REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 10, 1999 — Further highlighting the continued success of the Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation operating system 4.0, Microsoft Corp. today announced that in the four months since the System Preparation Tool was made available, over 1,000 companies have chosen and licensed the tool to quickly and easily deploy Windows NT Workstation 4.0 throughout their organizations. In addition, Microsoft today announced the System Preparation Tool’s support for 15 languages, including English, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian and Swedish.
“The demand for utilities like the System Preparation Tool demonstrates not only the incredible momentum behind Windows NT Workstation 4.0 as the mainstream business operating system, but also its value in solving real customer needs,” said Robert Bennett, group product manager of Windows® marketing at Microsoft.
“The System Preparation Tool, combined with a variety of third-party solutions, provides corporations with the easiest way to migrate and deploy Windows NT Workstation 4.0 today.”
Companies such as Ikon Office Solutions and ELDEC Corp. are using the System Preparation Tool along with third-party utilities for broad deployment of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 across their desktops. Ikon Office Solutions has deployed more than 100 machines since acquiring the tool and is migrating additional desktops.
“We are currently upgrading existing workstations and deploying new workstations at BMW Manufacturing with the Microsoft System Preparation Tool,”
said Larry Hollandsworth, systems engineer technology services, Ikon Office Solutions.
“With it, we easily create images that quickly deploy on new machines or upgrade existing machines. The System Preparation Tool is easy to use and is a great time-saver.”
ELDEC began testing the system preparation tool in November and has since begun deployment of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on the company’s desktops.
“We are in the process of upgrading clients from Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation 4.0,”
said Sal Petriello, senior tech lead at ELDEC.
“We have utilized the Microsoft System Preparation Tool to deploy about three dozen desktops so far, and we plan to continue using the tool. What would have originally taken me two and half hours per PC takes as little as half an hour for a number of PCs with the use of the System Preparation Tool. We are thrilled with the tool’s efficiency and ease of use.”
The Microsoft System Preparation Tool for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is a simple utility that prepares a PC’s hard disk for duplication. Once the disk is prepared, customers can easily migrate to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 by quickly cloning it on PCs throughout their organization using a variety of third-party utilities such as Micro House Solution’s Imagecast IC3 tool.
“Until the Microsoft System Preparation Tool came along, many users were concerned about the safety of system deployment of Windows NT using a cloning tool,”
said Steve Anderson, CEO of Micro House.
”
The System Preparation Tool has resolved these concerns. Corporate IT deployment teams everywhere are combining Imagecast IC3 and the System Preparation Tool for a bulletproof, sophisticated, rapid solution for installing and updating Windows NT. We think this has helped accelerate enterprise acceptance of Microsoft
Windows NT, and we look forward to continued collaboration with Microsoft on system deployment technology. This is a perfect example of close cross-vendor collaboration that directly benefits users.”
Microsoft has also worked with PC manufacturers such as Micron Government Computer Systems Inc. to deliver the System Preparation Tool to additional customers.
In addition, Micron recently worked with the Internal Revenue Service to provide the organization with the System Preparation Tool to enable the IRS’ quick deployment of additional desktops.
“The Microsoft System Preparation Tool was an essential piece of the IRS deal because it reduced the time it takes for the IRS to deploy its new Micron systems,”
said Harry B. Heisler, vice president and general manager of Micron Government Computer Systems Inc.
“We were able to meet the IRS’ rigorous requirements by fully exploiting the customization and flexibility offered by the System Preparation Tool and Micron’s direct model, which allowed us to move quickly to fulfill its hardware, software and service needs.”
Pricing and Availability
The Microsoft System Preparation Tool for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is available free of charge to Microsoft customers that have a current Microsoft Open, Select or Enterprise Agreement. Also, any Microsoft Certified Solution Provider at the Partner level may obtain a license separately to use the System Preparation Tool on behalf of Microsoft customers with volume licensing agreements. For more information on the system preparation tool, including a
white paper discussing how businesses can deploy Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 to multiple desktops cost-effectively using the Microsoft System Preparation Tool, connect to http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/deployment/deployment/syspreptool.asp .
With more than 25 million licenses sold, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is becoming the mainstream business desktop operating system for all users. Window NT Workstation 4.0 offers the lowest TCO of any desktop platform while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. In addition, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 will provide the smoothest upgrade path to Windows 2000 when it becomes available. For more information on Windows NT Workstation, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows NT and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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