Deployment Workbench and integration with the Office Customization Tool.
  • Improved driver importing. All drivers are inspected during the import process to accurately determine what platforms they really support, avoiding common inaccuracies that can cause deployment issues.

 For all customers:

  • A smooth and simple upgrade process. Installing MDT 2010 Update 1 will preserve your existing MDT configuration, with simple wizards to upgrade existing deployment shares and Configuration Manager installations.
  • Many small enhancements and bug fixes. Made in direct response to feedback received from customers and partners all around the world, MDT 2010 Update 1 is an indispensible upgrade for those currently using MDT (as well as a great starting point for those just starting).
  • Continued support for older products. MDT 2010 Update 1 still supports deployment of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Office 2007, for those customers who need to be able to support these products during the deployment of Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Next Steps

  • Download MDT 2010 Update 1 from the Microsoft Download Center.
  • Learn more about MDT 2010 by visiting the MDT site on TechNet.
  • Get the latest news by visiting Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Team Blog.
  • Ask questions, post answers, and share your insights in the MDT Forum.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 now available!

The new Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 5.0 is now available for download! MAP 5.0 is an agentless tool designed to simplify and streamline the IT infrastructure planning process across multiple scenarios through network-wide automated discovery and assessments. This Solution Accelerator performs an inventory of heterogeneous server environments and provides you with usage information for servers in the Core CAL Suite and SQL Server, SQL Server 2008 discovery and assessment for consolidation, Windows 2000 Server migration assessment, and a readiness assessment for the most widely used Microsoft technologies—now including Office 2010.

Is your organization spending valuable resources planning its IT infrastructure? Download the MAP Toolkit 5.0, and let this tool do the heavy lifting for a wide variety of your IT planning projects.

Next steps:

System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0 Release Candidate now available!

Looking for a solution that helps you reduce IT costs, while increasing agility for your organization?

System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Servicing Portal 2.0 lets you build the foundation for an on-premise cloud infrastructure, enabling you to deliver IT as a service for your organization.

Using SSP, you can respond more effectively—and at a lower cost—to the rapidly changing needs of your organization.  SSP is freely available, and fully-supported by Microsoft.

Key Features:

  • Automation and Guidance: To assess, plan and design your private cloud foundation infrastructure
  • Customer/business unit on-boarding: Automated workflows to onboard business unit IT departments onto to your virtualized shared resource pool
  • Dynamic provisioning engine: To rapidly provision virtualized infrastructure in conjunction with System Center and Hyper-V
  • Self-Service portal: To empower consumers of IT to request and provision infrastructure for their apps/services
  • Partner Extensibility: Enable partners to expose their unique hardware capabilities through familiar Microsoft scripting technologies while providing variety and flexibility to IT 

Next steps: