When upgrading to a new version of Windows, enterprises must first inventory and test line of business applications on the new operating system and your organization may have some applications that are not yet officially supported by your vendor, or might not work at all despite all efforts.

This whole process of testing, fixing the application, upgrading to a new version that supports Windows 7, or finding an alternative application can be time-consuming. Meanwhile, users are unable to take advantage of the operating systemâ€™s new capabilities and enhancements, and IT departments have to delay upgrade plans. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) can help ease these challenges.

MED-V helps ensure that we can move forward with an enterprise-wide rollout of Windows 7 without getting sidetracked by application compatibility issues.

Alex Ramos

Senior Manager, IT Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

With MED-V, we can address compatibility issues that we donâ€™t even know exist. If an application runs on Windows XP or Internet Explorer 6, it can run on Windows 7. Itâ€™s that simple and that monumental.

James Van Ryn

Windows Systems Engineer, Applied Materials

The fact that we didnâ€™t need to build a separate infrastructure for MED-V 2.0 was key. It enabled us to shorten our development time. All we had to do was build a functioning image and we were ready to go.

Patrick Healy

Systems Management Engineer, Applied Materials

Maintain Business Continuity

MED-V removes the barriers to Windows upgrades by resolving application incompatibility with Windows 7 and delivering applications in a Windows XP-based application compatibility workspace. Upgrades can proceed on schedule, and users can take advantage of the power of Windows 7 right away without losing access to applications they need while IT departments can remediate incompatible applications.

Easy to use

MED-V enables users to seamlessly start the legacy applications right from the Windows Start. Applications appear and operate as if they were installed on the desktop. They can even be pinned to the Windows 7 taskbar! In MED-V 2.0 legacy applications share seamless access to user documents and network-available printers, and even USB devices such as flash storage or Smartcard readers.

Simplified IT Management

MED-V is easy to deploy and manage. MED-V 2.0 integrates with existing management and deployment systems, such as System Center Configuration Manager, for easy, scalable, enterprise deployment.