Copied from an official Microsoft release:

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Today, at the SoftSummit conference in Santa Clara, Calif., Microsoft announced it will offer a set of software tools designed to take the sting out today’s biggest pain points that enterprises deal with when deploying and managing applications and desktops. The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance marries four different tools:

• Microsoft SoftGrid “virtualizes” applications, meaning they can run on multiple PCs and other licensed desktops running Microsoft Windows without being locally installed. Instead, they run as individual networked services, enabling central deployment and management, minimizing compatibility problems and providing employees more ways to access applications.

• Microsoft Asset Inventory Services is designed to analyze all programs on employee PCs, and provide the most current, accurate inventory.

• Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management increases control over Group Policy Objects (GPOs) – the component rules within Windows’ administrative management system – and is intended to allow IT administrators to delegate or assign administrative control of specific tasks based on employees’ titles or roles.

• Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset makes it possible for the IT department to quickly pinpoint the causes of PC troubles, recover lost data and prevent future downtime with post-crash analysis.
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Hmmm….

Microsoft’s “SoftGrid” and it’s “benefits” can be found on this whitepaper.

My question is, will this be the best technology or will this just be what gets pushed off on us while eliminating our choices? Microsoft has a way of winning with sloppy software. Case in point? Windows NT. Need another? Internet Explorer. Both were applications riddled with bugs and plagued by instability and yet they were adopted.

Read the full release here.