Jul 18, 2011 07:37 GMT  ·  By

A new resource available free of charge from Microsoft is designed to streamline the management of the latest components to be added to MDOP.

The next major iteration of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) will feature the new Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring, a solution focused on BitLocker management, as its label implies.

The Redmond company is currently offering the Microsoft BitLocker Administration And Monitoring Management Pack through the Download Center.

What the download offers is the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Management Pack for Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring, according to the software giant.

The tool is of course designed for those customers already running System Center. Specifically, IT pros need to be running System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 or later.

“This management pack monitors the critical interactions within the server-side infrastructure, such as the connections between the three web services and the two databases, the operational calls between the two web sites and their supportive web service, and finally upload requests between the desktop clients and their respective receiving web service endpoints,” Microsoft said.

“MDOP MBAM is an enterprise solution for the management of BitLocker Volume Recovery Keys and assessing compliance against BitLocker policies.”

Customers that head over to the download page for Management Pack for MDOP MBAM will be able to grab not only the System Center Operations Manager Management Pack, but also the guidance necessary to make the best out of the solution.

“This management pack supports up to 4 separate role-holder machines each holding a distinct MBAM server role. This management pack supports “1 box server installation” configuration through “4 box server installation” configuration,” the company said.

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2011 R2 is currently in development and will be released soon. I talked recently with a Microsoft representative and he told me that although a general availability deadline is not set yet, MDOP 2011 R2 will be release next month, in August 2011. It will be MDOP 2011 R2 which will contain MBAM.

Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Management Pack for Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring is available for download here.