Surprise! MDM Technology Preview available tomorrow

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In a recent post I stated that we planned to have a technology preview available in February, '08. 

Most folks aren't used to hearing these words in the same sentence, but here goes:

We're shipping early.  

Tomorrow I'll be sending out email to customers and partners alerting them to the availability of the technology preview (TP) for download from MSConnect.

If you'd like to participate in the technology preview and haven't done so already, you can express interest by sending an email with "Interested in TP" in the subject to MDMVibe@Microsoft.com.

The TP product is pretty much identical to the product Microsoft acquired in June with a few notable exceptions:

  • Libraries changed - The Stratature product used some libraries that were either out of date, not supportable, or the license was questionable. We removed those libraries and replaced the code with Microsoft technology.
  • Patch rollup - The TP release represents a roll up of patch releases for the time since the acquistion.
  • Signed - The TP release is signed and has been through the Microsoft ship process including more rigorous testing and signoff.

The primary purposes of this technology preview are two fold:

  1. We realize that there are a lot of rumors going around that the product was being removed from the market permanently. That just isn't true. We wanted to reintroduce the product into availability as soon as possible to mitigate the rumors.
  2. We wanted to expand the audience of customers and partners who are familiar with the product. While the product we ultimately ship for general availability will have many substantial improvements and new capabilities, the core product will remain largely intact. Customers and partners who participate in the technology preview will get a leg up on understanding the released product. 

If you've expressed interest in participating in the MDM TP by sending email to MDMVide@Microsoft.com, you should be recieving an email very soon that explains the next steps.

While this is not a general availability release and only select individuals under NDA are allowed to participate, we do not have any arbitrary limitations on total number that may download the product.However, this release is not supported in any way by Microsoft. It is an early visibility release only.

This is the first step in reintroducing the Microsoft MDM product into general availability leading up to TAP, CTP and release. We hope you have the opportunity to participate and give feedback about the product.

Thanks,