Expert One-on-One™ C# Design and Development

Chapter 16. Deploying the Application

Eventually, you'll have a shiny new application that you'd like everyone to use. Deploying your application is an important step in the application process. A good deployment gives everyone a good feeling and, more importantly, makes it easier for them to accept your application. Not everyone will think your application is the best move for the organization. In fact, people tend not to like change of any kind, so your deployment will make people uneasy. You must convince them that the new application is in their best interest and will make their lives easier. People love easy — hence the easy-button commercial on television.

Third-party vendors provide a wealth of deployment alternatives. For example, you can discover the AppDeploy Repackager in the "Creating MSI Files Using The AppDeploy Repackager" section of Chapter 30. Of course, AppDeploy Repackager is only an example of a much larger group of potential product selections. Make sure you take time to research the alternatives if the Microsoft offering doesn't completely meet your needs.

Every deployment is unique. Here are some of the issues you must consider as part of deploying your application:

• Unique characteristics of your application

• Environment in which you plan to deploy the application

• Size of the deployment

• Application complexity

• People who will use the resulting application setup

• Organizational policies regarding new applications

• Deployment range (local or enterprise-wide) and environment ...