Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)

Enhancing deployment, management and user experience for Virtual PC images in enterprise environments

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
MED-V) Version 1 BETA has been released!

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization is one of the six technologies in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. MED-V 1.0 provides deployment, management and user experience capabilities for Virtual PC images in a corporate environment, and the beta can be downloaded here. A short survey will need to be answered before downloading the software.
The challenge of legacy applications

Incompatibility of legacy applications with newer versions of Microsoft Windows can often delay enterprise upgrades to the latest version of Windows. Testing and migrating applications can be time consuming, and meanwhile users are unable to take advantage of the new capabilities and enhancements offered by the new OS. By delivering applications in a Virtual PC that runs a previous version of the OS (e.g., Windows XP or Windows 2000), administrators can remove the barriers to OS upgrades, and deal with testing and migration of incompatible applications after the OS upgrade.

MED-V Availability
MED-V v1 Beta is available now.
v1.0 release is expected in the first half of 2009.

Website:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/products/med-v.aspx
https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=665

Data sheet
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/4/f/64f5dc66-832a-4df3-baf4-3b4e7fb9e500/MDOP_Datasheet_MEDV_Ent_1108_r3.pdf

Architecture White paper
http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/3/4/C348F8CD-1DB7-4162-9040-7B13C4B0BB04/MEDV_Architecture_Dec08.pdf

More info:
www.virtualization.info/2008/11/microsoft-to-launch-med-v-beta-in-q1.html
www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/products/med-v.aspx