MAP Toolkit 8.0 is Now Available for Download
As 2012 winds down, I am pleased to announce the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0 is now available for download.
In this version of the MAP Toolkit, there has been numerous improvements to improve overall usability, to help you accelerate your migration to Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows Azure Virtual Machine, Office 2013, and Office 365.
The New MAP User Interface
One of the most obvious improvements is a completely new user interface. The Overview page of the new user interface serves as a homepage for the application and provides a basic overview of the data collected in your environment, descriptions of all the scenarios available in the product, and supporting resources.
For a complete overview of the new user interface, see https://blogs.technet.com/b/mapblog/archive/2012/11/29/the-new-map-toolkit-user-interface.aspx.
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.
Additional Resources
MAP Toolkit 8.0 System Resources
Getting help with the MAP Toolkit
Discovering SQL Server using MAP Toolkit 8.0
Windows Azure Virtual Machine Readiness and Capacity Assessment