Introduction

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (DOP, which Microsoft calls MDOP) is a set of PC management utilities available on a subscription basis to organizations that have Software Assurance coverage for the Windows client OS. The most prominent component of the DOP, Application Virtualization, will speed testing and improve reliability of PC configurations, while the newest addition to the DOP, Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, lets PCs run applications that aren’t compatible with the installed OS. Other DOP components fill important gaps in systems management for Windows PCs. Organizations should carefully examine the product’s licensing costs and ensure they have enough PCs to benefit from the kit’s most important technologies; organizations that cover Windows on Enterprise Agreements are most likely to find value in the DOP.

Pack Aids Applications Management, Inventory, and Configuration

The current DOP version, released in the second quarter of 2009, is labeled 2009 and has six components.