Parallels

Most of us recall the come-back commercials of a popular car brand who used this sentiment to reference a new, exciting and innovative brand, hoping to attract a new buying audience.

However, when I heard one of my colleagues use this line regarding our brand, Parallels, it resonated with me on many levels.  I chuckled at first but then started to think about it more and realized we really are in a similar situation.  Before I explain, let me introduce myself.

I’ve been working at Parallels for over nine years.  When I started, we had one product and one target audience: Mac users who need to access Windows applications.  Today, Parallels offers a variety of software options beyond Desktop for Mac and beyond the single home user.  Our commercial solutions help IT departments take the complexity out of integrating different devices or computers into traditional Windows environments.  We have evolved to support the needs of the market just like that car company evolved to attract new buyers.

For example, one of the main tools IT Admins use to manage Windows PCs is Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager. We have developed a plug-in that leverages that existing infrastructure and allows these same Windows IT Admins to fully manage Mac computers utilizing the vast knowledge they already have in SCCM. It’s like that valet attendant trying to find the car in the parking area and not being able to find it because they are looking for a certain type of car. In our case, many IT Admins can’t believe they can use the same tool they know and trust for those pesky Mac computers they are forced to support. They could easily overlook the efficiencies gained by leverage one tool.

Another example is giving customers the ability to provide their employees the applications they need, regardless of what computer or mobile device they use without hassle. While there are other tools in the market to accomplish this task, ours is the easiest to set up, maintain and use, plus it saves companies quite a bit of total cost to purchase and deploy. It’s like having that new shinny car, that is very modern with many options, but won’t break your bank.

So yes, Parallels is still a market-leader in running windows on Mac and our award-winning solutions is still our flagship product.  But we’re not your father’s Parallels.  We now have new, innovative products that address some of the challenges IT pros face when forced to support non-Windows devices in their organizations.

I would love to hear from you:

What types of devices are you currently forced to support?

How are you supporting your growing Mac footprint?

How do you support application accessibility across multiple platforms?