Microsoft To Offer SoftGrid Subscription In Software Assurance

Early next year, Microsoft plans to release a Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance (SA) customers that features SoftGrid application virtualization services for $10 per desktop per year.

The optimization pack, with the SoftGrid subscription, will be available in January. Other services planned for the optimization pack -- including software asset management, disaster recovery and advanced directory -- will be available later in the first half of 2007, Microsoft said Tuesday.

SoftGrid, which Microsoft obtained as part of its acquisition of Boston-based Softricity earlier this year, will give SA customers an application virtualization and software streaming solution for their Windows desktop.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant has been trying to drive more SA maintenance contracts by offering additional services atop SA's core value: upgrade rights. The desktop optimization pack is one example of that, but there's an annual fee per desktop to acquire the service.

The optimization pack incorporates a recovery and repair tool kit that Microsoft acquired as part of its purchase of ISV Winternals Software in July. The Winternals Admin Pak will accelerate desktop repair, Microsoft said.

In addition, the new pack will include Advanced Group Policy Management features, which will give enterprises and small and midsize businesses substantial Group Policy Object versioning, change management and delegation features.

Also slated to be added to the optimization pack down the road is a software inventory scanner that catalogs all applications on all desktops, analyzes the results and generates reports.

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