Administrator Benefits
By using Software Installation and Maintenance, administrators can ensure that users have the software they need for their jobs, without requiring the administrator or technical support personnel to visit each computer to install it. Administrators can centrally manage:

• Initial deployment of software, including productivity applications, in-house or Line of Business (LOB) applications, and operating system service packs.
• Upgrades of existing software to a new version or replacement software

Organizational Benefits
With Software Installation and Maintenance, administrators can ensure that the software users require to perform their jobs is always available. Administrators can customize how software is deployed; for example, they can deploy only the software that users require, or they can deploy just the features of the software users require.

Because Software Installation and Maintenance utilizes Active Directory, Group Policy, and Windows Installer, additional benefits are provided. For example, if a user inadvertently deletes an assigned application, it will continue to be available. If users roam from one computer to another, their assigned software is always available for them to use.

Administrators use Group Policy to control what software users can install and from which media. For instance, administrators can set a policy that prevents users from installing software from local media such as a CD-ROM or diskette.By leveraging Windows Installer, Software Installation and Maintenance allows the administrator to limit the security level of users – users do not have to be administrators of their computer to install software. This means that users are only granted the appropriate level of permissions (and no more) for them to do their job.

End User Benefits
Users benefit by having access to their required software, and because of the reliability and resilience provided by Windows Installer, users have an easier and more consistent experience. Users can get the software they require from the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. They can also manage the software on their computer from this location, including installing, repairing, modifying, or removing it.