Windows 7 Prerequisites And Co

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

A practical guide to evaluating and deploying

This guide is not designed to replace the content and methodologies officially provided by Microsoft. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this document is accurate, all information is subject to change and should not be considered in any way to be an official statement of fact, accuracy or commitment from Microsoft.

Updated September 2009

Adam Hall Account Technology Strategist Microsoft New Zealand Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Table of Contents Introduction and Background................................................................................3 The Windows 7 Editions.........................................................................................4 Windows 7 Feature Chart......................................................................................5 Working with the new UI........................................................................................9 Prerequisites for Deployment..............................................................................12 SCCM 2007 SP2 or SCCM 2007 R2 SP2.............................................................12 Microsoft Deployment Toolkit...........................................................................12 Group Policy Settings.......................................................................................12 ACT...................................................................................................................12 Testing the new Windows 7 Features..................................................................13 Planning...............................................................................................................13 Login Scripts and Group Policy Preferences.....................................................13 Printer Drivers..................................................................................................14 Hardware and Drivers.......................................................................................14 Testing.................................................................................................................14 Application Compatibility..................................................................................14 Anti-Virus..........................................................................................................14 VPN...................................................................................................................15 Intranet / IE8.....................................................................................................15 Deployment.........................................................................................................15 WAIK.................................................................................................................15 MDOP................................................................................................................15 USMT................................................................................................................16 Supported Operating Systems.......................................................................16 Activation / KMS / MAK......................................................................................17 KMS...............................................................................................................17 MAK...............................................................................................................17 Capability Requirements.....................................................................................18 Defining Current and Desired States................................................................18 Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Measuring Success...........................................................................................18 Measuring Success

Introduction and Background This document provides guidance and information on how to get started with an evaluation of Windows 7 in an Enterprise environment. This guide is not designed to replace the content and methodologies officially provided by Microsoft. The content in this document is to ensure that appropriate consideration is given to the evaluation of Windows 7, and many of the common areas that may require remediation, changes or updates. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this document is accurate, all information is subject to change and should not be considered in any way to be an official statement of fact, accuracy or commitment from Microsoft. Listed below are some initial resources that you should read prior to starting any testing or evaluation of Windows 7. Quick Start Checklist

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd560775(en-us).aspx

Windows 7 deployment FAQ

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd744519(en-us).aspx

Upgrading from previous versions

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd446674(en-us).aspx

How to start a Windows 7 Pilot

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd744251(en-us).aspx

Windows 7 Feature Walkthroughs

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/windows/dd320282.aspx?ITPID=tnflash

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

The Windows 7 Editions Windows 7 Starter

OEM Only

Windows 7 Starter will only be available pre-installed on computers through system integrators and computer manufacturers. Windows 7 Starter will have the least amount of functionality as compared to the other five Windows 7 editions and will only be available in the 32-bit version.

Windows 7 Home Basic

Emerging Markets Only

Windows 7 Home Basic will only be available in emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and Pakistan. Windows 7 Home Basic includes the same features of Windows 7 Starter plus additional functionality like fast user switching and support for 64-bit chipsets.

Windows 7 Home Premium

Home Users

Windows 7 Home Premium is targeted to consumers and the home market. It contains all of the features of Windows 7 Home Basic plus additional functionality like multi-touch and Windows Media Center.

Windows 7 Professional

Home and Small Business Users

Windows 7 Professional is targeted towards IT enthusiasts and small business users. It includes all of the features of Windows 7 Home Premium and adds critical business functionality like the ability to join a domain and utilize file system encryption. Windows 7 Professional will be available through retail, OEM, and volume licensing channels.

Windows 7 Enterprise

Enterprise Users

Windows 7 Enterprise enables all features of the Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 Enterprise is targeted for enterprise customers and will only be available through volume licensing channels. Windows 7 Enterprise includes all of the features of Windows 7 Professional and adds additional functionality crucial to enterprise customers like multilingual user interface language packs, BitLockerTM drive encryption, and DirectAccessTM.

