M.A.D. Day 2024 – Hamburg 15th November 2024 – Recap.

[Windows Server]

In Hamburg on the M.A.D. Day (Modern Application Deployment) we could announce that App-V is no longer being deprecated – The Client and the Sequencer. But the Server will still go away.

With this Post I would like to clarify a few things which also was brought up by Tim Mangan in his Analysis of the M.A.D. Day 2024 and specific this announcement.

 

In April 2026 the following App-V Components will be End of Life:

•  All App-V 5.0 SP3 and 5.1 Clients
•  All App-V 5.0 SP3 and 5.1 Sequencer
• The App-V Server Components 5.1 (Management / Publishing and Reporting Server)

The original plan was to remove the App-V Client with the Release of Windows in 26H2 – so the last Windows Client OS would be Windows in 25H2 – as this would be also a LTSC Version of this release and the Support of App-V is bound to the Windows OS you use – the End Date is always the same End Date as the OS you use.

As Example:

Windows 11 24H2 has an Support End date of October 2027

Windows Server 2025 as an End Date for Extended Support in 2034

These dates of the OS are matching with App-V.

What has changed now?

When we as Microsoft say – we no longer deprecate we mean that we will not remove the App-V Client from future OS Versions. And also the Sequencer will be still part of the ADK. This Include Windows Client as well as Server and also Windows 365 and AVD versions.

In addition to stop the removal we also commit to bring Bugfixes and Security Fixes to App-V on the given OS this includes Supported Windows Client Versions and Server.

The Product Team has decided not to provide an End date to APP-V Client and Sequencer which now puts the product on a like for like basis with MSI; that product has had no features for more than a decade (or longer) but still ships with the OS and bugs are addressed. It is still part of any Windows OS release. The same will apply to APP-V.

Why was this decision made?

I use a Slide from our own investigations with some Enterprise Customers. This matches partially with the Report Card Tim is creating. To download the Report Card, you can go to Tims Website (Home)          

When we look at this chart, we see that Packaging with the MSIX Packaging Tool ends up with a success rate of ~ 30 %. So, 7 out of 10 Applications need additional adjustments.

If we compare it with App-V and the Sequencer we are between 80% – 90% success rate, without the need to touch the Package again.

And the orange bar shows a higher success rate. To get the app to work it will require more manpower and additional resources thus incurring additional costs and there is no guarantee that the apps will function correctly.  

Where are all the MSIX Packages from Vendors?

Our Official Statement is that “all Store Apps” are MSIX and they can be loaded… OK – but we also see in reality that a majority of Customers turn off the Microsoft Store so that Employees are prevented from loading “Consumer” Apps to their Work environment and for Enterprise apps Microsoft Store for Business was retired in 2023. There are not many “real” Enterprise / LOB Applications out there which come native as an MSIX Package – The New Teams is an Example and if you like we can add the New Outlook to that list as well. And here is the magic word “NEW” – if you build a new App you can go with MSIX no question. But in enterprises there are still many “older” Win32 Applications which are there for years, they do their Job, and they are still needed in enterprise organizations.

Office and Add-ins

It’s worth to mention that it is a common use case to virtualize Office Add ins and let the local C2R (Click2Run) installed Office start into an App-V Bubble so it can see the add-ins. This scenario is not possible with MSIX as of today – nor does Office support the use of MSIX enabled Add-ins in Office. The only Application Virtualization Platform where customers get support from Microsoft when using Office as part of it, is App-V. Everything else (Including MSIX) is not supported.

Statement

Because of these reasons we see that removing the App-V Client / Sequencer would end up in a situation which would create Adoption blockers to new OS / Office. Here we would like to give customers the choice and maintain their investment in App-V moving forward. At the same time, we will continue to invest in MSIX and App Attach to close gaps.

Here is our Statement:

We will continue to evaluate and balance MSIX and App Attach investments with longer-term ambitions to close the gaps with App-V, but we recognize it’s currently not a complete replacement, and we need to renew our commitment to App-V to put our enterprise customers at ease and unblock their migration to the cloud and to newer Windows versions.

 

I hope I can  clarify a few points here. The last thing I would like to see is any confusion around that statement. There was confusion enough with the April 2026 Date and MDOP.

If there are anything unclear about this – please feel free to get in touch with me

Thank you for reading.

If you are interested in all Sessions from the M.A.D. Event, please check out M.A.D. Day Channel:

M.A.D. Day - YouTube

 

Sebastian Gernert

Escalation Engineer

 

 

View the full article