Flexera Software, the leading provider of software licensing, compliance and installation solutions for application producers and enterprises, announced today the launch of InstallShield 2015. InstallShield is the de facto industry standard for traditional and agile development teams creating Windows, Azure and Microsoft App-V software installers. With more than 30 customer-requested enhancements InstallShield 2015, among other things, gives developers confidence that their installations will be compatible with the latest technologies including Windows 10, Visual Studio 2015 and SHA-256 digital signatures.
Application producers need to have confidence that their software is compatible with and will install properly on Windows 10, the much-anticipated upgrade of Microsoft’s operating system. InstallShield 2015 is Windows 10-ready, enabling producers to confidently build installations that support Windows 10 as well as existing versions of the operating system including Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
Moreover, developers often prefer to do their application development and installation development together using a common user interface. InstallShield 2015 integrates with the latest Visual Studio releases, including the soon-to-be released Visual Studio 2015. When integrated with Visual Studio and MSBuild, InstallShield 2015 can add project output groups to installations and integrate into developers’ source control and solution build process.
“It’s critical that we’re able to support the latest technologies and operating systems, and that our software will install and work in the environments in which our customers operate,” said Jeff Kleppinger, Principal Release Engineer at Imprivata, a leading provider of authentication and access management solutions for the healthcare industry. “We are planning our support now for Windows 10 and upgrading to Visual Studio 2015. Our ability to leverage InstallShield 2015 and the support provided by Flexera Software will be critical to a smooth upgrade process and successful rollout of our next Windows 10-supported version.”
InstallShield 2015 also prepares developers for changes in Microsoft’s certificate requirements. Installations signed with SHA-1 certificates after January 1, 2016 will be treated as untrusted by Windows. Installations need to be signed with SHA-256 digital certificates after this date. InstallShield 2015 supports SHA-256 certificates and digests, enabling companies to start adopting SHA-256 certificates before the January deadline.
InstallShield 2015 has also been refined – building upon its leadership in the installation development space. Its continuous integration capabilities have been extended with new support for automation scripts to configure and maintain Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI projects, reducing manual tasks and increasing installation developers’ efficiency in creating builds.
“Installation is the customer’s first impression of a product. We enable developers to stay current with the latest technologies while creating installations that reflect their company and product branding,” said Maureen Polte, Vice President of Product Management at Flexera Software. “InstallShield 2015 reflects our ongoing commitment to deepen our leadership position in the installation space by innovating and having the solutions our customers need in place – even before they’re needed.”
