Leading distributor of software products in sub-Saharan Africa, Phoenix Distribution, has announced the availability of a variety of award-winning Parallels software.
Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions, provides businesses, educational institutions and home users with the ability to run Windows applications on their Macs without rebooting, add full Mac management to Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM), and to use their iPads to access all of their PC and Mac apps as if they were made for the iPad.
Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Distribution, says that Parallels’ products are the perfect addition to the software stack for businesses of any size, and that the company believes that the increasing uptake of Mac and iOS device usage among companies makes these solutions a modern necessity.
“Results of a recent survey commissioned by Parallels about adoption of Macs in the enterprise found that almost half of businesses currently offer their employees Macs. However, the same survey found that very few companies have any kind of management in place for Macs.
“Locally, we see the same trend. Parallels fills this gap, allowing businesses to more effectively manage all devices on their networks with their existing infrastructure, while also enabling these users to access applications designed for other platforms.”
The survey points to the fact that Macs are in high demand, with eight out of 10 businesses saying Macs are more reliable overall than Windows machines, seven out of 10 saying they are easier to support, and an equal amount saying that offering Macs would likely help attract employees.
However, with seven out of 10 businesses also stating that they don’t allow Macs onto their network because they lack the expertise to manage them and because they are unable to run Windows apps, the software solutions from Parallels provide the perfect answers to simply and successfully overcome these challenges.
“This points to the necessity of a product like Parallels Desktop for Mac, the No. 1-selling solution for running Windows on Macs, which is one of the reasons we are introducing the full range of Parallels solutions to the local market. In addition, we take pride in offering only best-of-breed solutions, and Parallels’ multiple awards prove their leadership position in this category,” Campbell-Young says.
Parallels Desktop for Mac allows companies to provide their policy-compliant Windows stack of software applications to each Mac user, ensuring that every mission critical application is available to each end user.
He adds that a T-shirt giveaway currently underway on Spiceworks is revealing the troubling – and funny – lack of Mac management in companies.
Asked to fill in the blank in the sentence “I currently use … to manage the Mac(s) on my network”, more than 600 respondents have included everything from “nothing” to “my co-worker” and “Jedi Mind Tricks” to “a lot of profanities” and “migraine medications”.
This is where the Parallels Mac Management plug-in for Microsoft SCCM comes in to play. It allows IT managers to manage Macs and PCs from a single pane of glass, extending a company’s investment in its infrastructure, policies and staff. From automatic discovery and enrolment to reporting, it is the best way to fully manage Macs using SCCM.
Parallels also offers an iPad app and service called Parallels Access that allows customers to remotely access and use full-featured applications on any PC or Mac, and brings a user experience that makes every application feel like it was made for iPad.
iPad native gestures and usability make any app feel like it was made for the iPad, even if it is not optimised for the iPad. Parallels Access is available in the iTunes App.
Parallels cross-platform solutions include: Parallels Mac Management plugin for Microsoft SCCM and Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition, as well as the Parallels Access app for iPad.