Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 RTM Released!

What is MAP? Well, Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2 to give it it’s full name, makes it easier for you to quickly identify what servers, workstations, and network devices are in your IT environment. MAP also provides specific and actionable IT proposals and reports to help you get the most value out of Microsoft products and infrastructure.

MAP is a scalable and agent-less assessment platform designed to make it easier for our customers to adopt the latest Microsoft technologies. In this version, MAP has expanded its assessment capabilities to include SQL Server 2008, Forefront/NAP, and Microsoft Online Services migration, as well as providing a Power Savings assessment to help your customers “go green.”

In summary, MAP 3.2 assessment areas now include:

• SQL Server 2008 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
• Forefront/NAP Readiness Proposals (NEW!)
• Microsoft Online Services Migration Surveys, Proposals, and Reports (NEW!)
• Power Savings Proposals (NEW!)
• Server Migration Reports and Proposals (Windows Server 2008 and “virtualized guests by hosts” reporting) (NEW!)
• Server Consolidation Reports and Proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Hyper-V)
• Desktop Security Assessment to determine if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and up-to-date, or if the Windows Firewall is turned on
• Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Hardware Assessment Reports and Proposals

To both try the the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit and learn more, there are number of different resources open.

• You can Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.2 (RTM Bits)
• Learn more about MAP on TechNet or Microsoft Partner Program Portal
• Read Hyper-V/MAP Case Studies: See how Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Banque de Luxembourg benefitted from using the MAP Toolkit
• Get Marketing BOM including PowerPoint Decks, Datasheets, and more
• Read the MAP Team Blog
• Listen to TechNet and Academy Live webcasts on MAP
•  oin the TechNet Forum Community for MAP
• Use MAP together with the Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool to get more virtualization POC wins
• MAP is a member of the family of Server, Desktop, Security, and Virtualization Solution Accelerators.

In my last blog entry I talked about a Webcast series on Virtualization coming in January, the second session in that series you will be able to see us use MAP to help assess the right candidates for virtualization.