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Windows 7 Ultimate

Home Users

Windows 7 Ultimate contains the same features as Windows 7 Enterprise but will only be available through retail and OEM channels.

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Windows 7 Feature Chart

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Features

Home Premium

Professio nal

Ultimate

Retail, OEM, and Volume Licensing

Enterprise Volume Licensing

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

2 (Unlimited)

2 (Unlimited)

2 (Unlimited)

2 (Unlimited)

Create and Join a Home Group

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Tablet PC Functionality

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Multiple Monitor Support

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Document Libraries

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fast User Switching

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows Search

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows Mobility Center

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows Aero, Taskbar, & Jump Lists

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Live Thumbnail Previews

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Multi-Touch

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Premium Games Included

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows Media Center

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Create & Play DVDs

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Device Stage

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Action Center

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Encrypting File System

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Location Aware Printing

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Remote Desktop Host

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Domain Join & Group Policy Controls

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows XP Mode

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

AppLockerTM

No

No

Yes

Yes

BitLockerTM & BitLocker to GoTM

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

DirectAccessTM

No

No

Yes

Yes

Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA)

No

No

Yes

Yes

32-Bit and 64-Bit Versions Physical Processor Support (Core Processor Support)

BranchCacheTM

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Note: Starter and Home Basic were not included in the comparison chart above due to their limited applicability to business users.

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Windows 7 Enterprise - Business Benefits

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Capability Data Protection (Vista Improved)

Data Protection

Windows 7 Technology

BitLocker

TM

BitLocker to GoTM

(New in 7!)

Application Control (Vista Improved)

(New in 7!)

Application Compatibility

Extends BitLockerTM encryption to portable USB storage devices

Automatically encrypt USB flash drives plugged into a PC. If an encrypted flash drive is lost or stolen the data will be unreadable without the proper credentials.

AppLockerTM

BranchCacheTM

Improves application responsiveness and file copy performance for users in remote offices

Install BranchCacheTM servers in remote offices to greatly reduce the amount of time a user must wait for large file copy operations to complete

DirectAccessTM

Allows for seamless access to corporate network resources for mobile users without the need for implementing a virtual private network (VPN)

With DirectAccess remote users can access corporate file shares, internal Web sites and applications without connecting to a virtual private network

(New in 7!)

Application Compatibility

Encrypts the contents of the hard drive

Encrypt hard drives on portable PCs to protect sensitive company information in the event the PC is stolen or lost. Data on the hard drive cannot be read without the proper credentials.

Prevent users from running applications that destabilize their desktop environment and increase help desk costs

(New in 7!)

Remote Access 1

Examples of Uses

Prevents the installation of unauthorized applications onto a user’s PC

Optimization 1

What it Does

Run Windows XP applications directly from a Windows XP Mode Windows 7-based PC without compatibility Microsoft | Publicly available conflicts information Enterprise Desktop

The same benefits of Windows XP Mode but with full

Run applications requiring Internet Explorer 6 alongside applications requiring Internet Explorer 8, all on the same PC

Run applications requiring Internet Explorer 6 alongside applications

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 1

BranchCacheTM and DirectAccessTM require Windows Server 2008 R2.

2

MED-V requires the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).

Windows 7 Enterprise - Business Benefits

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Capability

User Productivity (New in 7!)

Search (New in 7!)

Windows 7 Technology

What it Does

Examples of Uses

Native support for popular video codecs and DVD playback

Windows 7 comes pre-installed with many popular video codecs including DivX, Xvid, H.264, and AAC

Users can play popular video formats like QuickTime (.MOV) and MPEG directly from Windows Media Player. DVD movie playback also works seamlessly without 3rd party drivers.

