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Microsoft Deployment Toolkit announcements

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    Welcome to the MDT forum
    Michael Niehaus [MSFT]

    On behalf of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) team, I would like to welcome you to the MDT forum at Microsoft. This is an open forum where we invite you to ask questions, post answers, and share your insights regarding the operations of MDT.

    Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment. This toolkit unifies tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment in a common deployment console and collection of guidance, making deployment effective and easier.

    Please take advantage of this community to share best practices and understand how MDT works.

    To learn more about Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010, visit www.microsoft.com/mdt.

    Or, get the latest news by visiting the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Team blog.

     

    Welcome to the MDT conversation!

    Best Regards,

    Shruti Kala
    Product Manager

     

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit announcements

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    FAQ for Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit
    Baldwin Ng - MAP Tool Microsoft Employee
    The latest Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) page for the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is available on the TechNet Wiki:
    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/microsoft-assessment-and-planning-toolkit-frequently-asked-questions-faq.aspx

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    Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 8.0 Now Available
    Michael Switzer [MSFT CSG]

    Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 8.0

    MAP 8.0 now available for download!

    Download MAP 8.0

    Accelerate your Windows Server 2012 migration with MAP 8.0!

    Accelerate your Windows Server 2012 migration with Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0. This latest version of MAP adds new scenarios to help plan your environment with agility and focus while lowering the cost of delivering IT. Included in MAP 8.0 are hardware and infrastructure readiness assessments to assist you in planning the deployment of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, preparing your migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines, readying your environment for Office 2013 and Office 365, and tracking your usage of Lync.

    Key features and benefits of MAP 8.0 help you:

    • Determine readiness for Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
    • Assess environment for Office 2013.
    • Plan migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines.
    • Track Lync Enterprise/Plus usage.

    Key features and benefits in more detail:

    Determine your Windows Server 2012 readiness

    MAP 8.0 assesses the readiness of your IT infrastructure for a Windows Server 2012 deployment. This feature includes detailed and actionable recommendations indicating which machines meet Windows Server 2012 system requirements and which may need hardware updates. A comprehensive inventory of servers, operating systems, workloads, devices, and server roles is included to help in your planning efforts.

    Determine your Windows 8 readiness

    MAP 8.0 assesses the readiness of your IT environment for a Windows 8 deployment. This feature evaluates your existing hardware against the recommended system requirements for Windows 8. It provides recommendations detailing which machines meet the requirements and which may need hardware upgrades. 

    Key benefits include:

    • Assessment report and summary proposal to help you understand the scope and benefits of a Windows 8 deployment
    • Inventory of desktop computers, deployed operating systems, and applications

    Assess your environment for Office 2013 and Office 365

    MAP 8.0 assesses readiness for Office 2013 and Office 365 and provides an in-depth assessment of client desktops for upgrading or migration. This feature also offers support for Office 365 features such as web apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, or full Office 365 client support.

    Migrate to Windows Azure Virtual Machines

    MAP 8.0 performs a comprehensive assessment of Windows Server and Linux machines to determine feasibility of a migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines. MAP then provides suggested changes to prepare targeted machines for migration. This feature helps you reduce the operating costs of hosting on-premise servers, as well as estimating the required size and monthly network and storage usage required to migrate on-premise Windows and Linux servers to Windows Azure Virtual Machines using actual data from the targeted environment.

    Assess your software usage and evaluate your licensing needs for Lync

    The Lync Enterprise and Usage Tracking feature counts the number of Lync Enterprise/Plus users as well as device activities for determining the number of required client access licenses (CAL). For Lync 2010, MAP provides a server inventory and software usage by device and user for Lync Standard features. MAP’s updated Software Usage Tracking feature provides consistent software usage reports for key Microsoft products including Windows Server, SQL Server, System Center, Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP), and Lync.

      

    Download MAP 8.0

    MAP works with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Security Compliance Manager to help you plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies—easier, faster, and at less cost.  Learn more.

    Learn more

    Visit the MAP home page: http://www.microsoft.com/map

    Get the latest news straight from the MAP team: http://blogs.technet.com/mapblog

    MAP works with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Security Compliance Manager to help you plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies —easier, faster, and at less cost. Learn more at http://www.microsoft.com/solutionaccelerators.

    Follow Solution Accelerators on Twitter to get the latest tips and updates:@MSSolutionAccel


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    Welcome to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning TechNet Forum
    Michael Switzer [MSFT CSG]

    The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (or MAP) forum will help you ask questions or post answers to common questions on the operation of the MAP Toolkit. Please join the forum frequently as we continue to grow the MAP Toolkit users community for self-help and ideas exchange with the MAP Toolkit development team.

    Microsoft Assessment and Planning is an agent-less scalable inventory and assessment tool that can help you discover client machines and servers on your network and assess their readiness to migrate to the latest Microsoft technologies for:

    • Migration Planning
    • Consolidation/Virtualization
    • Private/Public Cloud Planning
    • Software Usage Tracking

    Imagine getting a series of technology proposals that are SPECIFIC to your environment in just a few hours! Please take advantage of this TechNet Forum to share best practices around the use of the MAP tool and ask questions if you run into any technical problems.

