This monthly blog entry is aimed at mid-month Microsoft updates that includes patches, application updates, lifecycle changes and application related events. We will cover security issues that relate to applications and deployments as well.
Readiness has just released Version 3.0 of their application lifecycle platform: Assurance
Thank you Microsoft! Thank you Microsoft for Startups.
Starting from 2017 with a migration of a desktop application and finally arriving at a cloud (Azure) native application that automated not just assessments, but packaging, publishing and testing. Not to forget an automated documentation framework to support each stage of the application lifecycle. Here is a high-level view of the latest features:
- New Packaging tools (Transform Generator and PSDTK Wrapper)
- Automated publishing to Intune
- Integration with ServiceNow
- Evergreen updates assessment and testing
- Support for MSIX, App Attach Conversion and testing
- Automated Quality Assurance
- Updated MSI Table Editing
- Improved testing automation
- New workflow tools
This is a pretty cool, as we have upgraded all of the servers and services in the background to make things faster. We have learned a lot over the past 2 years, especially in having to organize and orchestrate the huge amount data that we are now generating for each application test cycle. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Microsoft. First for the extensive and broad support we enjoyed when building on the Azure platform. We also had to good fortune to be invited to the Microsoft for Startups program. The Startup up program ensure that we had the support (of all types) from a broad array of Microsoft professionals – each tasked with making our project more successful. Which is kind of amazing just in itself. Driving some of the key changes in this release is the new Readiness X-Check technology. X-check represents a next-generation approach to repackaging applications and bulk, cross-platform testing. Using unique “capture/query/collate” approach we have been able to repackage applications in bulk, while ensuring full validation and “comparative testing” to ensure consistent results. Looking back at our competition, we also recognized that if you cannot automatically validate the results of an automated process, then you still have a manual process. So we architected a solution that automatically checks, validates and tests the results of each stage. Using the unique X-Check tech, we will able to confirm not successful installations; but also application exercise, and the essentials of self-repair and uninstallation. Taking all these factors into account, led to what is the ultimate in application packaging challenge: a fully automated QA process. Using template driven, client specific configurations we can deliver what would take a skill professional 2-3 days of technical effort – and, we can automate the process, automate the document and enforce system compliance against corporate and industry best practices. All this, available through a web browser. ?