Enterprise Search Scopes

Enables users to quickly find what they are looking for by accessing documents stored in file shares, SharePoint sites, and Web applications through a single user interface

Users can search for documents simultaneously on their PC and SharePoint intranet portals through the Windows 7 search control

PowerShell 2.0

Provides IT administrators powerful commandline tools, like PowerShell Remoting, to access a PC for IT management purposes

With PowerShell Remoting IT administrators can run commands on remote PCs to assist in diagnosing a problem, installing an application, or running a background process to collect support data. Since PowerShell commands are scripted, they can be stored and re-used – minimizing the time required to solve recurring issues.

Windows Imaging File Format (WIM)

A file-based image format that is much smaller in size over previous Windows system image technologies. WIM allows for IT administrators to update the WIM file without having to destroy and then recreate the entire file.

With a WIM image, IT administrators can add or remove drivers without having to recreate the entire image file. Administrators can even store multiple system images inside a single WIM file.

Management (New in 7!)

Deployment (Vista Improved)

Deployment (New in 7!)

Allows IT administrators to Virtual Hard Disk deploy an entire Booting (Boot from Windows 7 operating VHD) system in just one Microsoft | Publicly availablefile

Help Desk personnel can use VHD files to quickly build and test Windows 7 system images. Image files can be easily transferred and backed up due to their single file structure and compressed file size.

A central location for collecting and dealing with

Action Center incorporates system alerts

information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Windows 7 Enterprise - Business Benefits

Capability

Deployment (Vista Improved)

Management (New in 7!)

Windows 7 Technology

What it Does

Examples of Uses

User State Management Tool (USMT)

Safely migrate user accounts, operating system and application settings from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7

Use USMT to migrate a user’s files and settings including documents and folders, browser favorites, email messages and contacts, and Windows personalization settings – having the potential to reduce costly desktop visits by Help Desk personnel

Problem Steps Recorder

Enables end users to record their interactions with a troublesome application and provide a detailed screen-by-screen capture to support personnel

Help Desk staff can quickly identify application problems by viewing the actual steps taken by the end user within the application – decreasing time spent on identifying issues and reducing end user frustration

Windows Firewall

Provides a hostbased firewall solution that allows or blocks network traffic according to its configuration. Works to protect PCs from networkbased viruses and malware.

Use Windows 7’s improved firewall management to define separate protection profiles for work, home, and public connectivity

Security (Vista Improved)

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Working with the new UI

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Prerequisites for Deployment There are a number of infrastructure technology components that need to be in place prior to you being able to deploy Windows 7 into production.

SCCM 2007 SP2 or SCCM 2007 R2 SP2 From a Microsoft deployment capability standpoint, Service Pack 2 for SCCM 2007 and SCCM 2007 R2 will be required. This is available from the end of September 2009. If you use another deployment and management solution, you will need to check with the vendor of that solution regarding their ability to deploy Windows 7.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit There will be a new release of the MDT (2010) that fully supports Windows 7. What’s new in Deployment Tools

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd744386(en-us).aspx

Windows Deployment Services

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd348499(en-us).aspx

Group Policy Settings There are a new set of GPO template for Windows 7. Some of these are for greater granularity of settings, and there are new settings for the new Windows 7 Features. What’s new in Group Policy

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd367853(WS.10).aspx

Group Policy Reference Sheet for Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx? displaylang=en&FamilyID=18c90c80-8b0a-4906a4f5-ff24cc2030fb#tm

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

ACT The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is a set of tools to validate applications, devices and computers before moving to a new version of Windows operating system. It allows the user to test and mitigate application issues to make them compatible with new operating system versions or updates. The tool provides access to fixes to many compatibility issues already diagnosed and reported by the global testing and deployment projects. You can also create your own compatibility fixes after the issue has been diagnosed. It works by collecting information on new compatibility issues through an installed agent and updates to a shared repository (SQL database).

