Parallels Survey of IT Professionals Finds Macs are Moving Beyond BYOD Phenomenon, Now Considered for Broader Corporate Deployment

SAN FRANCISCO & RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MacIT Conference – Parallels® (www.parallels.com/mac-pro), a global leader in cross-platform solutions, today announced results of its commissioned survey of more than 200 IT decision makers about their attitudes toward Macs in the enterprise. The results are telling – almost half of businesses (45 percent) currently offer their employees Macs, and more than nine out of 10 businesses (95 percent) that don’t currently provide Macs would be more likely to offer employees Macs if they had a single central management system for both Windows PCs and Macs.

Macs are in high demand – and respondents who already support Macs shared the top reasons why:

• Eight out of 10 businesses (77 percent) say Macs are more reliable overall than Windows machines
• Seven out of 10 (65 percent) say they are easier to support
• Seven out of 10 (65 percent) say offering Macs would likely help attract employees (a very important factor given the competition for talent)

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Parallels Greases Wheels for PC-to-Mac Switch

When Apple first switched to Intel chips, allowing users of new Macs to virtualize Windows on their machines, much of the business companies like Parallels saw was from experienced Mac users who needed to also use Windows. Now, more of its sales go to PC-to-Mac switches who don't want to cut ties with Windows just yet, and a new edition of Parallels addresses those customers directly.

By John P. Mello Jr.
MacNewsWorld
09/21/09 4:00 AM PT

As with other versions of Parallels Desktop, Switch-to-Mac includes the cabling and software to transfer an existing Windows setup from a PC to a Mac and run both systems in an integrated environment. That means running a Windows application from the Mac desktop is as simple as clicking an icon.

"You don't have to think about which operating system you're working in," Prestele said. "When you click on a Windows application, it launches. It actually launches faster with Parallels desktop than it does on a PC."

See a demo

Windows integration is part Apple's subtle strategy to expand its corporate presence. That strategy includes leveraging the popularity of its iPhone and iPod products into home computer sales. Those home sales, in turn, are being converted into a workplace presence.

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Review: Parallels Desktop 4 For Mac Boosts Stability, Performance

The previous version of the Parallels virtualization package for running Windows and Linux on Macs was a buggy disappointment. Will version 4 be able to win back users' hearts?

By Mitch Wagner, InformationWeek
Nov. 18, 2008

When the first version of Parallels Desktop hit the streets two years ago, it was just amazing. The software allowed you to run Windows, along with its applications, on Mac OS X. Mac users just flipped for it.

But with Parallels Version 3, introduced last year, the company seemed to have lost its way. The software was slow and buggy. Users put up with the problems for a while, because it was the only product of its kind, but when competition emerged, in the form of VMware Fusion, users switched to the new product. VMware even ran its own "switcher" marketing campaign, like Apple did against Windows.

Today, I know about a dozen people who use the VMware product. I only know one person who still uses Parallels. He complains about it a lot.

This month the company (also called Parallels) introduced Parallels Desktop 4, which it says has significantly improved performance and stability over the previous version, and a few new features.

In other words: Parallels is back from its long spree in Vegas, with a bouquet of roses in hand and a hangdog expression its face. It's promising to be good. It wants us to take it back.

Should we open our hearts and give the relationship with Parallels one more try? Or should we kick it to the curb?

Continue Reading the full story

Looking to run Virtualization software on OS X for free?

Unfortunately more often then not Macintosh users must give in to the dark side of the force and run a Windows XP or Vista only program. So "virtualization continues to be a big topic among Mac users with Intel-powered Macs. Products from Parallels and VMware allow you to easily run many different operating systems on your Mac, each within its own protected virtual environment. Recently, a third player entered the market—Sun, with its VirtualBox product." I recommend you take a look after all its free and even if you don't own a copy of Windows then you can always install OpenSolaris, Solaris 10 or  Linux on your VirtualBox software.

Macworld Video: A look at VirtualBox