In this latest release we see the first of feature that integrate with existing Macrovision products (FLEXwrap), and AdminStudio 7 has dropped the InstallShield name for its new branding as part of the FLEXnet line of products. The InstallShield name remains as a product name for Macrovision’s developer-focused products (currently, "InstallShield 11"). 

Who is Macrovision and why would they want InstallShield? That was my question when I heard of the acquisition, but when you read into it a little, it makes sense- Macrovision is a company focused on content protection, software licensing and installation as well as digital rights management (DRM) technologies. This specialty, coupled with the fact that InstallShield develops the world’s leading setup authoring software, paints a pretty clear picture. You’ll see the first signs of license management integration in the form of AdminStudio’s new FLEXwrap feature, which allows you to inject license tracking capabilities into your MSI packages.

There are thee editions of FLEXnet AdminStudio 7 available: Enterprise, Professional and Standard. The retail cost of the Standard edition is $1699, Professional is $3,999 and for Enterprise, they ask that you contact sales for more information. Both Standard and Professional editions are licensed per packager, but the Enterprise edition is licensed using a per-seat model. There are naturally upgrade pricing options as well, which you will definitely want to look into if you are considering an upgrade from an earlier version of AdminStudio. If you download the trial, you will see the professional features by default- if you wish to evaluate the enterprise features of AdminStudio, you must contact Macrovision to request this.

What is the difference between the available editions? You can find a complete break down here:

http://www.macrovision.com/products/flexnet_adminstudio/adminstudio/features/all.html

The short answer is that Standard contains only those features needed to repackage applications, while Professional adds features like conflict resolution and quality assurance testing. Enterprise gives you all AdminStudio has to offer including additional management features including Patch Impact Manager, package version management and a job manager (for scheduling of common tasks without manual intervention). For a full review of the Enterprise Edition, click here.

Both products integrate with a separate offering: the FLEXnet AdminStudio Workflow Manager (now in its v3 release). This separate product provides a web-based interface to managing package requests and package development. As you would expect the integration is very tight, tied to your AdminStudio workflow processes.

We will be focusing on FLEXnet AdminStudio Professional Edition in this review, but have a look at the link above for a detailed breakdown of what each edition offers.

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