Lately I find myself in what I would normally have thought of as an awful IT scenario: figuring out how to run Windows and OS X side-by-side, or at the same time. In my mind, it seems somewhat counterproductive to bog down a nice Apple hard drive with a Windows client. Microsoft Office for Mac already has a poor reputation for performance in MacBooks. But the idea of running a full-blown edition of Windows, whether via BootCamp or virtually, seems scary in some ways. Didn’t I switch to OS X to avoid all the problems I’ve had for years with Microsoft OSes? Why would I invite the trouble back? Well, generally, I wouldn’t. There is part of me that cringes at the idea of what could happen, given my history with Microsoft’s unpredictable software environments and designs. That being said, what if you really want to get your agency or small business over to Apple computers for all their greatness, but there’s a few people who just can’t stand the thought of living without some Windows-only software?
Parallels to the rescue!
With the most recent version offering new OS X Lion – integrated features, this program is really a great option for organizations or users in the scenario I describe above. Whether you install a copy of Windows to Boot Camp or simply a virtual version within Parallels, there are a host of appealing touches to this popular and well-designed app that make it the one to beat in my opinion. With the ability to share drives and profiles between your OS X and Windows user accounts, map Windows program shortcuts to the Lion dock, access the Windows Start menu and taskbar from INSIDE OS X, and vice versa from inside your Windows environment, the solution seems the best of all possible worlds.
While there are a lot of menus and features to play with in order to turn on and off the more advanced features, it took me all of four hours to get the app installed, partition a virtual drive, install Windows, download and install needed Windows updates, a full version of Microsoft Office, and learn enough about the way Parallels enables “co-existence” of the two OSes to convince me it would be a decent solution for some of those in my company fitting the scenario I described earlier. No longer do I have to tell them their best option is to just stay on a Dell or HP laptop. I can now offer them the security, OS, user interface, stability, and other great features an Apple computer offers, while still enabling them to run those Windows-only apps they feel tethered to.
For any other IT folks, or business/non-profit organizations in a similar place, wanting to move to Apple computers but still connected to a few pieces of Windows-only software, Parallels 7 is my recommendation!
Tags: Apple, BootCamp, Mac OS X, Mac OS X Lion, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, Windows
Data Integrity, IT Support, Productivity, Reviews, Software, Tech Tools | Matthew | 
October 31, 2011 4:20 PM | 
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Today’s small business or organization needs cost-effective, competitive IT and technology support and solutions. That’s where NSI Partners TechConnect comes to the rescue. On-demand, as-needed technical expertise to help your business or nonprofit with:
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Cloud Computing, Communication, Data Integrity, IT Support, Networks, Productivity, Social Media, Software, Tech Tools, Web Services | Matthew | September 1, 2010 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
Today’s small business or organization needs cost-effective, competitive IT and technology support and solutions. That’s where NSI Partners TechConnect comes to the rescue. On-demand, as-needed technical expertise to help your business or nonprofit with:
-COMPUTERS -SOFTWARE -OPERATING SYSTEMS -PRINTERS -SCANNERS
-SMART PHONES -MOBILE DEVICES -NETWORKS -ROUTERS -SWITCHES
-FILE SHARING -DATA BACKUP - APPLICATIONS -DATABASES
-TRAINING -CLOUD SERVICES
When you’re looking for just-in-time IT staffing that will help technology work FOR you rather than the opposite, choose NSI Partners TechConnect.
CONTACT US now at 719-328-0042, ext.810 or email tech@nsipartners.com
Tags: cloud computing, Colorado Springs, Consultants, Small business
Cloud Computing, Communication, Data Integrity, IT Support, Networks, Productivity, Software, Tech Tools, Web Services | Matthew | August 1, 2010 12:52 PM | Comments (0)
Today’s small business or organization needs cost-effective, competitive IT and technology support and solutions. That’s where NSI Partners TechConnect comes to the rescue. On-demand, as-needed technical expertise to help your business or nonprofit with:
-COMPUTERS -SOFTWARE -OPERATING SYSTEMS -PRINTERS -SCANNERS
-SMART PHONES -MOBILE DEVICES -NETWORKS -ROUTERS -SWITCHES 
-FILE SHARING -DATA BACKUP – APPLICATIONS -DATABASES
-TRAINING -CLOUD SERVICES
When you’re looking for just-in-time IT staffing that will help technology work FOR you rather than the opposite, choose NSI Partners TechConnect.
CONTACT US now at 719-328-0042, ext.810 or email tech@nsipartners.com
Tags: Backup, CloudComputing, Disaster recovery, Emergency management, Small business
Cloud Computing, Data Integrity, IT Support, Productivity, Software, Tech Tools, Web Services | Matthew | April 1, 2010 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
Today’s small business or organization needs cost-effective, competitive IT and technology support and solutions. That’s where NSI Partners TechConnect comes to the rescue. On-demand, as-needed technical expertise to help your business or nonprofit with:
-COMPUTERS -SOFTWARE -OPERATING SYSTEMS -PRINTERS -SCANNERS
-SMART PHONES -MOBILE DEVICES -NETWORKS -ROUTERS -SWITCHES
-FILE SHARING -DATA BACKUP - APPLICATIONS -DATABASES
-TRAINING -CLOUD SERVICES
When you’re looking for just-in-time IT staffing that will help technology work FOR you rather than the opposite, choose NSI Partners TechConnect.
CONTACT US now at 719-328-0042, ext.810 or email tech@nsipartners.com
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