Introduction

Article
03/05/2008

The Microsoft® Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) is part of a family of Microsoft solution offerings aimed at providing reusable components and repeatable processes to achieve timely and cost-effective information technology (IT) solutions. To help enterprises plan and implement technology solutions to business problems, Microsoft solution offerings combine:

Specific architectural, hardware, and software recommendations.
Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices.
Feature team guides.
Development resources.

Note In this document, Windows applies to both the Microsoft Windows® XP and the Windows Vista™ operating systems unless otherwise noted.

BDD 2007 for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system (BDD 2007) is designed to help a team deploy Windows, the 2007 Office system, and other applications to computers across an organization quickly and reliably. It addresses Windows Vista, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and Windows XP Professional. To achieve this goal, this accelerated solution provides fully developed processes for:

Computer imaging.
Software and hardware inventory.
Application compatibility evaluation and remediation.
Application packaging and scripting.
Network inventory and analysis.
Computer deployment, including data migration.
Project management throughout the project’s life cycle.

This solution is based on MSF project principles and Microsoft Worldwide Services real-world best practices. It provides guidance and documentation that team members can use for planning, developing, and customizing the organization’s deployment.

Note: Deploying Office 2003 BDD 2007 describes how to deploy the 2007 Office system as part of a larger desktop deployment initiative. The guidance in the Office Deployment Guide also describes how to deploy the 2007 Office system alone, as part of an upgrade process. For information about deploying Microsoft Office 2003, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=78158.

The Problem

In an increasingly fast-paced and competitive business environment, organizations recognize that to succeed in business, they must use the best technology and business processes available. However, the constantly changing nature of technology and the difficulties of managing people and processes may introduce problems that threaten business goals. In addition, infrastructure management is complex, and many organizations find deploying new hardware and software as well as supporting existing hardware and software difficult.

When an organization’s IT environment falls short of the ideal, a gap forms. This gap is typically characterized by excessive and uncontrolled IT spending resulting from a complex, difficult-to-support computing environment. This inadequate environment makes new development and software implementations problematic. When the computing environment is complex and not standardized, software cannot be rolled out to users in a comprehensive manner. Legacy hardware and software can constrict the computing tasks and solutions that IT is capable of offering users. In some ways, IT can become a hindrance to the business goals rather than a help.

The Solution

The solution is to reduce complexity and increase standardization by selecting a hardware and software baseline (or set of similar baselines) to which all users have access. The solution also includes automating repetitive tasks. With standard baselines, the IT department can more easily manage computing resources and roll out new software and hardware to its users. In this way, IT can divert spending away from excessive support and maintenance and into strengthening the organization’s competitive advantage and ability to reach its goals. After a standard baseline has been identified, the process for migrating to that new baseline must be established, enacted, and managed.

MSF provides guidance for managing these tasks. At its heart, MSF is about dedicated people using technology standards and business processes to improve the computing environment and make it more efficient. This solution is designed to accomplish this goal through implementation of several basic principles:

Automation tools help reduce labor and increase reliability.
Desktop management standardization helps organizations operate better by cutting costs and simplifying management and support.
Standardization means minimizing the use of or retiring hardware and software that do not meet the standard to ensure that all users within the organization are capable of following the prescribed processes.
Documenting computing standards, processes, and practices helps all users get the information they need to do their jobs.
Proper integration of the desktop with other components of the computing environment, such as messaging, networking, and security, is a key component of an effective computing environment.
Windows and the 2007 Office system provide an excellent opportunity to implement these principles throughout the organization.

This solution is built around a set of MSF-based best practices and principles of desktop management. These principles prescribe an organization-wide, component-based approach to standardizing personal computing systems that will ultimately help the organization maintain the IT environment more efficiently and proactively, saving money and improving other business practices.

About MSF

MSF is a flexible, interrelated series of concepts, models, and best practices that serve as a foundation on which to plan and build technology projects. MSF principles and practices help organizations envision, plan, and implement technology solutions that meet business objectives.

Microsoft created MSF in 1994, basing it on best practices within Microsoft’s product development and IT organizations. Microsoft also developed standardized training courses for MSF to promote consistency and effectiveness for project teams that use MSF. Since then, Microsoft Worldwide Services, partners, and customers have used core MSF concepts, models, and practices to ensure success in a wide range of technology solutions. Meanwhile, Microsoft uses continuing research and customer feedback to improve the MSF models, principles, best practices, and course offerings.

Distributed computing projects tend to be long and complex, and MSF helps participants by creating high-level consensus on vision, architecture, responsibilities, scheduling, and other factors that determine success or failure. A shared vision makes it possible to define, schedule, and carry out detailed methods. MSF also makes it possible to measure progress against original goals.

A disciplined approach is crucial to creating the right business solution on time, in scope, and within budget. Most technology projects depend on project management, business objectives, and development processes as much as on high-quality code. Choosing which technologies to use is only part of the effort; team members must also maximize their effectiveness. MSF helps guide teams to a successful solution. For additional background on MSF, see Microsoft Solutions Framework at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/msf.

Introduction

On This Page

The Problem

The Solution

About MSF

Additional resources