GPOVault, PolicyMaker Standard Edition, Registry Extension, Software Update and Share Manager products will transition to Microsoft as the Redmond Company has acquired their maker, the New Hampshire software vendor DesktopStandard. Corp. PolicyMaker Application Security business was not a part of the deal and is now the flagship product of BeyondTrust Corp, a company put together by former DesktopStandard CEO John Moyer.

"Joining with Microsoft will allow DesktopStandard to more quickly meet our goal of helping customers extend Group Policy to handle the majority of their distributed management tasks and to provide a more manageable environment for doing so," said DesktopStandard's CTO and cofounder Eric Voskuil, who will join Microsoft's Windows Enterprise Management Division in the role of Software Architect. "Customers will benefit now and into the future as our innovative team joins Microsoft in building the future of model- based policy management technologies."

Under the agreement, Microsoft will continue to deliver support to existing customers. The two companies have not disclosed the financial details of the acquisition.

"DesktopStandard products are already seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Group Policy and are completely complementary with Microsoft technology," said Larry Orecklin, General Manager, Microsoft's Windows Enterprise Management Division. "This acquisition enhances our ability to meet customers' needs to perform Group Policy lifecycle management, consolidate the number of policy objects being managed, and increase desktop management functionality."