New Desktop Virtualization Tool Eases Transition To Windows 7

Windows 7 has been a major success for Microsoft, mainly in the home and consumer market, but it’s also doing much better in the business sector than its predecessor Windows Vista. However, there are still many organizations to make the switch from Windows XP due to their reliance on old legacy applications that just aren’t compatible on the newer Windows 7 operating system.

Microsoft has a new tool, MED-Vwhich it hopes will help IT admins to make the transition to Windows 7.

MED-V is short for Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization. MED-V, along with APP-V (Application Virtualization), makes up the virtualization framework of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). This week, Microsoft announced the availability of the public beta for MED-V 2.0.

It all sounds fairly complicated but desktop virtualization is the key to crossing the gap between the legacy OS and the new Windows 7 platform. It’s the easiest and most straightforward solution to this problem that’s prevalent with every new operating system. It allows you to migrate to Windows 7, and take advantage of all its features and benefits, while at the same time you can still run your older programs on it in a virtualized environment.

MED-V2.0 allows USB devices and Smartcards to be shared between host and virtual environments with little or no effort. Access to My Documents is redirected from within the virtual desktop so applications behave exactly as they do in the host system. It’s well implemented and you wouldn’t even think your effectively running two operating systems at once.

For IT admins, MED-V provides all the tools needed to deploy, provision, control, and monitor virtual desktops throughout the company. Usage permissions and Virtual PC settings can also be configured centrally, and tools are provided to facilitate troubleshooting and diagnosis of virtual PCs.

Here’s Microsofts word on it

If you have legacy Windows XP or Internet Explorer 6/7 applications that are slowing down your Windows 7 deployment plans, don’t let them stand in your way. The MED-V team has worked hard to ensure MED-V 2.0 is easy for IT professionals to deploy and manage and seamless for end-users to use.

So IT admins who have yet to upgrade to Windows 7, this could be the tool you’re looking for