Version comparison

Features by Version

	Enterprise	Professional	Standard
Introduced or Enhanced in 11
Platform API AdminStudio includes a new platform API that enables users to sequence individual AdminStudio automated tasks to perform higher-level processes such as importing packages, checking for virtualization readiness, converting to virtualized packages, testing packages, distributing to Configuration Manager, and other custom tasks you define. The AdminStudio Platform API seamlessly integrates with Flexera's Workflow Manager, providing end-to-end application readiness processes and connecting those workflows with other enterprise processes and systems. With this capability, you can automate the many routine tasks that you perform, freeing up time to focus on analyzing the results. You can choose from a variety of industry standards such as .NET, PowerShell and scripting languages such as VB Script, to communicate with AdminStudio, so you can use the method most familiar to you.
Suite Installations via InstallShield® 2012 Premier AdminStudio Enterprise Edition includes InstallShield 2012 Premier to simplify the configuration of multi-application software installations, eliminating deployment issues and reducing support costs for application suites.
Detect, View and Edit System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Application Metadata Accurate identification of deployment metadata is crucial for populating Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager new application model. AdminStudio automatically gathers this metadata by mining package elements such as detection methods, requirements, and dependencies. All of this metadata, which you can easily view and edit in AdminStudio, is transferred directly to Configuration Manager upon application publication. More »
Bulk Import from Configuration Manager 2012 and 2007 AdminStudio provides enhanced import functionality to help speed your migration to Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, easing your transition from its previous package-based model to its new application-based model. Bulk import eliminates the laborious and error-prone task of importing applications manually one at a time. Application Manager's Import Wizard now offers a new option on the Select Package Source panel to perform a bulk import of applications from Configuration Manager 2012, while maintaining its support for package import from earlier releases of Configuration Manager. If you select the "Show only good candidate packages (MSI)" option, AdminStudio will check the packages in the Microsoft Configuration Manager 2007 server to determine if they are good candidates for migration to Configuration Manager 2012, and filters the list accordingly. Filtering speeds the adoption of Configuration Manager 2012 by enabling you to quickly identify and migrate good candidates before moving on to those that require more work.
Server App-V Application Suitability Testing AdminStudio performs automatic suitability testing of packages for Microsoft Server App-V. By identifying conversion issues in advance, AdminStudio allows users to focus first on those applications that lend themselves readily to the Server App-V environment. This speeds the conversion process and helps to accelerate the adoption of Server App-V technology. more»	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Application Tagging AdminStudio now includes automatic ISO 19770-2 software tagging, which enables a more efficient software asset management and license optimization process. An application's tag file contains accurate descriptive information (publisher, name, version, etc.) that can be collected and analyzed to provide an accurate application inventory. AdminStudio automatically creates tag files for application packages in two ways: When you import an application package into the AdminStudio Application Catalog. NOTE: The first time you open an Application Catalog database from an earlier release of AdminStudio, you have the option to re-import all of your MSI packages and automatically create software tags for them all. When you convert a legacy package to a Windows installer package. Automatic tagging eliminates the need to manually tag each application, a time-consuming and error-prone process. You can view and edit the tag file information for each application using a new, easy-to-follow view,so you can tell at a glance the tagging status of each application. In this way, you can ensure that all applications have comprehensive and accurate tags to enable effective application asset management.
Introduced or Enhanced in 10
Enhanced Application Management Catalog and Application Manager Application centric catalog allows the management of MSIs alongside virtual application packages. The enhanced Application Manager and Application Catalog allows the centralized management of MSIs alongside virtual application packages, enabling virtual packages to be handled with the same process and tools as MSIs – removing the costs and complexity of maintaining two separate solutions and repositories. This new functionality simplifies the grouping of applications showing different application package formats (deployment types) hierarchically under each application. This simplifies the task of managing the applications and reduces the time and effort involved.
