Desktop deployment choices

The range of ways you can deploy Windows desktop to end users seems to be increasing all the time, as Microsoft releases a range of ways to optimise your desktop systems, bringing in virtualisation techniques and products along with choices from Terminal Services to Vista.

For example, the acquisition of the desktop virtualisation company Kidaro, led to the Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (MED-V), while what was once the SoftGrid application virtualisation and streaming solution that Microsoft acquired with its acquisition of Softricity is now called App-V.

If you want to know how to put together a solution using options such as Med-V or App-V, Microsoft has a new free Solution Accelerator - essentially a guide to what to use under various circumstances. The Windows Optimised Desktop Scenarios shows what Microsoft recommends for five categories of users: Office Worker, Mobile Worker, Task Worker, Contract/Offshore Worker, and Access from Anywhere/Home.

The Optimised Desktop Scenario Assessment Guide describes the five user scenarios, along with the Microsoft products and technologies that are recommended for each scenario. You can download the solution accelerator and see what works best for you - at least according to Microsoft.