Using Microsoft’s Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit, integrated with 3rd party Server Monitoring applications, MBC can provide organizations with an enhanced understanding of their existing environment, search for opportunities of server consolidation, while at the same time identify vulnerabilities and shortcomings, concluding with best practice recommendations. This assessment is offered FREE of charge by MBC and serves to identify and diagnose vulnerable areas, discover opportunities for server consolidation and propose recommendations in line with your organizations IT strategic objectives.
MBC’s infrastructure performs three key functions: inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting:
Secure and Agentless Inventory MBC’s assessment entails a secure, agentless, and network-wide inventory that scales from small business to large enterprises. It collects and organizes system resources and device information from a single networked computer. MBC will perform an inventory on the following platforms: |
Windows 7 |
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Windows Vista |
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Windows XP® Professional |
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Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 |
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Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2 |
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Windows 2000 Professional or Windows 2000 Server |
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VMware ESX |
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VMware ESXi |
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VMware Server |
Comprehensive Data Analysis
MBC will also perform a detailed analysis of hardware and device compatibility for migration to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Application Virtualization, and Windows Vista. The hardware assessment looks at the installed hardware and determines if migration is recommended. If it is not recommended then the reports will indicate why it is not.
For customers interested in server consolidation and virtualization through technologies such as Hyper-V and Virtual Server 2005 R2, the assessment gathers performance metrics and generates server consolidation recommendations that identify the candidates for server virtualization and how the physical servers might be placed in a virtualized environment.
In-Depth Readiness Reporting
The end result of the assessment is reports containing both summary and detailed assessment results for each type of scenario. Reports are generated for the following scenarios: |
Identification of currently installed Windows client operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Reports indicating if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and if the Windows Firewall is turned on. |
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Identification of currently installed Windows Server operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008. |
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Identification of currently installed Microsoft Office software and recommendations for migration to Microsoft Office 2007. |
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Detailed assessment and reporting of server utilization gathered using the Performance Metrics Wizard. |
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Recommendations for server consolidation and virtual machine placement using Hyper-V. |
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Assessment of client machines, servers, and the technology environment for the implementation of Microsoft Application Virtualization. |
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Identification of machines where Microsoft SQL Server components are installed. |
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Identification of virtual machines, their hosts, and details about each. |
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Power Savings Assessment: Identify server and client machines running in your environment and understand the power management capabilities available. |