Windows 7 Deployment - FAQ
If you have not yet looked at Windows Vista Deployment Enhancements, you can learn about the enhancements made around file-based, nondestructive imaging that uses the Windows® Imaging Format (WIM), Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) independence, and language neutrality in Windows Vista® and Windows 7 images.
Which tools are available to help with a Windows 7 deployment project?
The following are some of the pre-deployment and deployment tools that help you automate common project-related tasks:
Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit: This tool inventories hardware and devices.
Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.5: This tool inventories applications, analyzes compatibility, and creates compatibility fixes for applications.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT): This tool helps you create images and automate the OS and application installations, data migration, and desktop configuration process.
Microsoft System Center: This is a family of products for large organizations that provides end-to-end deployment and management support.
A very useful read at Technet.