    You can get a FREE DOWNLOAD of Microsoft Assessment and Planning here: http://www.microsoft.com/MAP

    Or, visit our Team Blog to get more tips and tricks here: http://blogs.technet.com/MAPBLOG

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    Join the Beta program! Help make MAP BETTER!
    Michael Switzer [MSFT CSG]

    To join the beta program, simply follow these steps and help us make MAP the best it can be!

    • Go to http://connect.microsoft.com and click “Sign In” (in the upper right of the page)
    • If you are not already registered with Microsoft® Connect, it will guide you through a quick (and free) registration process
    • Make sure you say “yes” to being contacted about participating in new Microsoft Connect programs or you won’t get an email notification for future MAP beta programs.
    • Once you have completed the registration, sign in to Microsoft® Connect
    • Search for "Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit"
    • Click join and you will be notified of beta programs and opportunities!

Microsoft Operations Framework -- MOF 4.0 announcements

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    Welcome to MOF 4.0 Online
    Jason Osborne [Msft]

    On behalf of the MOF team and the moderator staff, I’d like to personally welcome you to the new MOF Community at Microsoft. Here you will find an open forum for the discussion of all topics related to service management, MOF, and related process-based frameworks throughout the IT lifecycle.  Now that you are part of this community, we hope to see you actively participating and sharing. MOF integrates community generated processes, governance, risk, and compliance activities, and other industry best practices to provide guidance across the IT service lifecycle.  For us to continue to evolve these best practices in the face of ever shifting technology paradigms, we need your continued input and support.

     

    Here at the MOF Community we invite you to post your questions, share your insights, tell us what you like, and by all means, what you disagree with.  If you have a service management problem you’re trying to resolve, share it and see if the community can help.  All we ask is that you remain respectful of everyone’s opinion and promote intelligent and responsible discussion. If you have any questions, problems, or concerns that don’t seem to be getting addressed by the board, feel free to e-mail us, the MOF team, or contact us via our Blog.

     

    Thank you again for joining us here and for taking a look at MOF 4.0.  We look forward to getting to know you.


    Welcome to the conversation!

    Jason Osborne
    MOF Frameworks PM

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    Getting Started with MOF Released to Web
    Jerry Dyer

    Thanks in part to your participation at every stage of its development, a new MOF implementation guide is now available for download.

    The Getting Started with MOF 4.0 guide is the first step to a more efficient MOF implementation. The guide provides role-and situation-specific guidance, focused on helping users understand where to apply MOF and how to get the most from its recommendations.

    This new extension of the MOF core content speaks to three targeted audiences—the CIO/IT director, IT managers, and individual contributors. Tailoring the content to specific roles clarifies responsibilities and leads to improved service delivery in your organization. The guide includes a list of prioritized action items that address both proactive and reactive issues. Ultimately, this guide serves as the primary resource for implementing MOF within your organization.

    Download the Getting Started with MOF 4.0 guide.

    Looking for additional resources to help you get started with MOF 4.0? Download the MOF IT Pro Quick Start Kit.

    Stay tuned: A new series of MOF Reliability Workbooks will soon be available for Beta download. Want the latest MOF updates? Subscribe to our news feed.

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    MOF 4.0 Frequently Asked Questions
    Jason Osborne [Msft]
     Microsoft Operations Framework - Frequently Asked Questions v1.0

    What is MOF 4.0?

    Microsoft® Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 is a framework that provides practical guidance for managing IT practices and activities throughout the entire IT lifecycle. MOF helps IT professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective IT services by integrating

    ·         Tried-and-tested processes for planning, delivering, operating, and managing IT

    ·         Governance, risk, and compliance activities

    ·         Management reviews

    ·         Best practices from Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF)

    MOF helps IT professionals take advantage of everything Microsoft has to offer, including products and Solution Accelerators.

    What’s new in MOF 4.0?

    The guidance in MOF 4.0 moves beyond Operations to address the entire IT lifecycle. MOF 4.0 introduces a new structure for its service management functions (SMFs)—one that emphasizes outcomes, results, and roles in a format that's easy to reference. Because every group, team, and company is unique, the SMFs are anchored by questions the user must answer. Finally, the MOF community serves as a platform where IT professionals can exchange ideas, contribute their own timely, relevant guidance, and communicate directly with Microsoft about the continued evolution of the framework.

    Why did you develop a new version of MOF?

    MOF 4.0 has been expanded and enhanced to:

    ·         Reflect a single, comprehensive IT lifecycle

    ·         Connect service management theory to every-day tasks and activities

    ·         Align IT with business needs and goals

    ·         Address governance, risk, policy, and compliance

    ·         Support continuous improvement through community involvement

    How much effort will it take to implement MOF 4.0?