ACT 5.5 information

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/cc722055(en-us).aspx

ACT 5.5 Download

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx? displaylang=en&FamilyID=24da89e9-b581-47b0b45e-492dd6da2971

Testing the new Windows 7 Features Bitlocker step-by-step guide

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc732725.aspx

AppLocker step-by-step guide

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd723686(en-us).aspx

Branch Cache adoption guide

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd637762(en-us).aspx

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Branch Cache demonstration guide

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/windows/dd573290(en-us).aspx

How Microsoft IT does DirectAccess

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd819155.aspx

Direct Access adopters guide

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx ?familyid=2fdc531d-9138-454f-a82078211755b52a&displaylang=en

Direct Access demonstration video

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/windows/dd572177(en-us).aspx

Boot from VHD demo

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/windows/dd758779.aspx

How to set up Boot from VHD

http://blogs.technet.com/canitpro/archive/2009/01 /13/windows-7-boot-from-vhd.aspx

Planning There are many things that are tested as part of rolling out any new OS but here are a few that tend to fall through the cracks.

Login Scripts and Group Policy Preferences Login scripts have traditionally been used to perform tasks as the user logs on. Mapping Drives, connecting printers, copying down configuration files, all sorts of things. Active Directory introduced some new functionality like logoff scripts and we now offer Group Policy Preferences (GPP). GPP can take away most if not all of your requirements for a login script, with the additional benefit that as a GPO the refresh cycles apply.

Requirements:

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 • •

For managing Group Policy preferences: Windows Server 2008 or later, or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 or later For being managed with Group Policy preferences: Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, or Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or later

Group Policy Preferences Overview

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx ?FamilyID=42e30e3f-6f01-4610-9d6ef6e0fb7a0790&DisplayLang=en

Printer Drivers An area that is often overlooked is an analysis of the requirements for new print drivers. If you have Windows Vista deployed, then most of the drivers should work on Windows 7, however you should test this thoroughly. You should also check with your print manufacturer for their intentions to provide Windows 7 drivers.

Hardware and Drivers The Windows 7 Beta and Release Candidate phases showed that the ecosystem for Windows 7 is very strong with a very high level of compatibility on a wide range of hardware. A large majority of devices will work with Vista drivers, however you should check with your hardware vendor on their timeframes for providing updated drivers.

Testing Application Compatibility Once you have your ACT reports back, you should have a fairly good base to begin your testing and remediation. Application testing is a large topic, and dependent on how you deploy your applications will depend on your level and amount of testing required. If you are using the Desktop Optimization pack and leveraging App-V and MED-V, you should be in a position of certainty that you can roll out Windows 7. App-V will remove any issues between applications, and MED-V removes any issues with OS version incompatibilities. Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 There are some scenarios where these solutions will not remove the issues, however these are well documented.

Anti-Virus You will need an updated version of your anti-virus engine that is Windows 7 compliant. Please check with your provider. Forefront has been tested and deployed within Microsoft.

VPN Windows 7 provides a built in VPN solution with Direct Access, but if you wish to remain using your current VPN solution you may require an updated client. Please check with your provider.

Intranet / IE8 Windows 7 includes IE8 built-in. If you have tested your application and intranets with IE7 you should be in a strong position for compatibility with Windows 7. However if you currently run IE6 you will no doubt have some remediation requirements. You can leverage MED-V to publish out IE6.

Deployment WAIK The Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) provides a set of tools, scripts and utilities that allow you to configure your build and get it ready for deployment. Using the WAIK

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-nz/library/dd349348(enus).aspx

Download the WAIK

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx? familyid=60A07E71-0ACB-453A-8035D30EAD27EF72&displaylang=en

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

MDOP The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) provides a suite of tools to manage and enhance the desktop environment. The tools in the suite are: •

•

•

•

•

•

Application Virtualization (App-V) turns applications into centrally managed services that are never installed, never conflict and are streamed on-demand Asset Inventory Service (AIS) translates software service into business intelligence and instantly depicts a complete portfolio of the desktop software Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) reduces downtime and accelerates desktop repair, recovery, and troubleshooting of unbootable Windows-based Systems Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) provides governance and control over group policy through robust change management and rolebased administration tools System Center Desktop Error Monitoring (DEM) enables proactive problem management by analyzing and reporting on application and system crashes Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MEDV) enhances deployment and management of Virtual PC images on a Windows Desktop while also providing a seamless user experience on a Virtual PC environment independent of the local desktop configuration and operating system

