Juriba‘s Bob Kelly launches the 2026 Windows App Packaging State of the Nation Survey, calling on IT professionals to share how they are navigating growing application estates, security pressures and the rise of AI-driven automation.
As enterprise IT teams face mounting pressure to manage increasingly complex Windows application estates with limited resources, Juriba has launched the 2026 edition of Bob Kelly’s Windows App Packaging State of the Nation Survey.
Findings from last year’s survey revealed a striking imbalance: half of organizations were responsible for managing more than 1,000 Windows applications, while over 55% of application packaging teams consisted of just one to three people.
A year later, the question is: are Windows packaging teams keeping up, or are they being stretched even further?
With AI accelerating vulnerability discovery, Microsoft Intune adoption continuing to grow and new approaches to application management reshaping the industry, this annual survey aims to uncover the realities of Windows application packaging, management, and modernization across medium and large enterprises.
Led by Bob Kelly, the survey explores the challenges facing IT teams, from managing application estates and reducing deployment times to navigating automation, security vulnerabilities and emerging technologies.
This year’s research will examine several key areas, including:
- Growing application estates: How organisations are managing hundreds or thousands of Windows applications with increasingly lean teams.
- AI and automation: Whether AI-powered tools are easing packaging workloads or creating additional pressures through faster vulnerability discovery.
- Modernisation and cloud adoption: How organisations are embracing Microsoft Intune, MSIX and cloud-native application management.
- Security and visibility: The extent to which organisations are identifying and managing shadow software and unmanaged applications.
- Resources and efficiency: How packaging budgets, staffing levels and deployment timelines are evolving.
Bob Kelly, Chief Product Officer at Juriba, said: “Application packaging is a critical IT function that often operates behind the scenes, yet it has an enormous impact on security, productivity and the wider digital workplace. With application estates growing and technology evolving rapidly, it’s more important than ever to understand what teams are actually experiencing. This survey is about giving the community a clearer picture of where we stand, what challenges we share and how we can move forward together.”
A three-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), and founder of the online community ITNinja.com, Kelly has spent more than two decades helping IT professionals manage, package and deploy Windows applications at scale.
The annual survey has become an opportunity for practitioners to share their experiences and contribute to a broader understanding of the industry’s challenges and progress.
Five Minutes to Help Shape the Future of Windows Application Management
The survey consists of 24 questions and takes approximately four to five minutes to complete. All responses are strictly confidential, with findings published only in aggregated, anonymised form.
By participating, Windows application packaging professionals will help establish an industry-wide benchmark, offering valuable insights into application management practices, automation adoption, deployment efficiency and modernisation priorities.
The findings will also provide IT leaders with comparative data to support internal discussions around budgets, resources and technology investment.
The survey is open until the end of December 2026, with the next State of the Windows Application Packaging Nation Report expected to be published in late January 2027.
Participants can opt in to be among the first to receive the findings.
Windows application packaging professionals, endpoint administrators and digital workplace leaders are invited to take part in Bob Kelly’s 2026 Windows App Packaging State of the Nation Survey here: https://hubs.ly/Q04C-gX30
