Enterprise application management keeps becoming more complex. IT teams need to package, update, deploy, and monitor applications across different environments without adding unnecessary manual work. These H1 2026 Release Notes highlight the key platform updates delivered during the first half of the year. They include the migration of Care and Catalogue services to PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit (PSADT) v4, along with improvements to packaging workflows, version visibility, and Customizer functionality.
Together, these updates help teams work with greater reliability while reducing the operational effort required to manage modern application environments.
Major Care & Catalogue Update: Migration to PSADT v4
We are excited to announce that Care and Catalogue services have officially migrated to the latest PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit (PSADT) v4 framework.
This transition introduces improved deployment stability, enhanced compatibility handling, and stronger long-term alignment with modern enterprise packaging standards.
Service-Wide Migration
Both Care and Catalogue services now fully utilize the PSADT v4 framework for package creation and deployment preparation.
All newly created Care packages are now built using PSADT v4 by default. To maintain consistency across environments, existing Care packages are also being migrated to the new framework standard. Repackaged applications will be released as Revision 02 versions within customer projects.
Customers will automatically receive email notifications once migrated package revisions become available.
Seamless Template Compatibility
One of the primary goals of the migration was to avoid disruption to existing deployment workflows. Organizations can continue using their current SCCM and Intune deployment templates exactly as they are, including templates originally built for PSADT v3 environments.
For standard packages, the platform continues using deployment commands already defined in existing templates. For Care packages, the platform now automatically injects optimized deployment commands during the push process to ensure full PSADT v4 compatibility without requiring manual template modifications.
The approach allows organizations to adopt the new framework version without rebuilding deployment logic or changing established operational processes.
PSADT Version Visibility
To improve transparency during package management, PSADT version labels were added to the Updates → Application → Versions page.
Teams can now immediately identify which PSADT framework version was used to build a specific package revision through dedicated version badges displayed directly within the interface.
This simplifies migration tracking and helps administrators maintain visibility across mixed package environments during transition periods.
Apptimized Workspace and Catalogue Available on Azure
Previously, both services were available on Azure Marketplace for discovery and evaluation. With this update, organizations can also purchase and manage subscriptions directly through the Marketplace platform.
The Azure Marketplace listing also provides visibility into the broader Apptimized portfolio, including Factory and SafeBox. Together, these services support different parts of enterprise application management, from packaging and ready-to-deploy applications to automation and secure testing environments.
Customizer: Support for Custom Extension Uploads
Customizer now allows teams to upload custom files without being limited to a predefined list of supported file extensions.
This enhancement improves flexibility for applications that rely on external licensing, configuration, or vendor-specific support files during installation and deployment processes.
By supporting a broader range of application assets directly within Customizer, packaging workflows become easier to standardize and maintain without relying on manual post-deployment adjustments.
Improved Application Version Visibility
The Updates → Versions table was expanded to provide additional release visibility for application updates.
The table now includes a dedicated Release Date column displaying the vendor release date for each application version.
Additionally, application release type information is now displayed in a separate column, improving readability and making version tracking easier during update evaluation processes.
Localized Application Descriptions for SCCM
Application Settings Templates now support localized application descriptions for SCCM application creation and export.
This update helps administrators provide clearer, more consistent user-facing descriptions in Software Center, especially in environments where applications are presented in multiple languages or require standardized internal wording.
The field is optional and remains empty by default, so existing configurations continue to work without changes. Teams can add, edit, or remove localized descriptions when needed, giving them more control over how application information appears to end users.
Improved Auto-Push Assignment Flow
Uninstall assignments are no longer added automatically during Auto-Push. This keeps deployment configuration cleaner and helps administrators maintain more predictable assignment handling after applications are pushed.
Updated Operating System Architecture Check for Intune Push
The Intune connector interface was updated to provide clearer control over operating system architecture checks during application push.
Teams can now define whether the operating system architecture should be validated when pushing packages to Intune. This gives administrators more flexibility when preparing deployments for environments where architecture requirements differ or where the check is not required.
Closing Notes
Enterprise application management continues to evolve. As application portfolios grow, maintaining reliable and repeatable deployment processes becomes increasingly important.
The H1 2026 updates are designed to support that long-term goal. They help organizations standardize application management while adapting to changing technologies and deployment requirements.
Reliable packaging, predictable deployments, and timely application updates all contribute to a more resilient IT environment. Giving teams better visibility and greater control makes those everyday processes easier to manage.
Book a demo with our specialist to explore how Apptimized can help simplify application packaging, patch management, and deployment management at scale.
Author
Maryna Semesenko