Microsoft makes available 2013 release of Desktop Optimization Pack

Microsoft has made available for download its Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2013 to its volume licensees with Software Assurance, officials announced on April 10.

MDOP is a bundle of virtualization and management products aimed at business customers.

Here's a quick guide to MDOP's acronym soup:

MBAM = Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring
AGPM = Advanced Policy Group Management
DaRT = Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset
App-V = App Virtualization
UE-V = User Experience Virtualization

Microsoft provided this list of new features in MDOP 2013:

• MBAM 2.0: New features including a Self Service Portal, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) integration, reporting enhancements, and simplified provisioning for Windows 8
• AGPM 4.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1): Brings change management for Group Policy to Windows 8, making it easier for organizations to keep enterprise-wide desktop configurations up to date
• DaRT 8.0 SP1: Accelerates desktop repair by adding support for 10 additional languages. Also includes a new Defender engine to better assist organizations in discovering malware
• App-V 5.0 SP1: Enables organizations to use virtually any app anywhere, now with support for Office 2010
• UE-V 1.0 SP1: Makes it easier for users to change devices, but keep their experience, now with support for Office 2007

Microsoft released the MDOP 2012 bundle in November 2012.

MDOP 2013 can be downloaded from the Volume Licensing Center.