Is It Difficult, Time-Consuming or Expensive To
Manage Your Windows Desktop Environment?

Desktop Optimization Can Reduce Desktop Management and
Support Cost By as much as 60%!*
2006 ICD Study

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance is an add on subscription license available to Software Assurance customers. It uses innovative technologies to help reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the Windows desktop by accelerating operating system and application management and enhancing IT responsiveness and end-user uptime.

Each of the technologies within the Desktop Optimization Pack helps to enhance the maturity of your IT infrastructure and move you towards Infrastructure Optimization. Infrastructure Optimization helps organizations understand and improve the state of their IT infrastructure in terms of cost, security risk, and operational agility. It provides a logical roadmap from reactive to proactive IT service management.

There are five key technologies in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance:

• Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization and Streaming
• Microsoft Asset Inventory Service
• Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management
• Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset
• Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring

Create a Flexible, Intelligently Managed and Cost Effective Desktop Infrastructure that Boosts IT and User Productivity.

• Boost productivity of your IT staff and end-users
• Reduce the cost of administering applications through centralization of management, provisioning, support and deployment
• Reduce the time your IT staff spends on managing software assets and versioning
• Save time by streamlining desktop configuration and change management
• Increase user productivity by improving usability, responsiveness and reliability

Better management and control of enterprise desktop environments by addressing key desktop management pain points.

• Improve desktop configuration and change management
• Secure desktops via application isolation
• Prevent software piracy and ensure license compliance
• Better manage software assets and versioning
• Improve end-user access to key applications and control application permissions
• Accelerate software deployment and reduce image complexity
• Allow applications to run on multiple platforms
• Eliminate application compatibility conflicts and regression testing
• Reduce the cost of administering applications through centralization of management, provisioning, support and deployment

Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization
Enables you to deploy software applications that are never installed to minimize regression testing, yet follow users anywhere, on demand. It turns Windows applications into centrally managed virtual services that are delivered to any desktop or laptop client worldwide. It can be integrated and managed within Microsoft SMS. Datasheet (return to top)

Want to improve your understanding of Application Virtualization?
Get this Free White Paper - Application Virtualization: The Next Frontier

Microsoft Asset Inventory Service
Reduces application management lifecycle TCO through advanced software inventory scanning and by translating inventory data for more than 430,000 titles into useful, admin-friendly information. The tool is an easily administered, hosted service with no client installation. Datasheet (return to top)

Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management
Helps IT take control of the desktop through effective change management and roll-backs via GPOs and a robust role-based administration and delegation model. Datasheet (return to top)

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset
Allows you to quickly repair unbootable or locked-out systems, restore lost data, remove malware from infected systems while the system is safely offline using existing antivirus software, and diagnose system and network issues. Datasheet (return to top)

Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring
Enables you to proactively manage problems with applications and system components that crash or cause live PCs to hang. Identifies the impact, probable cause and resolution for failures—making desktops more stable and reliable. Datasheet (return to top)