InstallSite Blog : AdminStudio

AdminStudio 9.5 now available

stefan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:45:12 GMT

Flexera Software has released the new version of AdminStudio, as announced at Tech-Ed Europe. AdminStudio 9.5 includes improved support for the RTM version of Windows 7 and MSI 5, several updates to the Repackager (but no 64 bit support yet), and the latest version of InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1 as editor. The AdminStudio editions with Virtualization Pack also has improved support for the new versions of Microsoft App-V and VMware ThinApp.

AdminStudio 9.5 Release Notes (PDF)

AdminStudio is available from the InstallSite Shop.

AdminStudio 9.5 will improve support for Windows 7 and App-V, but won't include a 64 bit Repackager

stefan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:23:09 GMT

Today at the Microsoft TechEd Europe conference in Berlin, Flexera Software announced a new version of their packaging and virtualization tool. AdminStudio 9.5 is scheduled to be released on November 23, 2009.

The AdminStudio Repackager has been improved to support Windows 7 requirements, including enhanced exclusion lists. AdminStudio 9.5 also includes InstallShield 2010 to edit MSI files.

AdminStudio 9.5 will also support the latest releases of the leading application virtualization products: Microsoft App-V 4.6 and VMware ThinApp 4.0.3.

Unfortunately, AdminStudio 9.5 will not include support for repackaging 64 bit applications, but Flexera Software told me that this is high on their priority list. If you’re interested in beta-testing this functionality, please contact me (skrueger -at- installsite -dot- org) and I will forward you e-mail to Flexera Software.

Press release

You can buy AdminStudio in the InstallSite Shop.

AdminStudio adds support for direct conversion to Microsoft App-V

stefan — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:19:57 GMT

On April 28, 2009 Acresso Software announced the release of App-V support for AdminStudio.

AdminStudio can now directly convert existing physical application packages to the virtual format for use with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, the most broadly distributed application virtualization technology. With the latest release of AdminStudio, organizations can accelerate the creation, testing and management of virtual applications being deployed through App-V, making AdminStudio a beneficial component to enable customers to rapidly prepare virtual applications and expedite App-V implementations.

AdminStudio accelerates virtual deployments by converting applications into the App-V format natively, without the use of the App-V Sequencer. AdminStudio also speeds virtual application packaging and deployment above and beyond the use of the native sequencing process, by offering vital time and effort saving tools, including:

an automated process to migrate a single application, a few .EXEs, or an entire library of MSI-based applications to the App-V virtual format
editing and customization of virtual and traditional applications via the award-winning InstallShield® technology built into AdminStudio
a pre-virtualization scan which helps to determine which existing applications are the best candidates for virtualization before being deployed in a virtual environment
a combined application catalog to manage package-centric business practices, including updates for virtual applications deployed via App-V and traditional applications deployed through System Center Configuration Manager
a direct integration with Acresso Workflow Manager, the blueprint tool for managing application readiness, application virtualization, OS migrations, and other desktop management processes.

In beta use, AdminStudio users have seen physical to virtual application conversion times reduced from weeks to just a few hours. AdminStudio automated tools for converting applications, including batch conversion functionality, have migrated application libraries of over 200 applications from the MSI format to the App-V format in less than two hours.

With the addition of App-V support, AdminStudio now supports three popular application virtualization formats:

VMware ThinApp (formerly known as Thinstall)
Citrix XenApp
Microsoft App-V (formerly known as SoftGrid)

And of course, AdminStudio continues to support Windows Installer (MSI) packaging. Application virtualization support is an add-on package that’s available for the Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions of AdminStudio.

AdminStudio is available in the InstallSite Shop.

(Text based on a press release from Acresso Software)

Acresso Special Offers in October

stefan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:14:15 GMT

Acresso has started a new special offer for InstallShield and InstallAnywhere for October, and the AdminStudio offer also runs through Oct 30. Below is a summary of the current offers, and also some information about the price increase that was announced for November 1, 2008.

InstallShield and InstallAnywhere offer

"No-Cost Upgrade: Get the latest InstallShield or InstallAnywhere at no charge" is the subject line of an e-mailing that Acresso is currently sending to customers. While I find this slightly exaggerated :) you can still save a significant amount of money using this offer. And by the way: you can use it even if you didn't receive the e-mail. Here is how it works:

You order*: Bundle Product Upgrade + Silver Maintenance
You pay: Silver Maintenance only (which is less than a single upgrade)
You get: Upgrade to the current version + free product upgrades for the next 12 months + unlimited phone and web support for 12 months

This offer is valid for supported as well as end-of-life versions of InstallShield and InstallAnywhere (but you can't switch to a higher edition, for example from Professional to Premier).

*special promotion code required, contact your reseller for details

Example 1: Upgrade from InstallShield 11 Professional

Suppose you have InstallShield 11 Professional, which is a currently supported version (support for this version will end December 31, 2008, but that's another story) and want to upgrade to InstallShield 2009 Professional.

Regular upgrade price (without maintenance)	799 €
Regular price for upgrade + silver maintenance	1,519 €
Special offer price for upgrade + silver maintenance	709 €

So you pay less than the regular upgrade price but also get a silver maintenance plan, which includes upgrades and support for one year.

Example 2: Upgrade from InstallShield 10.5 Professional

Suppose you have InstallShield 10.5 Professional, which is no longer supported (so you cannot upgrade but would have to buy the full product) and want to upgrade to InstallShield 2009 Professional.

