Microsoft business users: MDOP 2011 R2 tools are now being served

As of August 1, Microsoft's most recent version of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) -- MDOP 2011 R2 -- is generally available for download.

MDOP is a bundle of business-focused tools available to Software Assurance volume licensees only. New in the 2011 R2 release is Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM), Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) 7.0, and Microsoft Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0.

Here's more explanation from a new post on the Windows for Your Business blog, as to what's in these new components:

•    Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM), which simplifies deployment and key recovery, centralizes provisioning, monitoring, and reporting of encryption status for fixed and removable drives

•    Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) 7.0, which is a set of tools that helps recover unusable PCs, diagnose problem causes of issues, and repair unbootable or locked-out systems.

•    Microsoft Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0, a cloud based asset management service, with new scalability, localization and software reporting updates.

MDOP 2011, which Microsoft made available to customers in March, included Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.6 SP1, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) 2.0, Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) 4.0, AIS 1.5, DaRT 6.5, and Microsoft Desktop Error Monitoring (DEM) 3.5.

MDOP 2011 R2 is available for download from the Microsoft Volume Licensing site. Customers who don't have access to the Volume Licensing site may download it from TechNet or MSDN. And Windows Intune service customers who have paid the extra $1 per user for MDOP, will be getting the 2011 R2 features as part of their subscription.

Microsoft officials said they have nothing to say about what's coming next for MDOP and/or how MDOP and the new version of Windows Intune -- which provides management of third-party apps and is slated to be available later this year -- will dovetail.

On the topic of Microsoft's Volume Licensing site, Microsoft will be releasing an update to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) on August 15. Among the new features: An updated UI with better access to help and resources; download and product-key pages combined into a single page; a single subscriptions menu; and a new way for partners to see which promotional products to which a customer is entitled.