    Your goal should not be to implement MOF; it should be to solve problems and promote efficiency in your organization. You can use MOF to drive key decisions, create and manage key policies and risks, clearly define roles and accountabilities, and define and enact processes for your organization—all in an efficient and practical manner. Because the scope of the problem or opportunity you’re facing will determine the amount of effort required. MOF 4.0 has been designed to help overburdened IT professionals quickly access useful, relevant content. It contains practical guidance for everyday tasks and activities—not just theory —to efficiently and effectively address those problems. Its streamlined approach makes it possible for users to either implement the entire framework or simply use one component of the framework to solve a particular problem.

    Will MOF 4.0 work with the framework I’m currently using?

    MOF 4.0 is backward-compatible with all previous versions of MOF, and can easily integrate policies, tasks, or activities based on other frameworks. MOF 4.0 was designed to provide you with a clear picture of how the entire IT lifecycle is interrelated, what decisions are required and what outcomes are vital, yet leaves it up to the IT organization to determine the areas of focus. An organization or IT professional can use all of MOF 4.0 or just one component of the framework to solve a particular problem.

    Why are there so many tables in MOF 4.0?

    The SMFs are anchored by pertinent questions, inputs, outputs, and best practices for each activity, and the tables provide a format that’s concise and easy to follow. The questions help drive decisions that are relevant for your organization. They also help you determine where to focus—or not—which supports organizational maturation.

    How does MOF address governance, risk, and compliance?

    Governance, risk, and compliance are addressed in the Manage Layer, which is the foundation for the phases (Plan, Deliver, and Operate). Governance identifies the decision makers and stakeholders, determines accountability for actions and responsibilities for outcomes, and addresses how expected performance will be evaluated. Risk management occurs throughout the entire IT lifecycle as well; it addresses business decisions, policy adherence, application development, and operational procedures. Risk also determines what business controls need to be in place. Compliance guides behavior throughout the lifecycle to make sure that governance and risk management activities are addressed. The management reviews in each phase show how IT is performing against corporate governance, risk, and compliance objectives.

    How can I contribute to MOF 4.0?

    A central component of MOF 4.0 is its online community—a place where IT professionals can share service management knowledge and best practices, communicating both with each other and with Microsoft. MOF 4.0 provides a platform that integrates contribution sharing, blogs, forums, online training, and feedback to support the community and keep it ahead of ever-shifting IT trends. To visit MOF online, go to www.microsoft.com/MOF.

    How is MOF different from ITIL?

    There are many similarities between MOF and ITIL. Both help IT organizations achieve reliable and cost-effective IT services; each uses the entire IT service lifecycle as the context for work activities. ITIL v3 is a vast compendium of information that addresses the breadth of IT activities by providing considerable detail in a number of areas. ITIL content consists of more than 1300 pages of concepts and models that address how IT organizations can provide valued services.

    Similarly, MOF 4.0 contains core IT service management guidance, but takes a more streamlined approach to meet the needs of the overburdened IT professional. MOF 4.0 presents fundamental IT processes and their associated activities in an easy-to-grasp table format. And because busy IT professionals still have to implement, execute, follow or report IT policies and navigate risks every day, MOF 4.0 includes policy creation in the Plan Phase as well as support for IT governance, risk management, and compliance throughout the entire IT service lifecycle. Risk management and internal controls provide a coherent focus throughout the lifecycle and demonstrate the interconnectedness of all IT activities.

    How will MOF and Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) work together?

    MOF 4.0 integrates MSF core principles in the form of SMFs into the IT service lifecycle.  MSF is also available as an independent framework. The current MSF content, training, job aids, and templates—on which those SMFs are based—resides on http://www.microsoft.com/technet/solutionaccelerators/msf/default.mspx.   Enacted MSF guidance also ships in Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2005 and Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008. Customers have given feedback that they would like to see a coherent guidance strategy across development and operations. The two teams are in the process of aligning; the goal is to empower IT professionals and developers with a consistent and coherent set of processes and best practices.

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    New MOF Guide—Now Available for Download
    Jerry Dyer

    The Microsoft Operations Framework team is pleased to announce that the Managing and Operating a Microsoft Private Cloud—How to Apply the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) guide is now available for download. To download the new guide, go to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc506049.aspx.

    This guide leads you through the process of how to manage and operate a Microsoft private cloud using the service management processes of the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). The guide applies MOF’s IT service management principles to that conceptual architecture and technology stack. It describes how to maximize the potential of MOF’s people, process, and technical capabilities to manage and operate a Microsoft private cloud. Follow this guidance for a private cloud that is better aligned to meet your business needs. Employ MOF’s service management functions (SMFs) to help align IT and business goals, which can enable you to perform private cloud activities effectively and cost-efficiently.

    This guide focuses on the SMFs in the Operate Phase and the Manage Layer of MOF to give IT pros and managers what they need to know about managing and operating a private cloud. Management reviews—internal controls that ensure goals are met to achieve business value—are also included.

    Tell your peers about MOF! Please forward this mail to anyone who wants to learn more about Microsoft Operations Framework guides.

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