Remember Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, the free Microsoft tool that allows IT Pros to run legacy apps inside virtualized Windows XP and 2000 environments? When we first talked about it back in January, it was in the beta stage.

Now, MED-V is officially a 1.0 product, and it's available as part of Microsoft's just-released Desktop Optimization Pack 2009 (a.k.a. MDOP). Here's the full scoop from the MDOP Blog:

MDOP 2009 includes the first release of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V 1.0), a Cumulative Update to Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V 4.5 CU1) and an update to the Asset Inventory Service (AIS).

For any organization still concerned about application compatibility with Vista, this should come as good news indeed. Here's more on MED-V 1.0:

MED-V 1.0 helps enterprises upgrade to the latest version of Windows even when some applications are not yet compatible. MED-V builds on top of Microsoft Virtual PC to run two operating systems on one device, adding virtual image delivery, policy-based provisioning and centralized management.

We should point out that MDOP 2009 is available strictly for Software Assurance customers, who can download it on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS). IT Pros who want to evaluate the tools can access them on the MSDN and TechNet sites.