MSIX is a Windows application packaging format from Microsoft. It is Microsoft’s newest app packaging format and when it was released in 2018, the tech giant had high hopes it would replace MSI (released way back in 1999) and App-V, Microsoft’s application virtualisation and streaming solution (a technology that dates its origins back to 2006).
Those high hopes have not been realised as MSI and, to a lesser extent, App-V remain popular. This is despite improvements to MSIX and the evolution of how organisations and users interact with applications and technologies.
Why is the MSI app packaging format so sticky and is a switch to MSIX a suitable option for your organisation?
The Enduring Appeal of MSI
A good starting point when thinking about modern application packaging formats like MSIX is to consider why legacy technologies like MSI remain prevalent. Access IT Automation’s Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, David Butler-McAllister, addressed this question in a recent Liquidware podcast on The Art of Applications.
David said: “MSI technology is so versatile in what you can and can’t do with it. MSI has stood the test of time because it’s been so solid. It’s a database-type technology. You’ve got file and registry components, it’s all table based, it’s solid.”
He added that technicians, engineers, and programmers are now very used to coming up with workarounds to overcome MSI’s shortfalls – shortfalls that MSIX is designed to, in theory, resolve.
David said: “There are so many vendors, suppliers, and packagers, who have always heavily edited and worked around different ways of doing things with MSI, whether it’s custom actions or creating stub executables, etc, etc, to get around issues and problematic ways to install apps with a variety of different dependencies or prerequisites.
“I’ve noticed over the years there are some areas where Microsoft really wants to push forward. But it’s difficult for them, I think, because of the technologies they have – they obviously acquired Soft Grid which became App-V, and they’ve got MSIX which is a good technology and getting better. But there are still issues in trying to get the community – the developer community or vendor community – to switch to MSIX as a default platform or mechanism.”
The Suitability of MSIX
David says the question of switching to MSIX is one of suitability rather than compatibility. As a result, the answer to the question of whether or not to switch to MSIX is more about process and strategy than it is about technical considerations.
David said: “I don’t like using the word compatibility today. Back five or six years ago, I definitely would be talking about compatibility. How I phrase this now in the community and when I talk to people and customers, is I talk about this as suitability.”
“So, it’s whether or not MSIX is a suitable platform and product for you to use for application packaging and delivery.”
Strategy Plus Automation
That leaves another question – how do you determine if MSIX is suitable for your organisation? According to David, automation is a key component, but application strategy development is just as crucial.
“It’s difficult for some organizations to make that change and leap of faith onto a new platform or new package or deployment type,” David said. “That’s where the adoption of MSIX is challenging because MSI is so easy and robust, and it just works.
“MSIX is and will get better. App Attach has some great potential as well. The things I see, interestingly, are things like the Microsoft store. They now support MSIX and there is a lot of MSIX now in the Microsoft store. But the adoption is still very slow. It’s going to take a long time for people to adopt these new techniques.
“I’ve always stated when I work on big programs it’s about the effort you put in. You can automate so far with MSIX, but if you put more effort in, you’ll get a higher ratio out.”
Strategy and Automation Support from Access IT Automation
Access IT Automation’s product Access Capture has a proven track record of automating the largely manual and highly time-consuming processes involved in packaging, testing, and deploying applications in large organisations. However, we can also help with the other piece of the puzzle – application strategy development, refinement, and implementation.
Whether you decide MSIX is the most suitable application packaging format for your organisation, or you go for another option, we have the tools and expertise to ensure project and ongoing app management success.
