Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2025. Read them in this 17th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Jason E. Smith, VP of Alliances and Product Marketing, Liquidware
As we approach 2025, organizations are ramping up their application modernization strategies to meet the growing demand for agility, cost efficiency, and enhanced user experience across diverse IT environments. The year ahead will be defined by innovative solutions that enable seamless app delivery and management, empowering IT teams to modernize their app delivery processes while supporting existing investments.
The need for app modernization has never been more critical. With the Windows 11 migration deadline fast approaching, organizations must ensure compatibility and optimize performance for their applications. At the same time, new ways to deliver Windows workspaces – such as Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Windows 365 – are redefining how IT teams manage apps across hybrid and cloud environments. Additionally, many organizations are switching to and from platforms like Citrix and Omnissa as they seek greater flexibility, cost control, and improved end-user experiences. These changes underscore the urgency for a streamlined, modern app delivery approach that supports evolving infrastructures without disruption.
FlexApp Delivers Modern Application Delivery
FlexApp operates in a space between visibility and invisibility – where applications are delivered seamlessly yet maintain an elusive independence. It’s not virtualization as you know it, nor isolation as you expect it. Instead, there’s something at play beneath the surface, ensuring apps are there when you need them and nowhere they shouldn’t be. A subtle art of detachment and integration, balancing performance and precision without leaving fingerprints behind.
FlexApp’s modern architecture doesn’t just meet current demands, it future-proofs app delivery. Organizations can now optimize their resources, ensure application portability, and simplify application lifecycle management as they transition to modern platforms like Microsoft AVD and Windows 365.
Other reasons why FlexApp is the logical choice for modernizing your apps include its deep integrations. FlexApp is the most integrated solution available, with true integration by Microsoft in the App attach program and by Citrix in Web Studio. These integrations allow IT teams to assign FlexApp packages without leaving those control planes, providing unmatched simplicity and efficiency.
Maturation of Modern App Delivery
The entire application delivery space has reached a significant level of maturity, marked by a wave of recent innovations and industry embracement of modern solutions. For instance, Microsoft Azure’s App attach program and Citrix Web Studio now offer direct deployment options for Liquidware FlexApp, further solidifying its role alongside MSIX and App-V in hybrid IT strategies. Meanwhile, the emergence of application testing and validation vendors like Rimo3, IT Access Management, and Readiness highlights the industry’s focus on managing modern apps with precision and reliability.
Microsoft App-V: Still Relevant, But Modernization is Key
Surprisingly, Microsoft App-V is no longer fully end-of-life for its client and sequencer components; however, the writing is on the wall. Microsoft’s focus now appears limited to security updates, and the App-V server is indeed end-of-life. For organizations still relying on App-V, this presents an opportunity to modernize their app delivery while retaining legacy applications for niche isolation use cases.
This is where Liquidware’s solutions shine. With ProfileUnity, organizations can deploy their existing App-V packages seamlessly while they modernize their application delivery strategy with FlexApp. This allows IT teams to extend the life of their App-V investments while taking advantage of FlexApp’s dynamic, real-time app delivery capabilities. By combining both solutions, organizations can simplify transitions, reduce risk, and confidently future-proof their application management processes.
And while MSIX represents a promising application packaging approach by Microsoft, the reality is that the vast majority of software vendors worldwide have yet to fully adopt MSIX as a native format for their applications. This leaves enterprise software delivery teams with the challenging task of converting existing applications into MSIX packages, often encountering mixed results due to compatibility issues or incomplete conversions. For organizations seeking a reliable and efficient solution, FlexApp emerges as the clear choice. FlexApp allows for dynamic app delivery without the need for cumbersome conversion processes, ensuring applications are ready to deploy seamlessly across hybrid, cloud, and physical environments.
The Path Forward: App Modernization Made Easy
The future of application management lies in agility, scalability, and ease of deployment. FlexApp gives organizations the ability to modernize at their own pace, offering support for legacy tools like App-V while pushing app delivery forward with advanced layering, portability, and cloud-readiness.
As we enter 2025, IT leaders can confidently say: Whether transitioning from App-V, deploying new cloud-ready apps, or tackling hybrid workforces, FlexApp provides a streamlined, reliable path to app modernization.
The year of app modernization is here – and FlexApp is leading the way.
##
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason E. Smith heads Product Marketing and the Alliances teams, strategically focusing on joint marketing strategies for the company’s innovative solutions. Jason frequently speaks on digital workspace computing trends at such key events as Citrix Synergy, VMworld, Microsoft Ignite and IGEL Disrupt.
