No–not the clever play on words ‘There’s a Map for That’ ads that poke fun at the Apple ‘There’s an App for That’ ads while slamming AT&T for having very sparse 3G coverage. I must say though–those ads are awesome and if AT&T wasn’t feeling the heat before it is sure to be upset with the latest holiday editions of that marketing campaign. Whoever the marketing guy is that came up with that concept–give him a little something extra in his holiday bonus. He’s earned it.

But, I digress. No, when I say there’s a MAP for that I am referring to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Solution Accelerator. There’s also an ACT for that–the Application Compatibility Toolkit Solution Accelerator. Using MAP and ACT you can scan your systems and generate reports that will help you identify hardware and software that will not be compatible with Windows 7 so you can work proactively to address those concerns prior to the upgrade.

With MAP and ACT reports in hand, you can get to work figuring out which version of Windows 7 makes sense for your business and develop an implementation plan to make the switch. Any business-critical applications that won’t work in Windows 7 can be run in XP Mode, at least until a Windows 7-compatible solution can be found.

There is some preparation and planning required before rolling out a new operating system in an enterprise though. One critical step is to validate that the applications the business relies on will work with the new operating system.

Microsoft has developed the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to help you do just that. The latest version, ACT 5.5, has been updated to perform application compatibility for Windows 7 systems. Download the tool and start assessing your applications so you can be ready for Windows 7. You can also check out this interview between Stephen Rose and Jeremy Chapman to learn more about the updates and changes in the most recent Application Compatibility Toolkit.