For the past few months, I have been traveling to many corners of the world visiting customers large and small.  Everywhere I went, IT pros gave me very positive reviews about their experience and satisfaction with Windows 7.  Many organizations are also evaluating optimized desktop technologies such as Office Professional Plus 2010, Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) and Internet Explorer 8.

For example, Sanofo-aventis, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world began evaluating Windows 7 Enterprise and App-V virtualization through a formal pilot program with over 500 desktop users in 2009.  During this pilot stage, with the help of Microsoft deployment tools such as Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit and User State Migration Tool, Sanofi-aventis' IT staff were able to assess application compatibility issues and tackle data transfer for in-place upgrades. 

O2 Ireland, a mobile phone service provider, needed to upgrade over 1000 of their aging Window 2000 operating PCs and launched its Windows 7 pilot program with 40 employees across different levels and functions in the company.  Based on the positive results from the pilot program, O2 has already deployed 400 PCs and plans to move the remainder of its employees to Windows 7 in early 2010.

Whether you have 1,000 PCs or 100,000 PCs, if you want to successfully and more quickly roll out Windows 7 Enterprise, a pilot program is highly recommended.  Clearly, as you can see, Sanofi-aventis and O2 have already benefitted from this deployment approach.

Today, I am happy to announce the launch of targeted partner and self service resources to help organizations assess business value and build a plan for deploying a modern desktop environment with Windows 7 Enterprise, Office 2010 Professional Plus, Microsoft App-V, and Internet Explorer 8:

1. Proof of Concept Jumpstart: Start evaluating these technologies by creating 5 to 50 PoC desktops and laptops with the help of deployment experts.  From creating an economic justification of the project to hardware assessment, image engineering and PoC deployment, deployment experts such as Microsoft Services and Microsoft Partners are standing by to help you.

2. Production Pilot Jumpstart: Want to start a more aggressive rollout? The same deployment experts can assist you with deploying up to 1,000 PCs in your environment through a 8- to 10-week engagement.

3. Self-Service PoC Jumpstart Kit: What if I just want to deploy myself or just "kick the tires"?  The Self-Service PoC Jumpstart Kit could be the right kit for you. What does the kit include? This kit offers a virtual hard disk that can be installed to a server for the deployment., It is a set up and ready to go environment with trial versions of Windows 7 Enterprise, Server 2008, Office 2010 and all the tools like MAP, MDT, ACT, OEAT that you will need to test your applications in a live environment as well as a great sandbox to test your pilot and deploy strategies.

If you are considering deploying Windows 7 Enterprise, Office Professional Plus 2010, App-V or Internet Explorer 8, I highly encourage you to learn more about new deployment program options by visiting the Windows Enterprise site . If you want to start to kick the tires yourself, we have packaged guidance and resources to help you to build a technical proof of concept as a new area on our Springboard Series on TechNet available today.

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Posted By: z3r010
13 May 2010