Microsoft Solution Accelerators - IPD Guides

We are currently seeing an influx of customers in South Africa, who are either in the Planning or Implementation phase for migration projects. To this end we are engaging with many IT Professionals involved in these projects who are seeking guidance and tools to assist them with their projects. However are ham strung, either by archaic tools or non-existent tools to assist them and their business successfully navigate their projects.

Starting with this post, and into the coming weeks, we will highlight the Solution Accelerators that are provided free of charge by Microsoft to assist from the Envisioning phase all the way through to the Deployment phase of a project. Microsoft Solution Accelerator's are tested guidance and automated tools to help one plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies—easier, faster, and at less cost. All are freely available and fully-supported by Microsoft.

Today's post focuses on the Infrastructure Planning and Design guidance. Otherwise known as IPD…

The IPD Guide series provides concise planning guidance for Microsoft infrastructure products. IPD guides help to streamline and clarify design processes for Microsoft infrastructure technologies, with each guide addressing a unique infrastructure technology or scenario.

Planning the next generation of technical infrastructure for corporations can be a complex and daunting task. If done well, the IT Professionals capabilities will be well aligned with the business and will become a strategic asset for the company.

These guides enable the IT Professional a means to validate design decisions with the business to ensure that the solution meets the requirements of both business and infrastructure stakeholders.

To download the entire IPD series, use the following URL - https://bit.ly/GI0BMK

Within the compressed file, you will find that each solution addressed will comprise of:

  • A Visio diagram to assist architect the solution graphically
  • A Word document guiding the IT Professional from the Planning phase to the Design phase
  • A PowerPoint deck to compliment the Word document, to be used in any workshops required to extract the necessary information from the Business.

For future products, not yet released to the world, one is able to sign up to the IPD Beta program and assist define the items before they are released. Using a Live ID, and joining the Solution Accelerators program here - https://bit.ly/GWnvP3, will give access to the Beta documents as they are released. 

As an IT Professional, if you have used or are using any of the IPD guides, please leave a comment here detailing your thoughts and experiences.

In our next post we will highlight the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP). Until then…

Cheers, Morgan…