As Brandon just posted about, MSDN and TechNet Plus Subscribers can now download Windows 7.

Starting tomorrow August 7^th, our Software Assurance/Volume License customers will be able to download the Windows 7 Enterprise Edition as well.

We are also planning an Enterprise Edition Evaluation version to be released in the near future. Watch for more details on that here in this blog. (Evaluation version was mentioned in Brandon’s previous post here)

To ensure there is no confusion, I wanted to take a moment to clarify a few points:

• While you may evaluate Windows 7 Enterprise for 90 days from the Volume License Web site, in order to deploy it into production now, you need to have an active Windows Client licenses covered by Software Assurance.
• If you don’t have Software Assurance, you should work with your local account representative or Large Account Reseller to purchase the licenses. As of September 1^st you will be able to purchase product Volume License upgrades to Windows 7 Pro and be able to order the media for Windows 7 Enterprise available to Software Assurance customers.

I’d also like to answer some of the most asked questions I’ve been seeing:

What features do I not have in Windows 7 Professional that I would have in Windows 7 Enterprise?

Windows 7 Professional does not support key features like DirectAccess, BitLocker Drive Encryption, BitLocker To Go, Enterprise Search Scopes, VDI experience enhancements, BranchCache, and Multilingual User Interface Language Packs.

What is Volume Licensing?

Volume Licensing is the most affordable way to upgrade your existing PCs to Windows 7. If your PCs are not already covered by Software Assurance, you can purchase upgrade licenses through a Volume Licensing program to gain access to Windows 7 Enterprise.

Windows licenses available through Volume Licensing are upgrade-only licenses. They do not replace purchasing the initial Windows licenses for software that comes pre-installed on new PCs. Each desktop that runs the Windows 7 upgrade must first be licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems (Windows Vista (Enterprise/Business/Ultimate) or Windows XP (Professional)—otherwise the PC will not have a valid, legal Windows license.

What is Software Assurance?

When you acquire Windows 7 Professional licenses, either through Volume Licensing upgrades or through an OEM, you can cover those licenses with Software Assurance to get rights to Windows 7 Enterprise, that offers unique benefits such as, BitLocker Drive Encryption and Multilingual User Interface Language Packs, as well as access to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. You can learn more about Software Assurance here.

What else do I get with Software Assurance?

· Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) - MDOP is an add-on subscription license that provides innovative technologies to help better control the desktop PC, accelerate and simplify desktop PC deployments and management, and create a dynamic infrastructure by turning software into centrally-managed services. Learn more about MDOP here.

• Windows Virtual Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD) for Software Assurance - Windows VECD is an annual device-based subscription that enables organizations to license virtual copies of Windows 7 (or prior OS versions) in a variety of user scenarios.
• Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs - Available exclusively to Microsoft Software Assurance customers, this small-footprint, Windows-based operating system solution is for customers with legacy computers running early operating systems who are not in a position to purchase new hardware.
• Virtual OS Rights - Use up to four instances of Windows in virtual OS environments for each license that has active Software Assurance coverage.
• New Version Rights - Receive new versions of licensed software released during the term of your coverage. If you have Software Assurance coverage for your PCs when Windows 7 is released, you will automatically receive rights to use Windows 7 Enterprise on those PCs.

Customers with Software Assurance for Windows also have access to the following additional benefits:

• TechNet benefits through Software Assurance
• Extended Hotfix support
• 24x7 problem resolution support
• Enterprise Source Licensing Program
• E-learning
• Training vouchers

For more information on the benefits of Windows 7 Enterprise, I recommend reviewing this post from Gavriella Schuster. Also, to understand more on how to assess Windows 7 Enterprise for your organization visit the Springboard Series on TechNet here

Windows 7 Enterprise is another example of Microsoft’s commitment to delivering continual innovation to enterprises around the globe. We look forward to working with you and continuing to share more information about Windows 7 and what it has to offer our business customers.

If you have more questions you can read our Guide to Windows Volume Licensing.

As we previously announced, today MSDN & TechNet Subscribers will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English. On October 1st, the remaining languages will be released.

The bits are available now!

And tomorrow, our Volume License (VL) customers with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). In a few weeks, the remaining languages will become available to them. If you are a VL customer without a SA license, you will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing on September 1st.

