Everything’s moving so fast in tech right now—security and transparency really need to be top priorities. As part of implementing the National Cyber Strategy released by the White House in 2023, the U.S. government issued best practices instructing developers who sell apps to the public sector to include Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) with their software packages.

Bootstrapper packages might not be the most glamorous topic in software development, but they're essential for ensuring that applications install smoothly and run without a hitch.

Encountering an ODBC connect timeout error during an MSI installation is uncommon but not unheard of.

Digital signing ensures software integrity and authenticity. It’s a fundamental practice in digital safety practices that establishes trust between software developers and users.

Advanced Installer 22.6 introduces the SBOM Generator Integration, providing built-in support for creating Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) reports. This feature ensures compliance with security and regulatory standards by allowing you to generate and include an SBOM within your installation packages, offering full transparency over your software components.

Let’s start with the basics: Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, or MECM (formerly SCCM), is one of the tools that IT admins in larger organizations rely on heavily. It helps you manage devices, deploy applications, enforce security policies, and keep everything running smoothly across the entire IT environment.

For the past 10+ years, I have worked with various projects and types of organizations as an Application Packager. During that time, I have witnessed some "elementary" mistakes that could have been easily avoided by having a clear understanding of the end-to-end application packaging process.

MSIX packages have revolutionized modern application deployment, offering improved security, efficiency, and flexibility. However, even experienced IT professionals face challenges – whether in packaging, deploying, or debugging. Having the right tools and techniques is key to overcoming these obstacles.

As an IT professional, I noticed throughout the years how software packaging has evolved from mostly repackaging applications to making them enterprise-ready, to customizing and integrating them into configuration management tools directly. All by applying the repackaging technique only on those exceptional occasions when silent installation is impossible.

PowerShell commands play a key role in software packaging and deployment by automating and managing deployment tasks.

Have you ever wondered what a .vsix file is?

MSIX flat bundle application packages are changing how applications are packaged and deployed.

Application dependencies are a common requirement in the packaging industry. With the transition from MSI to MSIX, we now have more options to declare and handle them.

Features like custom dialogs, digital signature management, and software licensing make Advanced Installer a top choice for developers at any level. Plus, their amazing support team is always there to assist with any questions or concerns

At Advanced Installer, security is our top priority—we take every necessary step to keep our products secure. When a vulnerability is discovered, we immediately investigate and resolve the issue.

Discover the latest improvements in Advanced Installer 22.5, featuring security and feature updates for the LZMA SDK (v24.09) and a fix for CVE-2024-11477, addressing a remote code execution vulnerability in 7-Zip's LZMA compression.

Creating an installation package is a crucial step in software deployment, and choosing the right packaging tool can significantly impact the process. Each tool has its advantages and disadvantages. Your choice depends on factors such as project complexity, ease of use, or the need for advanced features.

MSIX is a modern application packaging format that simplifies deployment and updates. One of its key features is the ability to package registry settings along with the application, ensuring a clean and isolated setup. Key benefits include:

At Advanced Installer, we’ve been hosting weekly Tech Talks for over a year, where our developers share key insights, lessons learned, and in-depth explorations of topics that help us grow as a team. These sessions have been invaluable for us, and we’re excited to share some of the best takeaways with the wider developer community.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, commonly known as MDT, is a robust solution for IT professionals needing to deploy Windows operating systems and applications across multiple devices efficiently. Its primary goal is to simplify and streamline the deployment process, ensuring consistency and reducing the likelihood of errors.