Companies commonly depend on Microsoft Windows to host office productivity or line-of-business programs. For companies with a mix of Mac and Microsoft Windows desktops, there exist two basic alternatives for running Microsoft Windows-only software on an Apple Mac: an external terminal connection or local simulation of a Microsoft Windows PC. Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac allows you to attach a Mac to a networked Microsoft Windows-powered system to run Microsoft Windows programs and access system resources. Remote Desktop Connection Client for Apple Mac is a component of Office 2008 for Apple Mac and features significant improvements over older releases. Virtual PC for Mac simulates Microsoft Windows on an Apple Mac system so you are able to operate Microsoft Windows software directly. Microsoft's Virtual PC for Apple Mac was included in advanced versions of Office 2004 for Mac but is not offered in the current versions of Microsoft Office for Apple Mac.

Progent's Apple Macintosh support experts can help you to deploy either or both these solutions for running Microsoft Windows programs on your Apple Macs and can in addition help your organization to assess and install third-party products for Microsoft Windows platform simulation.

Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection for Apple Mac
Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection Client for Apple Mac enables you to attach your Mac to a Microsoft Windows-powered computer to run Microsoft Windows software, access files, and share network resources. You can copy files between your Apple Mac and your Microsoft Windows-powered system and output from Microsoft Windows programs to any printers attached to your Apple Mac.

Terminal simulation demands relatively modest processing power from the client Mac and therefore in most scenarios provides better performance than processor simulation. To connect to a remote Windows-powered computer, you must have network connectivity and authorization to attach to the computer. The Windows computer must be running either Terminal Services or Remote Desktop. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection for Apple Mac is available as a free download and works with Windows Server 2008, 2003, XP Professional, and Windows 2000 Server.

Remote Desktop Connection for Mac version 2 provides improved features that include:

• A user interface and menu bar that makes the attachment window easier to use
• Remote Desktop Protocol version 6.0 for faster throughput and Vista connectivity
• Multiple session capability for handling connections with a number of remote computers
• Automatic re-attach for restarting a remote session if you drop the network connection
• Window sizing options for executing the remote session in full-screen mode or in a resizable window
• Mac printer compatibility for printing Windows documents on a Mac-connected printer
• Network Level Authentication for enhanced protection when connecting to Windows Vista PCs
• Higher screen density to support wide-screen monitors
• Faster login options for enhanced efficiency

Virtual PC for Mac
Virtual PC for Mac simulates an Intel/AMD-type processor and converts a Mac into a virtual Microsoft Windows computer that permits you to access Windows software, files, and network appliances. CPU simulation is processor intensive on the local Apple Mac and trades off some performance for simplicity, flexibility, and a more complete set of features. Microsoft's Virtual PC version 7 works with the Apple Mac G5 processor and Apple Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and was provided with the Professional Edition of Microsoft Office 2004 for Apple Mac.

Key features of Microsoft's Virtual PC version 7 include:

• Shared Folders and Removable Storage allows file and removable media exchange between Microsoft Windows and Mac applications and allows saving files in a folder on an Apple Mac and accessing them from within Microsoft Windows
• Shared Mac and Windows PC Peripherals makes it possible to access to an assortment of Microsoft Windows PC and Apple Mac peripherals including printers and removable hard disks, even ones made specifically to be run on a Windows computer
• Multi-platform Copy and Paste enables Microsoft Virtual PC 7 for Mac and an Apple Mac application to use a common clipboard for cutting and pasting between Windows and Mac environments
• A Fast Save feature permits you to shut down a virtual PC in one step and resume from that point
• No Set-up Printing for Panther systems (Mac OS X 10.3) eliminates the need to download specific drivers. It is possible to click Print and utilize the same output capability and software drivers used by the Mac OS.

How Progent's OS X Consultants Can Assist You to Use Microsoft Windows Applications on Apple Macs
Progent's Microsoft-qualified engineers and Mac experts can help you to choose and install the right software to allow your Mac clients to utilize Microsoft Windows software. In addition, Progent can help your organization to incorporate your Apple Macs seamlessly into your network infrastructure to improve stability, throughput, and security and to optimize business value. Progent can in addition deliver Apple Mac and Exchange Consulting plusand Apple Mac Training.

Contact Progent If You Need Expertise for Running Windows Programs on Macs
If your organization is in need of a Mac consultant, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or email Progent at apple-help@progent.com.

Progent's Consulting Services for UNIX-based Systems
Progent's UNIX consulting experts offer small businesses and software developers help with managing and maintaining UNIX-family systems that can operate alongside Microsoft-based technology. Progent offers your company access to UNIX support professionals, authorized Microsoft consultants, Cisco CCIEs, and security experts certified by CISM. This broad array of expertise gives you a convenient single resource to help you to create and maintain a safe and dependable cross-platform connectivity and communications system that incorporates Microsoft Windows with leading derivatives of UNIX such as: Apple Mac OS X, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX Open UNIX, HP-UX (Hewlett Packard UNIX), BSD, SCO and Silicon Graphics IRIX (SGI/IRIX) or important Linux versions including RedHat Linux, SUSE, Debian GNU/Linux and Slackware.