Office 2013 Preview App-V packages available (App-V 5.0 Beta)

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) makes applications available to users' computers without requiring users to install the applications directly on their computers. A process known as sequencing the application is used to enable applications to run in their own self-contained virtual environments on the client computer. The sequenced applications are isolated from each other. This eliminates application conflicts, and allows the applications to interact with the client computer. On July 24^th, 2012, the App-V team released App-V 5.0 Beta which administrators can download from the Microsoft Connect site. App-V 5.0 provides new features for customers who are running Windows 7 and Windows 8 in their organizations. Advantages include:

• Improved platform integration
• Consistent virtual application experience for users
• Efficiency and ease of management in VDI environments
• Reporting capabilities
• Integration with System Center Configuration Manager 2012
• End-to-end programmability

Customers have been asking about virtualizing Office, and on July 24^th, 2012, Microsoft released Microsoft Office 2013 Preview App-V packages. This download delivers Office 2013 Preview Click-to-Run as an App-V package. Click-to-Run is a Microsoft streaming and virtualization technology that significantly reduces the time that is required to download and use Office products.

What does this mean to App-V administrators?

• No more sequencing Office
• No Office Deployment Kit required
• No more Q: drive
• Add-ins can be sequenced and added to the core Office experience with Connection Groups (which also enables centralized management of add-ins)
• Ability to publish Office apps and add-ins before they are locally-cached

Administrators can roll out Office quickly, provide on-demand access, and install Office side-by-side with existing Office installations on the same computer. Office can interact with the other applications that are installed on the computer.

For information about App-V, see the following resources:

• Application Virtualization
• Second Public Beta of App-V 5.0 Now Available with Office Integration

For information about Click-to-Run, see:

• Click-to-Run overview

For information about 64-bit editions of Office 2013 Preview and supported scenarios for coexistence, see:

• 64-bit editions of Office 2013 Preview

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  The App-V team indicated that plugins should work. In order for this to work, you will have to sequence the plugins and create an App-V 5.0 Connection Group to use them with the Office 2013 package. Macros should also work. You can find information about Application Virtualization 5 and Connection Groups in the following resources: -Managing Connection Groups at technet.microsoft.com/.../jj713417.aspx -Microsoft Application Virtualization 5 Administrator's Guide at technet.microsoft.com/.../jj713487.aspx

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  For general guidance, the App-V team also recommends this KB article: "Supported scenarios for deploying Microsoft Office as a sequenced App-V Package" at support.microsoft.com/.../2772509.

• Anonymous
  January 25, 2013
  What about adobe plugs or SOAP plugins, or MACROS? How does that work with App-V