Centrally Manage and Report on Application Portfolio Customizable reports and dashboards allow reporting on any parameter of the Application Catalog. More »
Conflict Testing and Validation of Microsoft App-V Packages Perform validation of Microsoft App-V packages to ensure they conform to best packaging practices Run conflict tests between App-V packages to ensure that their elements that affect the PC (i.e. file associations) will not conflict.	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Direct Editing of Microsoft App-V Packages Direct editing of Microsoft App-V packages files using the Virtual Package Editor, a familiar Installshield look and feel. More »	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Virtualization Suitability Testing Automatically run tests to determine if the application is suitable for deployment as a virtual application More »	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Automated Application Converter (Multiple Applications) Automated conversion of MSI and legacy installers to Microsoft App-V, Citrix XenApp & VMware ThinApp more»	With Virtualization Pack
Automated Application Converter (Single Application) Automated conversion of MSI and legacy installers to Microsoft App-V, Citrix XenApp & VMware ThinApp. Detects and converts packages that contain custom actions on a virtual machine. Automated approach is 9x faster than manual conversion tools.	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Virtualization Component Searching Search virtual applications in the catalog for specific components (i.e. files).	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Windows 7 Application Compatibility Assessment Overview report of entire portfolio for project scoping by performing over 10,000 Windows 7 compatibility tests on each application More »	With Application Compatibility Pack	With Application Compatibility Pack
Automated Windows 7 Application Compatibility Fixing Auto generate standard MSI transforms to fix over 98% of installation package related issues. Fast, consistent approach ensures that packages are of high quality. Eliminates the needs for skilled, expensive packaging resources to fix the majority of installation package issues, saving time and money.	With Application Compatibility Pack	With Application Compatibility Pack
Pinpoint Application Compatibility Issues Identifies both installation package and application code compatibility issues. A single click pinpoints compatibility issues to accelerate the fixing process. Identifies which applications can be automatically fixed and which need to be sent back to development. Integration with AdminStudio allows you to perform the same level of Windows 7 compatibility assessment as part of a migration project or for day-to-day application requests.	With Application Compatibility Pack	With Application Compatibility Pack
Detailed Application Portfolio Compatibility Reporting Instantly run pre-defined reports showing all applications grouped by their compatibility status. Shows precisely which applications have issues with each platform, to focus and prioritize further testing and fixing.	With Application Compatibility Pack
Automated Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility Testing for Web Applications Simple, bulk loading of Web site addresses (URLs) and Web based applications for Internet Explorer 8 compatibility testing. Import multiple Web site addresses (URLs) or Web applications at one time and test to ensure they render correctly in Internet Explorer 8 and check for missing elements on pages due to browser incompatibility. Available with Desktop License Model only. Contact PDS for more details on this AdminStudio license model.	With Application Compatibility Pack
Automated Internet Explorer 8 Integration Testing for Desktop Applications Drag and drop multiple application packages to test that they integrate with Internet Explorer 8. Available with Desktop License Model only. Contact PDS for more details on this AdminStudio license model.	With Application Compatibility Pack
Windows Server 2008 R2 Compatibility Testing In-depth testing and reporting on both installation package and application code compatibility issues.	With Application Compatibility Pack
InstallShield 2011 AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield 2011, which includes the ability to natively create an App-V installation, support for MSI 5.0 and more! More »
Introduced or Enhanced in 9.5
Expanded Windows 7 support - x32 and x64 Create packages for Windows 7 deployment, modify exclusion lists for accurate Windows 7 packages, test for Windows 7 application suitability. More »
Enhanced Exclusions for Windows 7 Projects Simplify Windows 7 packaging with automatic exclusion of OS and registry files. Plus, process exclusions for Windows 7 and Vista are now included in the process exclusions used by the Repackager Installation Monitoring.
Expanded Batch Conversion of MSI to Virtual Applications Automatically bulk-convert MSIs to virtual applications, now with even more Windows Installer configurations to convert the most challenging applications. More »	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Support for MSI 5.0 Keeping current with the latest standards, AdminStudio 9.5 produces MSI compatible with MSI 5.0.
InstallShield 2010 AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1, which includes the ability to natively create an App-V installation, support for MSI 5.0 and more!
Enhanced User Folder Handling Matching the realignment of user data folders in Windows 7, the AdminStudio Repackager now improves the handling of user data.
Enhanced Side-by-Side Assemblies Private and shared side-by-side assemblies are improved with streamlined functionality.
External Shortcut Support for Microsoft App-V Support external shortcuts, such as plug-ins, for Microsoft App-V packages.	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Create a Portable “Wrapper MSI” For Microsoft App-V build outputs, a Windows Installer “wrapper” can be generated and used to deploy the App-V package on the App-V client. The wrapper MSI is portable and can be more easily moved from one network location to another.	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Introduced or Enhanced in 9.0.1 (AdminStudio Support for App-V Release )
Microsoft App-V Support For Microsoft App-V customers, AdminStudio now supports the conversion of MSI and .EXEs to the SFT format used by Microsoft App-V. AdminStudio 9.5 supports App-V version 4.6. More »	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Support for Multiple Virtualization Formats Only AdminStudio can convert applications to one, two or three types of virtual packages – supporting Microsoft App-V, VMware ThinApp and Citrix XenApp more»	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Introduced or Enhanced in 9.0
Batch Conversion of MSIs to Virtual Applications Automatically bulk-convert MSIs to virtual applications after AdminStudio establishes a list of good virtualization candidates. For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized. This special feature is only available on the desktop model of AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with Virtualization Pack.	Contact PDS sales
Pre-Virtualization Scanning Use the new automated scanning capabilities to quickly determine which MSIs in your environment are good candidates for virtualization. more»	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Virtual Application Management AdminStudio now provides unprecedented support for managing virtual applications, making it as easy as managing MSIs more»	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Virtual Application Suiting Suite several applications together in a single virtual container, enabling them to work together properly more»	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
VMware ThinApp Support For VMware ThinApp customers, AdminStudio now supports the latest version of the VMware application virtualization product, as well as the previous Thinstall Virtualization Suite 3.2	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Citrix XenApp 4.5.1 Support For Citrix XenApp customers, AdminStudio now supports this version of the Citrix application delivery system as well as the product formerly called Citrix Presentation Server 4	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
Patch File Import Wizard Easily import new patches from Microsoft (including Windows Vista patches) into the AdminStudio catalog for conflict testing More »
InstallShield 2009 Editor is now powered by InstallShield 2009, the world's standard in MSI customization and authoring. More »
Capture Context Data during Repackaging AdminStudio’s Repackager now captures context data during the MSI repackaging process. More »
Double-byte Character Support AdminStudio’s Repackager now properly captures double-byte character sets (such as Japanese, Korean, or Arabic), so you can accurately verify data.

Introduced or Enhanced in 8.6
Thinstall Virtualization Support Easily generate Thinstall virtual software packages that deploy without conflict.	With Virtualization Pack
Customizing Thinstall Applications Edit every aspect of Thinstall virtual packages quickly and easily.	With Virtualization Pack
Support for InstallShield Upgrades/Hotfixes Apply InstallShield upgrades and hotfixes as soon as they are available, giving you faster access to new InstallShield features.
Application Catalog Merge Replication For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location. (Applies to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 databases only.)
Introduced or Enhanced in Version 8.5
Citrix Virtualization Support For Citrix Presentation Server customers, AdminStudio saves you time by converting applications to Citrix virtual profiles in minutes.	With Virtualization Pack
Customizing Citrix Profiles Edit every aspect of Citrix virtual profiles quickly and easily.
Customize MSIs with InstallShield 2008 The AdminStudio Editor is powered by InstallShield, the world's standard in MSI customization and authoring. more»
Introduced or Enhanced in Version 8.0
Integration with Workflow Manager AdminStudio and Macrovision's Workflow Manager are fully integrated, making it even easier to standardize and streamline packaging, as well as implement application packaging best practices ITIL and Microsoft's MOF and BDD. more»
Convert Software to Windows Vista-Ready MSIs AdminStudio helps ensure software runs reliably on Windows Vista (or any Windows OS) by automatically repackaging any setup to a fully compliant MSI package.
Runs On Windows Vista AdminStudio itself runs on Windows Vista, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows Vista OS as your target environment.
Create Your Own MSIs and Patches Easily author your own MSI installations (including Windows Vista-compatible setups) and patches. more»
PackageExpert PackageExpert saves you time by running MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixing any errors. more»
Introduced or Enhanced in Version 7.5
Centralized Application Catalog The Application Catalog is a centralized database containing every application, patch, operating system, and related data in your enterprise. more»		Limited
Introduced Prior to Version 7.5
Job Manager Schedule conflict testing tasks to run anytime without human intervention. more»
Web-Based Report Center Generate and share reports for quickly repairing problems and expertly manage applications. more»
Security Console Easily define and control the access rights of every AdminStudio user. Now with LDAP support. more»
Application Manager Application Manager provides a single, user-friendly view into all the data in the Application Catalog. more»
Process Workflow Management A process-oriented interface allows you to step through project lists, visually tracking your progress.
Catalog Replication For organizations managing software in multiple offices, any location can publish packages to another's Application Catalog.
Remote Package Alert Get notified whenever applications in other Application Catalogs in your organization are altered or updated, ensuring you never duplicate work.
Package Auto-Import Drop items into a defined folder for automatic important into the Application Catalog, saving you time.
Oracle Database Support Optionally maintain all the application data generated by AdminStudio in an Oracle database.
FLEXwrap Inject license tracking capabilities into applications so they can be managed with FLEXnet Manager (sold separately). more»
Snapshot-Free MSI Repackaging Save time and improve MSI package quality by capturing all system changes made by a setup — and only those changes — without waiting for snapshots. more»
Manage InstallScript MSI Setups Only AdminStudio automatically converts InstallScript MSI setups into 100% pure MSIs. more»
Process Assistant The Process Assistant speeds you through the entire software packaging process. more»
Reliably Package InstallShield Setups Only AdminStudio can see inside native InstallShield setups, automatically capture their information, and accurately convert them into MSIs. more»
Setup Intent The Setup Intent Wizard scans your source project files for any uncaptured DLLs or dependencies and automatically prompts you to add them to your package. more»
AXT and AOT Conversion to MSI Save time by automatically converting multiple ZENworks AXT and AOT files to MSI packages at once.
VMware Integration AdminStudio integrates with VMware Workstation, making it easier to repackage and test packages.
Software Package Conversions Convert Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Novell ZENworks, WinINSTALL, and Wise WSE software packages into MSIs. more»
Global Exclusions Editor Identify what files you never wish to deploy with any package, and they will be automatically blocked. more»
Traditional Snapshot Capturing AdminStudio offers you the option of repackaging using the traditional snapshot approach.
Flexible Package Build Options Get tremendous flexibility in your package build formats, including the new ability to build installations with a single external CAB file. more»
Package Version Management Quickly locate and check out different versions of packages directly from the Application Catalog for editing. more»
VBScript Custom Action Editor Easily edit and format your VBScript custom action code.
Language Pack Included Automatically localize installation UIs into 33 languages, eliminating hours of tedious translation effort. more»
Create and Edit Transforms Quickly create or edit transform files (MSTs) for modifying MSIs. more»
Automated Package Validation Ensure MSIs conform to Microsoft guidelines (including the Microsoft Windows Vista Quality Program) using built-in validation tools. more»
Prerequisite Support Check for and install any prerequisite applications or system components before your MSI package is executed.
Rapidly Locate Files within MSIs Run a search to determine if a file is present in a repackaged MSI and located in your desired path.
XML File Editing Author installations that edit XML files on the target machine without having to create a custom action.
Palm OS Device Support Create installations for any mobile device running the popular Palm OS.
Eliminate Software Conflicts Automatically detect and eliminate conflicts between Windows Installer packages and installed apps before you deploy. more»
Patch Impact Testing Identify the impact a patch will have on your applications before you deploy it. more»
Application Isolation Wizard Ensure new MSIs won't interfere with installed applications by automatically isolating their shared DLLs and other dependencies before deployment. more»
Support for Terminal Services Automatically validate that applications requiring terminal service environments will function properly once deployed.
File Dependency Scanning Run automated scans to determine the file dependencies of any application in your environment.
System Snapshot Analysis Capture the state of an operating system and import it into the Application Catalog for use in resolving conflicts.
Transform Management Automatically identify and eliminate conflicts in multiple configurations of the same package, including transforms.
Quality Assurance Testing Test packages before deployment to ensure they will install correctly and behave reliably. more»
Configuration Testing QualityMonitor automatically verifies before deployment that all installation elements will be configured correctly. more»
Locked-Down User Testing Verify that a package has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment before you deploy it. more»
Diagnose and Repair Installed Applications Determine if an installed application needs repair, what repair is needed, and why. more»
Ensure MSIs Meet Corporate Standards Easily create custom rules that identify applications violating your corporate standards and define how you wish AdminStudio to correct them. more»
Risk-Free Predeployment Testing Simulate the deployment of a package to identify and correct problems before the real deployment. more»
Configuration Manager Web Console Prepare, publish, and distribute applications through Microsoft Configuration Manager without ever touching the Configuration Manager console. more»			Limited
Hand Off Packages to Any Deployment Solution Automatically release packages to any deployment solution, including Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Novell ZENworks, LANDesk, BMCConfiguration Management, Citrix, Thinstall, Tivoli, and ManageSoft. (* with Virtualization Pack purchase) more»
Support for Other Deployment Methods AdminStudio facilitates distributing packages via network destinations, FTP servers, administrative installations, and more.

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