Microsoft Store for Business

Windows App Installer was first introduced in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (1607) to make sideloading UWP apps easier. Since then, Microsoft has gradually been improving App Installer to provide most of the features found in the Microsoft Store. In this article, I look at how App Installer has developed and how it fits into the bigger picture.

In January we finally said goodbye to Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Microsoft made its new Edge browser generally available, fixed a search bug in File Explorer, and started rolling out Calls in Your Phone for Windows 10 19H1 and newer.

Redmond could be looking to phase out the Microsoft Store for Business and Store for Education. Not to be confused with the consumer app that is bundled with Windows 10, the Store for Business and Store for Education allows organizations to control licensing and distribution of public Store apps and to distribute line-of-business apps that are developed in-house.

Microsoft’s new MSIX unified packaging format promises to make it easier to bring legacy apps to the Store, even if you don’t have access to the app’s source code. In this Ask the Admin, I’ll explore how MSIX differs from existing tech, like the Desktop Bridge.

In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at the prerequisites for setting up Microsoft Store for Business and show you how to set up your own private store.