Acresso Software released new versions of AdminStudio and Workflow Manager designed to align with the most pressing issues around application management: simplifying day to day application management, preparing organizations for OS migrations such as moves to Windows Vista, and streamlining the preparation for an application virtualization implementation. Both new releases, AdminStudio 9.0 and Workflow Manager 5.0, bring best practices for managing application readiness in traditional (MSI) or virtual application environments. These new releases arm enterprise IT organizations with powerful tools to reduce repetitive tasks and increase reliability and uptime for the entire organization.

In further validation of the importance of AdminStudio in application virtualization readiness, a new benchmark study released from the Tolly Group touts benefits from projects managed with AdminStudio in combination with Citrix XenApp when compared with the solo use of the XenApp application profiling tool. In lab tests, AdminStudio decreased the time to prepare an enterprise-level application for streaming via XenApp by up to 60%.

"Our tests clearly showed the time savings realized using AdminStudio in the application virtualization packaging process versus XenApp alone," said Kevin Tolly, CEO of Tolly Group. "In an enterprise setting, there may be hundreds of applications that need to be prepared for virtual deployment, and prepping applications poses a significant challenge because of the time and effort the process can take. The Tolly Group tests using AdminStudio showed time savings with each application and a dramatic time savings of up to 47% when working with large-scale enterprise applications like Microsoft Office. Enterprises are also likely to experience lower TCO in application management because the environment is better-behaved and well-structured, providing greater flexibility to deploy applications as needed."

"Enterprises are increasingly adopting application virtualization across their user base for all Windows-based applications. Citrix XenApp is the only application virtualization solution that enables on-demand delivery of both Line of Business applications and productivity applications to a wide range of users including task workers, office workers, and mobile workers. Our goal is to enable IT departments to fast-track their application delivery projects. AdminStudio has proven to be a vital tool for quickly preparing hundreds of Windows applications for virtualization, which can then be streamed to ultimately thousands of laptops and desktops by XenApp," stated Sumit Dhawan, vice president of product marketing, Application Virtualization Group, Citrix Systems, Inc.

AdminStudio is designed for both traditional application management, demonstrated by long-term partnerships with traditional deployment industry leaders Microsoft and Novell, and the upcoming virtualization demands that will affect the way enterprises prepare applications for deployment. For this emerging technology, Acresso has partnered with the top application virtualization vendors, including Citrix and VMWare (formerly Thinstall). As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Acresso works closely to track all new Microsoft technologies that affect enterprises in both traditional and virtual environments.

Key features in AdminStudio 9.0 and Workflow Manager 5.0 include:

• Pre-conversion scanning for application virtualization projects allows organizations to determine which applications may be best suited to a virtualized environment.
• Virtual application management processes deliver time savings by streamlining the process of packaging applications through a single interface for managing existing traditional MSI packages as well as virtual applications.
• Virtual application suiting aligns multiple applications in one container, delivering on a popular customer request for interoperability between virtual applications, which speeds the adoption of virtualization within organizations.
• Support for Citrix XenApp ensures alignment with the latest version of the Citrix application virtualization engine.
• Support for VMware ThinApp 4 updates support for the most recent release of the VMware (formerly Thinstall) application virtualization solution.
• Editing capabilities via InstallShield 2009 simplify the MSI editing process while enabling packagers to customize MSI packages or create new packages to best accommodate their organization's requirements.

"Acresso powers the business of software and enterprises rely on well-running software packages to smoothly run their business. AdminStudio helps enterprises ensure their software is properly managed to an individual enterprise's business requirements and runs as expected, without error, each and every time," said Steve Schmidt, VP of Product Management for Acresso. "AdminStudio is designed with a keen eye toward the changes in the software market that are affecting the way enterprises prepare applications for deployment. Aligned with the industry's most powerful technology leaders, Acresso continues to create the tools will drive this shift in technology deployment."