Many Tools Can Help with Windows Planning and Deployment

Microsoft provides a variety of tools (many of them free) to help organizations plan for, configure, and deploy Windows operating systems. The tools can help make deployment quicker, with fewer errors, in a scalable, repeatable manner, and make more efficient use of IT skills. However, the tools do not replace good deployment planning and practices. Enterprises and Microsoft partners will want to carefully select the appropriate tools and plan their deployments so they go smoothly and efficiently.

This report will discuss automated deployment using Microsoft tools and systems management products. It concentrates on enterprise scenarios where Windows is deployed to employees’ PC hardware and not on consumers’ or small businesses’ PCs, Windows To Go, or in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) situations.

OS Deployment Scenarios

Enterprises’ deployment scenarios usually involve deploying the Windows OS widely throughout the organization, with standardized corporate images, and using tools that ensure repeatability and efficiency. Typical scenarios include the following: