InstallFree

InstallFree was a software company specializing in application virtualization and delivery for Windows-based platforms. Founded in early 2006 by Yori Gabay and Netzer Shlomai, the company was established with its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The founders, both former employees of Gteko Ltd., which was acquired by Microsoft, launched their first product, Bridge Suite version 1.0, in April 2008. This was followed by a second release in September 2008, shortly after securing $8.5 million in financing from Ignition Partners and Trilogy Equity Partners.

The company's core product, InstallFree Bridge, was a clientless and serverless platform designed to deploy virtual applications, either streamed or fully downloaded, across various Windows environments such as XP, Vista, Windows 7, Terminal Server, and Citrix XenApp. The platform operated through a virtual management console in the datacenter and a virtual, installation-free agent on the endpoint. This allowed IT departments to centrally manage and deploy applications to users, who could then access their personal set of applications from any compatible Windows machine without a traditional installation process. The technology was designed to resolve application conflicts and streamline the management of desktop applications, particularly during operating system migrations.

InstallFree's business model focused on providing these solutions to enterprises to help reduce the complexity and cost of application management. The platform allowed for the deployment of base applications, patches, and third-party expansion packs as separate virtual packages. In December 2012, InstallFree was acquired by WatchDox, a secure document-sharing company, which was later acquired by BlackBerry.

Keywords: application virtualization, desktop virtualization, application delivery, Windows application management, clientless application deployment, virtual applications, legacy application support, application portability, desktop management, application streaming, Yori Gabay, Netzer Shlomai, WatchDox acquisition, Ignition Partners, Trilogy Equity Partners, InstallFree Bridge, virtual agent, datacenter management, IT infrastructure solutions, software deployment