Desktop Optimization Overview

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/products/ mdop.aspx

USMT The User State Migration Tool (USMT) captures a snapshot of a users ‘personality’ – their settings, background, favourites, documents and so forth that can be restored to a new machine. The USMT can also be used when refreshing the desktop image in-place (i.e. a rebuild rather than a migration) by hard-linking data rather than moving and restoring. The USMT is included in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). Supported Operating Systems The USMT does not have any explicit RAM or CPU speed requirements for either the source or destination computers. If your computer complies with the system Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 requirements of the operating system, it also complies with the requirements for USMT. You need an intermediate store location large enough to hold all of the migrated data and settings, and the same amount of hard disk space on the destination computer for the migrated files and settings. The following table lists the operating systems supported in USMT 4.0.

Operating Systems

ScanState (source computer)

LoadState (destination computer)

Windows XP Professional

X

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

X

32-bit versions of Windows Vista

X

X

64-bit versions of Windows Vista

X

X

32-bit versions of Windows 7

X

X

64-bit versions of Windows 7

X

X

Note: You can migrate a 32-bit operating system to a 64-bit operating system. However, you cannot migrate a 64-bit operating system to a 32-bit operating system. USMT 4.0 does not support any of the Windows Server operating systems, Windows 2000, or any of the starter editions for Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. In addition, USMT 4.0 only supports migration from Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3.

USMT 4.0

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd560801(en-us).aspx

What’s new in USMT 4.0

http://technet.microsoft.com/ennz/library/dd560752(en-us,WS.10).aspx

Activation / KMS / MAK All copies of Windows 7 must be activated. For home users and small businesses this is a manual process for each machine.

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 For Corporate and Enterprise customers, there are two automated options – KMS and MAK. KMS Key Management Service (KMS) uses a KMS key to establish an activation service that is hosted locally in your environment. The KMS key is used only to activate a computer that you designate as the KMS host to enable KMS. After the service is established, your Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 systems can activate by connecting to the KMS host. No keys are used to activate the KMS client systems. Systems activated via KMS must reactivate at least once every six months by connecting to the KMS host. A minimum number of physical KMS client machines is required and must be maintained for activation of KMS clients to occur. KMS 1.2 is required to activate Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. KMS 1.2 Download

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968915

MAK A MAK is used for one-time activation of a computer with Microsoft's hosted activation services. There are two ways to activate computers using a MAK. MAK Independent activation requires each computer to independently connect and activate with Microsoft, either over the Internet or by telephone. With MAK Proxy Activation, a computer acting as the MAK proxy gathers activation information from multiple computers on the network and then sends a centralized activation request to Microsoft's hosted activation services on their behalf. A free application, the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT), enables you to do a MAK Proxy Activation.

Volume Activation information

https://partner.microsoft.com/4002920 9

Activation FAQ

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/exi sting-customers/product-activationfaq.aspx

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009 Volume Activation resources

http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc303274.aspx

Capability Requirements One of the very useful tools that Microsoft provides is the Infrastructure Optimization (IO) model. This is a capability model that allows you to determine what maturity level your technology environment is at. From a desktop OS point of view, you can measure what capability and maturity you have now before the upgrade, and then measure again after the migration to see how you have progressed. This is what the IO model looks like as at October 2009:

Defining Current and Desired States There is an incredible amount of information provided at http://www.microsoftio.com and also if you are a Microsoft managed account, your Account Technology Strategist can do this with and for you. A good start is to map out your current state, and then define the capabilities you want then measure within the model what effect that will have.

Microsoft | Publicly available information

WINDOWS 7 PREREQUISITES AND DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS [] September 3, 2009

Measuring Success One benefit that this process can provide is the ability to measure on a documented scale what success you have had and the benefits that the organization has obtained. In the diagram below, you can see the mapping of where a customer was prior to a desktop rollout, and where they moved to. This provides a nice graphical representation of the gains made.

Microsoft | Publicly available information