MMC provides several key benefits to administrators
Task Orientation: The tools being defined to work with MMC are task oriented in nature – they cater to the task being performed rather than merely displaying the raw objects that can be manipulated. Also, because administrators can customize their own tools, using pieces from a variety of vendors, they can create tools that contain only the UI they need to complete their tasks.
Integration:The UI for all the management tasks an administrator must perform are collected into a single console. As new applications are added to a computer or network, their administration is integrated into the existing administration common console.
Delegation: Administrators can easily modify existing tools to create new tools with reduced functionality and less complex views of the tool namespace, then give these tools to others. A person who receives such a tool is presented with a simpler, more manageable view of the tasks they are being asked to perform.
Overall Interface Simplification: All tools built for MMC, from any software vendor, will have a similar look and feel, making it easier for users to use all tools after learning one. Because you can mix and match tools from any vendor, you can use the "best of breed" from each management product category. MMC also enables a single piece of software to provide functionality across the interface in a consistent manner.
Because MMC itself provides the windowed environment, MMC is well suited to the ISV who wants to spend more time building real management functionality, and less time building and rebuilding a respectable windowing framework for their tools. By writing to the MMC specifications, an ISV will save development time, build in compatibility with other management tools, be able to leverage existing management tools also written for MMC, and offer an integrated look and feel.
Microsoft will make MMC APIs part of the Windows SDK, freely available to all ISVs, so ISVs can securely make MMC a part of their future management strategy. Microsoft is committed to supporting MMC as the way to build Windows based administration tools, and is using the console to build all upcoming Windows NT administration tools. Looking into the future, the Administrative Tools program group in the Windows NT Start menu will become little more that a collection of saved MMC tools.
MMC will be shipped in the next major release of Windows NT, and versions of MMC will also run on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95.