- Microsoft Softgrid: Softrird (from the Softricity acquisition) is a super new way of deploying complex application catologs to the desktop environment. Using application virtualisation you can seperate the application from ther desktop’s OS installation and from other applications. This reduces complexity, eliminates regression testing, resolves compatibility problems and increases security. Self service user deployment (with workflow/approval)is possible via a web portal which minimises IT involvment in application deployment. Also, by using streaming, wasted disk space is eliminated.
- Microsoft Asset Inventory Services: Every application installed on your desktop network can be identified for auditing purposes. This goes much fiurther than SMS 2003 on SP2 si going because it can identify application from a database of 430,000 known applications. It does not just rely on the contents of add/remove programs because as we know, many vendors do not adhere to well accepted standards.
- Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management: To quote Microsoft, it "increases control over Group Policy Objects (GPOs) – the component rules within Windows’ administrative management system – and is intended to allow IT administrators to delegate or assign administrative control of specific tasks based on employees’ titles or roles … provides administrators additional safeguards for GPOs, including detailed logs to track all changes and the ability to quickly undo inappropriate changes. These new tools function as a native extension to Microsoft’s Group Policy Management Console, providing a central management interface for all Group Policy administration".
- Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset: This offers diagnostic tools, the ability to recover data that has been lost and a post crash analysis toolkit.
There is a feature chart available.
Anyone tracking what Microsoft has been doing will have noticed a number of acquisitions of interesting players in this market. I can see that Softrgrid was purcahsed from Softricity. I am wondering if Advanced Group Policy Management is a result of the Desktop Authority acquisition. The tools in the Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset are a result of the recent Winternals acquisition.
This tool kit will be of great benifit to desktop/laptop administrators. It will reduce complexity, offer new deployment mechanisms, reduce project times and costs, enahnce automation and enable them to spend more time on engineering rather than firefighting or repetitive tasks. And if things do go wrong, there will be tools to help diagnose those problems.