The intent of this whitepaper is to provide a framework for the evaluation of System Center Configuration Manager 2007. System Center Configuration Manager—previously known as Systems Management Server—represents a tremendous advancement over its well-regarded predecessor, now providing the control necessary to more effectively manage change in today's dynamic IT infrastructures. Manage the full deployment and update lifecycle with streamlined, policy-based automation; with enhanced insight into, and control over, assets and systems compliance; and with optimization for Windows—particularly Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista—and extensibility to customized administration experiences and third-party applications.

This whitepaper isn't published yet on Microsoft Download, but you can crab it from the blog of Daniel Lai.

Download the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 reviewers guide