Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 8.0 Beta Now Available

The latest release from the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) team provides organizations with tools to accelerate their migration to the cloud.

Download the beta materials on Connect: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=219165

Thanks for your ongoing interest and participation in the MAP beta review program. We hope you’ll take the time to preview and provide feedback on MAP 8.0 Beta.

Accelerate your Windows Server 2012 migration with Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0 Beta. This latest version of MAP adds new scenarios to help plan your environment with agility and focus while lowering the cost of delivering IT. Included in MAP 8.0 Beta are hardware and infrastructure readiness assessments to assist you in planning the deployment of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, preparing your migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines, readying your environment for Office 2013 and Office 365, and tracking your usage of Lync.

Determine your Windows Server 2012 readiness

MAP 8.0 Beta 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 Beta 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 Office365

MAP 8.0 Beta 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 VirtualMachines

MAP 8.0 Beta 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.

For a comprehensive list of features and benefits, visit the Connect site: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=219168

Tell us what you think!

We value your input. Download the beta on Connect and tell us what you think! Send your comments to the MAP team:MAPfdbk@microsoft.com

Availability

This program is now open. The beta review period will run through December 14, 2012.

Tell your friends

To join the beta review program for Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0 Beta, visit Microsoft Connect at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=217916.

Learn more

Visit the MAP home page: www.microsoft.com/map

Get the latest news straight from the MAP team: http://blogs.technet.com/mapblog

MAP works with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Security Compliance Manager to help you plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies—easier, faster, and at less cost. Learn more atwww.microsoft.com/solutionaccelerators.

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