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Virtualisation - Never Been Easier

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Earlier this week I talked about System Center (One Tool to Rule Them All), and how you can manage both server and desktop resources, both virtual and physical assets, and both Microsoft and third-party hypervisors, all with the same platform; as well as System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise (SMSE) which gives you the right to manage an unlimited number of operating system environments on a single physical server.

Following on with the theme of virtualisation and ways to lower costs with Microsoft is how you can easily license Windows Server 2008 for virtualisation.

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition makes licensing Windows Server for virtual machines easy. You license Windows by the processors on the physical server and get unlimited product use rights for the virtual guests. There’s no need to count, track, or license the virtual machines.  Very compelling.  It’s worth remembering that by running Hyper-V you don’t need separate drivers for the hypervisor, and you don’t pay additional licensing fees.

You can also buy Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition should it suit your situation better – in regards virtualisation the primary difference to Datacenter Edition is that Enterprise Edition allows only four simultaneous virtual instances per server license.

For more info on Windows Server 2008 and the editions see here.

To help customers take advantage of virtualisation on the desktop side, Microsoft included Microsoft Application Virtualisation (App-V) in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) for Software Assurance is a suite of six products sold as an add-on subscription license available to Software Assurance customers on a per user / per year basis.

In addition to App-V, MDOP incorporates five further Microsoft technologies that can be combined to address key business and technical challenges:

  • Application Virtualisation (App-V). Deploy software applications that are never installed and never require regression testing, yet follow users anywhere, on demand.

  • Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (MED-V). Enhance deployment and management of Virtual PC images on a desktop running the Windows operating system. Simultaneously provide a seamless user experience on a virtual PC environment independent of the local desktop configuration and operating system.

  • Advanced Group Policy Manager. Help IT take control of the desktop through effective change management, versioning and resets.

  • Asset Inventory Service. Scan software inventory and transform title data into information that can help administrators make better asset-management decisions.

  • Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset. Quickly repair unbootable or locked-out systems, restore lost data, remove malware from infected systems and diagnose problems.

  • Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring. Prevent or reduce the response time for system crashes and freezes with granular error filtering and automated alerts

For more information on MDOP have a look here. If you have further questions your local Microsoft Account Team will be happy to help, so give us a call!

Between Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 and the low per user / per year cost of MDOP for Software Assurance, virtualisation with Microsoft enables savings through innovative pricing and licensing, which lower both acquisition and ongoing ownership costs.

Furthermore, with server virtualisation in Windows Server 2008, application & enterprise desktop virtualisation in MDOP, and the deep integration of virtualisation into our end-to-end management solution, Microsoft makes virtualisation part of the everyday IT environment. 

It’s never been easier.

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