For more information on Windows 7 Availability, please see this blog post. The post has been updated - including a nice chart.

You may have caught Brandon’s post last week looking at our SKU strategy for Windows 7. In addition to the guidance we provided earlier today for commercial customers looking at deploying Windows Vista, I want to also take a closer look at Windows 7 Enterprise specifically and what it means for our largest commercial customers.

Windows 7 Enterprise edition is designed to address the needs of our enterprise customers who have needs around advanced data protection, enabling user productivity and streamlining their PC management. Windows 7 Enterprise is part of the Windows Optimized Desktop offering, which also includes the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) tools and will only be available to customers with Microsoft Software Assurance on their Windows client licenses.

If you are an enterprise customer with Software Assurance on your existing Windows licenses when Windows 7 is released, then you automatically get the rights to deploy Windows 7 Enterprise to PCs in your environment. Additionally, customers who buy Windows 7 Professional and add Software Assurance will also have rights to deploy the Enterprise edition.

For our enterprise customers, we’re especially excited about the following Windows 7 Enterprise features that deliver greater efficiency and cost savings:

• DirectAccess: Windows 7, along with the network technologies in Windows Server 2008 R2, provides this network technology that enables the user to seamlessly access corporate network resources when on the Internet, without having to create a VPN connection.
• BranchCache: Windows 7 together with Windows Server 2008 R2 offers an alternative to alleviate the problems of slow connectivity, delivering increased network responsiveness of applications and giving users in remote offices an experience more like working in the head office. When BranchCache is enabled, a copy of data accessed from an intranet web site or a file server is cached locally within a branch office.
• Enterprise Search Scopes: allows IT administrators to populate links to the commonly used internal sites -- for example, SharePoint sites – to the Windows Explorer UI or to the Start menu or in Windows 7, using Group Policy. These links simplify access to the target internal data sources on the network for business users.
• BitLocker & BitLocker To Go: protect data on PCs and removable drives, with manageability to enforce encryption and backup of recovery keys. Windows 7 extends BitLocker protection to USB storage devices while making the original functionality even easier to use. Note: BitLocker for PCs and BitLocker To Go for removal hard drives such as external USB drives.
• AppLocker: is a flexible, easy-to-use mechanism that enables IT professionals to specify exactly what is allowed to run on user desktops. It restricts unauthorized software while allowing applications, installation programs, and scripts that users need.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Optimizations: delivers desktop functionality in Windows 7 using virtual machines hosted on servers—a solution known as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). VDI enables users to access their desktops remotely as well as the ability to reuse virtual machine (VHD) images to boot a physical PC. Windows 7 provides for better user experience in VDI scenarios, with better graphics, audio and local device support.
• Multi Lingual User Interface: the Language Packs in Windows 7 Enterprise enable you to support up to 36 different languages using a single Windows master image, rather than creating a separate image for each language used in the organization.

Other benefits to Windows 7 Enterprise include:

• Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA)
• License rights to run up to four additional copies of Windows in virtual machines
• License rights for network booting of Windows

Because each high edition SKU is a superset of the previous SKU, Windows 7 Enterprise includes all end user features available in Windows 7 Professional, as well as the DVD Playback Codec and Windows Media Center.

More information about Windows 7 Enterprise is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/products/windows-7-enterprise.aspx

Windows 7 Enterprise is another example of Microsoft’s commitment to delivering continual innovation to enterprise customers through Software Assurance. While we expect these features will be of greatest interest to our enterprise customers, any Windows client Software Assurance customer will have the rights to deploy the Enterprise edition. We look forward to sharing more information about Windows 7 Enterprise and what it has to offer our business customers.

Multilingual User Interface packs for Windows Vista and Windows XP Professional are not as easy to come by as Microsoft partners and customers would expect. The general presumption seems to be that the MUI packs are available as separate downloads from the Redmond Company. This is not the case. Far from it in fact. The MUI packs are designed to provide support for multiple languages during the operating system’s installation. Microsoft has applauded that fact that its latest operating system will change the strategy associated with multiple languages. There is however a little detail that Microsoft failed to emphasize, the MUI packs are not available for all Windows Vista editions.

“We advise that the MUI for Vista is not available as a separate product and that this functionality is included in the Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise Editions. (more…)

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