Regular full product price (without maintenance)	1,609 €
Regular price for full product + silver maintenance	2,229 €
Special offer price for upgrade + silver maintenance	709 €

This offer is valid through October 31, 2008. The prices used in the above examples are the list prices valid in October 2008. See below for the price increase announced for November.

AdminStudio offer

When upgrading from a supported version of AdminStudio (version 7.0 or higher) to AdminStudio 9 you can get 10% off the upgrade price. Owners of end-of-life versions (AdminStudio 6 or older) can get 30% off the price of the full version. Don't be confused: owners of a current version get 10% discount in addition to the regular upgrade discount, owners of end-of-life versions get 30% off the price of the full product (not off the upgrade price). This offer is valid through October 31, 2008.

InstallShield Multiplatform and Universal offer

Users of InstallShield Multiplatform or the Universal project type in InstallShield to create cross-platform installations can migrate to InstallAnywhere with 30%-50% off the software price and a 15% discount for consulting and training. This offer is valid through December 19, 2008.

InstallShield and InstallAnywhere price increase effective Nov 1

Acresso announced that the prices for InstallShield and InstallAnywhere will be significantly increased effective November 1, 2008. I don't have a full price list but from what I've seen so far:

Prices for full products will go up 10%-20%
Prices for upgrades will go up 50%-70%, in some cases they will even double
Prices for maintenance will not change (except InstallShield Premier Silver Maintenance which will go up 10%)

Note that these are only ballpark numbers and subject to change.

Call to action

If you have an end-of-life version (InstallShield 10.5 or older, or InstallAnywhere 6 or older, or AdminStudio 6 or older) you can get the latest version at a relatively low price through October 31.

If you have a supported version of InstallShield (versions 11 - 2008) or InstallAnywhere (versions 7 - 2008 without VP1) you can lock in the pricing for one year by taking advantage of the upgrade + maintenance bundle offers. Note that InstallAnywhere 2008 was released about a year ago, so I'd expect a new version in the near future - which you would get free of charge as a benefit of your maintenance plan.

This article is only a broad overview. Please contact your reseller to find out if/how you can benefit from these offers and which promo code to use.

These products and special offers are also available from InstallSite.

Additional upgrade discounts from Acresso, including end-of-life products

stefan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:03:57 GMT

Today Acresso extended the upgrade discount offer (10% off the upgrade price) that is available through the end of September (for AdminStudio: end of October) to the following product versions:

InstallShield Express: versions 11, 11.5, 12, 2008
InstallShield Professional and Premier: versions 11, 11.5
InstallAnywhere Standard and Enterprise: version 7.0
AdminStudio Standard, Professional and Enterprise: versions 7.x, 8.x

In addition, owners of old InstallShield, InstallAnywhere and AdminStudio versions that are past end-of-life and no longer qualify for upgrade pricing can get 30% off the price of the full product during the same time period.

Please contact your preferred reseller for the appropriate discount codes.

You can buy InstallShield, InstallAnywhere and AdminStudio in the InstallSite Shop

Acresso released AdminStudio 9 and announced end of life for AdminStudio 7.x

stefan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:20:28 GMT

On August 29, 2008 Acresso released version 9.0 of AdminStudio Enterprise, Professional and Standard editions.

AdminStudio 9 Release Notes (PDF)
Webinar: What's New in AdminStudio 9.0 and Workflow Manager 5.0
Registration required. WARNING: Anyone who knows your e-mail address can retrieve the information you entered during registration, so be careful what you enter as address, phone number, company revenue, etc.

At the same time, Acresso announced the end of life of AdminStudio 7.0 and 7.5. This includes Enterprise, Professional and Standard Editions. To stay current with the latest Acresso release, AdminStudio 7.x users can purchase the latest version of AdminStudio at the upgrade price through December 31, 2008. After December 31, 2008, they will need to purchase a new license of the latest version of AdminStudio at the regular full license price in order to stay current.

AdminStudio End-of-Life Notice

You can buy AdminStudio in the InstallSite Shop

Webcast: Application Virtualization with AdminStudio and Thinstall

stefan — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:13:44 GMT

On Wednesday, May 14, VMware (makers of Thinstall) and Acresso (makers of AdminStudio) will hold a free online webcast titled "Application Virtualization Reduces Costs with Conflict Free Applications".

Description:

Use Thinstall and AdminStudio to reduce costs by delivering conflict free, virtualized applications. VMware Thinstall lets you deploy virtual applications that require no client-side agents or server infrastructure, making them ideal for many environments. AdminStudio now gives you the power to quickly create, edit and test Thinstall virtual applications with the ability to automatically convert MSIs directly to Thinstall virtual packages and deploy via your software delivery tool of choice. When used in combination, these solutions help to cut IT costs by eliminating potential conflicts between applications, reducing OS migration dependencies and leveraging existing infrastructure. Whether you are working with one or several management tools, the combined solution enables you to standardize your packaging processes to deploy conflict free applications across virtual and physical desktops throughout the extended enterprise.

View this Webcast to learn how VMware Thinstall and Acresso AdminStudio can help you:

Slash support costs by 25% by eliminating application conflicts
Cut application time to deployment from months to days
Eliminate costly conversion and testing overhead
Reduce application and OS (XP, Vista) migration costs and user impact

Date and Time:
May 14th 2008
16:00 UTC = 09:00 AM Pacific = 18:00 Germany
other time zones

Register for the webcast

You can buy Thinstall and AdminStudio from the InstallSite Shop.