Get Virtualized

Virtualization has the power to transform your IT infrastructure. From accelerating application deployments; to ensuring systems, applications, and data are always available; to consolidating and taking the hassle out of rebuilding and taking down servers; to reducing risk, cutting costs, and improving the agility of your entire environment, virtualization can vastly improve how you manage IT operations.

But determining how to optimally implement virtualization technologies-and figuring out which are best for your enterprise-can be a challenge. At DandK Enterprise, we're committed to making it as easy as possible to plan and implement a holistic virtualization strategy, from the data center to the desktop. That's why we're announcing the release and upcoming plans for Microsoft® Virtualization Solution Accelerators.

Solution accelerators are free automated tools and technical guidance that empower our customers to more quickly deploy Microsoft technologies, including virtualization. For the past few months, we have been focusing on developing a comprehensive set of solution accelerators for Microsoft virtualization technologies, including Windows Server® Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Terminal Services, Microsoft Application Virtualization, and more.

For example, we have just released a new automated tool called the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator that your IT staff can use to conduct a network-wide technology readiness assessment for various virtualization technologies in a matter of hours. In addition, we recently announced the release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Series, which offers guidance to help streamline the decision-making process of selecting the right virtualization technologies. Other solution accelerators will cover security and operational aspects of virtualization in the months to come.

I hope you'll take advantage of the Virtualization Solution Accelerators to help you proactively assess, plan, integrate, and operate high-performance, virtualized IT infrastructures. To learn more about the Solution Accelerators, see our featured product in this newsletter, check out the resources (linked below) and, as always, speak with your Microsoft representatives and channel partners.

-Larry Orecklin, General Manager, Virtualization Solutions, Microsoft

For more information

Check out the Microsoft Virtualization Web site for an overview of our data center-to-desktop approach and products: www.microsoft.com/virtualization

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Microsoft Virtualization: Featured Product

Accelerate Virtualization Assessment and Design with Virtualization Solution Accelerators

Are you ready to dive in and consider deploying Microsoft virtualization technologies? Whether you are just getting started or are ready for a detailed infrastructure design, we have the right resources-solution accelerators-to help you ramp up.

Simply put, Virtualization Solution Accelerators are a set of free resources that help you accelerate the adoption of any Microsoft virtualization technologies, including server virtualization, application virtualization, presentation virtualization, and more. In the form of automation tools and technical guidance, they offer the automated readiness infrastructure assessment and technical guidance on infrastructure design, security hardening, and virtualization management that are essential to any successful deployment project.

IT project plans cannot be successful unless they take into account the specific IT environment. To help you quickly determine your readiness for Microsoft virtualization technologies, we're developing an automated tool called Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Solution Accelerator. Imagine generating proposals or reports that target your readiness for various virtualization solutions in just a few hours or less. Using our new MAP tool, you can conduct network-wide inventory and assessment for migrating to Windows Server 2008, including Terminal Services, Windows Server Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Microsoft Application Virtualization, System Center Virtual Machine Manager, and more. Download the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Beta today!

Once you've determined your readiness for virtualization, don't forget to download the technical guidance on infrastructure planning and design for virtualization. Our Infrastructure Planning and Design Series aims to help clarify and streamline the decision-making process of selecting virtualization technologies and planning and designing your infrastructure. You can get the latest collection that covers Microsoft Application Virtualization, Windows Server Virtualization (Hyper-V and Virtual Server 2005 R2), and an overview guide.

To learn more about Virtualization Solution Accelerators, including upcoming releases that cover security and operation-focused accelerators, visit our Solution Accelerators Web site.

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The Virtual Experience - Microsoft virtualization solutions in real-life business scenarios

Featured Case Study: Denver Health and Virtual Server 2005

At Denver Health, an aging collection of mainframe gateways was expensive to maintain and lacked the ability to participate in a failover system for disaster recovery. Denver Health consolidated the gateways within virtual machines using Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 and provided failover and redundancy capability by using network-attached storage for key files. By using Virtual Server 2005, Denver Health consolidated the servers into virtual machines, maintaining and improving response time while building redundancy and failover capabilities into the network. Hardware costs were cut by U.S. $25,000 per year and network and SNA manageability was improved.

"The complexity we were faced with previously was enormous. Implementing Virtual Server and consolidating those legacy servers has reduced complexity while making the supportability easier."
- David Boone, Technical Services Project Manager, Denver Health

"SoftGrid [Microsoft Application Virtualization] allows us to use the same desktops across multiple shifts, agents and processes, in a secure manner."
Syed Rizwan, DGM IT, Siemens Information Processing Services

"With Virtual Server 2005, if we have a host server available, the procurement time of six to eight weeks is completely eliminated. This will help IT be more responsive to the business units."
Najam Usmani, Consultant, Allstate Insurance

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Microsoft Virtualization resources

Microsoft Hyper-V in Public Beta
Last week Microsoft delivered a holiday surprise. Microsoft released a public beta for Microsoft's hypervisor-based, server virtualization technology called Hyper-V, which is a feature offered with some versions of Windows Server 2008. You can download the public beta of Windows Server 2008 RC1 Enterprise with the new beta version of Hyper-V to evaluate the new technology, test applications running on Hyper-V, and plan future consolidation, business continuity and high availability projects. While this beta release doesn't contain all the capabilities expected in the final version, it does provide you with expanded features and capabilities not available in the September 2007 community preview of Hyper-V, such as Quick Migration, high availability, Server Core role and Server Manager integration.

Microsoft Application Virtualization Version 4.5 Beta Now Available
Formerly known as SoftGrid Application Virtualization, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 supports large-scale virtualization implementations across more sites; enables multiple delivery options; lets users work with localized applications; allows administrator-controlled virtual application interaction; and complies with the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing and Secure by Default initiatives. Currently available in a public beta on Microsoft Connect, it will be generally available through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack and Microsoft Application Virtualization CAL for Terminal Services in Q3 CY2008. Visit: Microsoft Application Virtualization Site.

Top Virtualization Myths Podcast: Listen Now
The "Top Virtualization Myths" podcast, an InfoWorld podcast sponsored by Microsoft, features Industry Analyst Dan Kusnetzky, Principal Analyst at the Kusnetzky Group. Dan outlines key virtualization myths that he has compiled from client messages, readers of his ZDnet blog, and comments addressed to other virtualization technology bloggers. He provides insights on how to plan, design, and implement a vision for virtualization in your organization. Be sure to download the companion white paper "Top Ten Virtualization Myths." Listen to the podcast and download the white paper.

InfoWorld Webcast: Maximize the Value of Your Virtualization Investment
Watch this previously recorded InfoWorld webcast sponsored by Microsoft and hear Andi Mann, Research Director at Enterprise Management Associates, talk about how to integrate virtualization into your existing IT process and effectively manage a virtualized environment. He will help you avoid the pitfalls and headaches of virtualization implementation and discuss how to effectively manage both your physical and virtual assets.

Get ready for the Workgroup Edition of System Center Virtual Machine Manager
The Workgroup Edition of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 is about to launch. Available in January 2008, the Workgroup Edition of Virtual Machine Manager helps smaller organizations manage both physical and virtual machines for up to five virtual hosts. See: www.microsoft.com/scvmm for more information.

Get Microsoft Virtualization Evaluation Software
Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1
Windows Server 2008 RC0
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007

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Thank you for joining us this month, see you in the next issue.

Sincerely,

- The Microsoft Virtualization Product and Marketing Teams