An all Mac office really is possible.

Even after the dramatic resurgence of the Mac platform since the late 1990s, most businesses today still use Windows PCs. There is still the prevailing  misconception that, for general business, Windows is the better choice whereas, the Mac is a better choice for home users, or for creative endeavors.  As an Apple Consultant, I see every day that this old myth is wrong.  The Mac is great for business.  In fact, you can run your whole business on a Mac.

There is a growing number of small and medium sized businesses (and even some large ones) that are adopting the Mac as their primary computing platform.  These companies have found that the Mac is just as capable of running their accounting, email and messaging, file sharing, and web services.  There are several great accounting software titles available for the Mac [Macworld Review].  These include Quickbooks from Intuit, and MYOB AccountEdge.  For businesses who are seeking to avoid the high licensing and maintenance costs associated with Microsoft Exchange, my recommendation is Kerio Connect 7 (formerly Kerio Mail Server).    Mac OS X Server’s file sharing capabilities are excellent, even in mixed computing environments.  Since 2003′s release of Mac OS X Server v. 10.3, Mac OS X Server has had the capability of serving as a primary domain controller for Windows PCs.  Mac OS X Server leverages industry standard LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol), and Kerberos services to provide secure authentication services to both Mac and Windows PCs.  Apple calls its implementation of LDAP Open Directory.   Mac and Windows PCs can bind directly to Open Directory, which enables the server to host home directories for end users, and allow each user to access all of the share points and services that he or she has been authorized to access.  Mac OS X Server offers a much simpler interface for which to manage the server, and all of its services.

Accounting

Accounting as long been a Windows only endeavor.  While the Mac has always had some kind of accounting software available, it has always fallen short of the needs of business customers.  That’s changing.  Intuit has made several improvements to its Mac offerings in recent years.  In addition, Intuit has released Quickbooks Online, which allows both Mac, and Windows users to access their company’s financial data whenever, and wherever they choose.  The iPhone is also supported.  For customers who prefer to use Windows for accounting, but a Mac for everything else, Parallels Desktop, and VMware Fusion will allow customers to run Windows side by side with Mac OS X.  This allows businesses to continue running the Windows versions of their accounting software while enjoying the many benefits and advantages that a Mac offers.  Running Windows in this way will also allow accountants to access the various web based payroll services that are still not Mac friendly.

Email, contacts, and scheduling

For years, business computing has been dominated by Microsoft.  Most large businesses, and many small businesses, use Exchange.  Exchange offers access to email on your desktop PC, and compatible mobile devices, and it offers the ability to check your email, access contacts, and your schedule from a web site.  Exchange works really well with Windows, but its spotty support for the Mac has been an annoyance for Mac users, and I.T. professionals ever since its introduction.  Often, Mac users in large organizations are left in the cold when it comes to full support for email, contacts, and calendaring.

With the release of Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Apple has stepped up to make the Mac compatible with Exchange.  The Mac now fully supports Exchange 2007.  The iPhone also supports Exchange.  What if your business wants to totally abandon Microsoft, and go with an all Mac solution?  Mac OS X Server provides a great email, calendar, and contacts solution, but it does have some holes.  It’s not fully compatible with Windows, and even the iPhone is not fully supported in the same way that Exchange works with the iPhone.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a truly cross platform solution that is both easy to manage, and Mac friendly?  That’s where Kerio Connect comes in.

Kerio Connect is the perfect solution for small and medium businesses (even large businesses) who need true groupware email, calendars, and contacts management.  Like Exchange, Kerio Connect provides an excellent webmail interface, and it also synchs with your Macs, PCs, and portable devices.  Kerio Connect is cross platform, and it can be ran from a server running Mac OS X Server, Windows Server, or Linux.  It’s very robust, and easy to manage.  New to Kerio Connect is a fully functional web based admin tool which will enable administrators to login from anywhere to repair issues.  [Read more about Kerio Connect]  Kerio Connect works great with Microsoft Entourage, and with Apple’s mail app.  It works very well with iCal, and Address Book through CalDav, and CardDav.   Kerio Connect can link to your server’s LDAP directory for authentication.  It has full support for both Active Directory (Windows), and Open Directory (Mac).  If your organization or business has a mix of Macs and Windows PCs, Kerio is a great solution to enable Mac users and Windows users to collaborate seamlessly.  Users can share their mail boxes, calendars, and contacts with other users, and provide others with read/write access when needed.

File sharing and web services

For businesses to be truly collaborative, all users need to be able to store and access the company’s files from a central location.  All Mac offices are no different.  Mac OS X Server provides an excellent solution for file sharing.  Administrators can manage access to the server’s resources from a simple server admin tool that can be installed on a laptop, or desktop Mac.  Like Windows Server, Mac OS X Server provides management options on the user, and group level, as well as on the machine level.  Mac OS X Server incorporates industry standard LDAP services which enables it to act as a primary domain controller for both Mac and Windows PCs.  Windows PCs can bind to the Mac server in the same way that they bind to Windows servers.  Mac OS X Server will also host home folders for various users whether they are using a desktop system, or a laptop.  Similar to Windows Server, Mac OS X Server can be configured to enforce password policies to allow administrators to mandate regular password changes, and create policies on the number of characters that end users must use in their passwords.  Mac OS X Server provides file sharing access through Apple File Protocol (AFP), Windows sharing (SMB), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Network File System (NFS).

Mac OS X Server uses industry standard Apache, an open source foundation for web services. WebDav, also included in Mac OS X Server, enables collaborative web publishing for your organization.  Mac OS X Server includes fast and easy publishing of wikis and blogs.  Even a small businesses with no I.T. staff can easily have a full featured company blog running on Mac OS X Server.

Making the switch

Making the switch to Mac isn’t as difficult as it might seem.  In addition to the almost 300 Apple Stores worldwide ready to assist you, there are thousands of Apple Consultants all over the U.S., and in many other countries.  An Apple Consultant is an experienced independent contractor who is Apple certified.  Their services and skills range from providing basic desktop support for homes, and small businesses to setting up and deploying servers, and large scale networks.  Apple Consultants can help your organization build a plan to make the transition as easy and painless as possible.  They enjoy challenges, and they’re always willing to go the extra mile to build the right solution for their customers.

If you are located in Dallas/Fort Worth, contact Kinetic Technology Group to assist with your Windows to Mac transition.  We have the knowledge, the skills, and the creativity to make your transition a success.