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IT Managers Can Now Easily Distribute Quality MSI Packages

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 9, 2003 – InstallShield® Software Corporation, the acknowledged leader in software installation, packaging, and deployment solutions, and IBM today announced a partnership to provide Systems Administrators with a complete solution for repackaging and deploying applications in the enterprise, via tight integration between InstallShield AdminStudio® 5 and Tivoli Configuration Manager.

Increasingly more enterprises are migrating legacy applications to take advantage of the many benefits of MicrosoftÂ’s Windows Installer (MSI) Service. But in order to save time and prevent desktop failures, systems administrators and desktop management teams need a reliable, easy-to-use solution for repackaging and deploying their applications. The integration of AdminStudio 5 with Tivoli provides a complete solution that handles every aspect of preparing software for corporate deployment including: repackaging, testing, conflict solving, transforming, updating, and distribution.

“Tivoli Configuration Manager is a key solution for enterprises that need to achieve rapid, centralized application deployment,” said Viresh Bhatia, CEO of InstallShield. “AdminStudio’s new integration with Tivoli allows systems administrators to modify, test and analyze their packages before deployment, enabling them to ensure their packages will work properly and avoid catastrophic failures on end user desktops.”

The integration gives Tivoli customers the ability to package, customize, manipulate, test and build quality MSI installations. When packages are ready for distribution, customers simply open the AdminStudio Distribution Wizard and specify the Software Package Definition (SPD) parameters that are employed to create the SPD file in a network location along with the MSI package and the associated files. The software package is then ready for distribution with Tivoli.

"This integrated solution reduces the cost of IT by greatly simplifying the deployment of application software,” said Bob Madey, vice president, Tivoli Software, IBM. “AdminStudio’s quality package creation coupled with Tivoli’s distribution process provides a powerful solution to customers desiring Windows-specific packaging and distribution solutions."

Integration Benefits

Bridges the gap between MSI applications packaged with AdminStudio and deployed with Tivoli.

Saves time by eliminating the manual step of populating Configuration Manager with the packaged application.

Provides Tivoli customers with a Windows-centric packaging solution that directly integrates with the deployment process.

About Tivoli Configuration Manager

IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager can help enterprises gain total control over their software and hardware. Its software distribution module provides the ability to rapidly and efficiently deploy complex mission-critical applications to multiple locations from a central point. After systems have been deployed, the inventory module lets organizations automatically scan for and collect hardware and software configuration information from computer systems across your enterprise.

About AdminStudio

AdminStudio is the most complete and reliable enterprise software package lifecycle management solution, enabling systems administrators and desktop management teams to successfully migrate to Windows Installer and manage the entire lifecycle of every enterprise application. AdminStudio combines the flexibility of a Web-based portal for data and workflow management with a suite of powerful repackaging, customization, and conflict-solving tools to produce a complete, end-to-end application management solution based on industry best practices. With AdminStudio, enterprises can easily prepare any application for seamless deployment into every business unit in the network and reduce the total cost of ownership of every desktop in the organization.

About InstallShield Software Corp.

InstallShield Software Corp. is the acknowledged leader in software installation, packaging and deployment solutions for independent software vendors and IT systems administrators. InstallShield technology powers deployment for the top 100 independent software vendors and is used by more than 200,000 corporate and commercial software developers and systems administrators worldwide. InstallShield is headquartered near Chicago in Schaumburg, Ill., with European headquarters in Bristol, England. For more information, visit www.installshield.com.