Pelarious - Macintosh and Windows Computer Consulting
IT Consulting Services and Training Hands-on Training Pelarious Products Contact the Information Technology Experts Contact the Information Technology Experts

Macintosh Consulting St. Louis

The Technology Hat
A small business professional wears many hats. It's not uncommon for one person to be the owner, marketing director, account manager, call center, and sales department of a small business. In fact, these responsibilities merely scratch the surface when you consider all of the duties required of a small-business professional....

Giving the IT Department a Complement
A department of full-time IT specialists is a requirement of all large cross-platform companies, right? Wrong. Not every business finds it beneficial to keep a full-time, onsite Information Technology staff. A cost-effective alternative is to make Pelarious your IT department.
Find Hot Spots in St. Louis, Missouri
Adobe Training - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, GoLive
Technology News and Updates from Pelarious
Find Hot Spots in St. Louis, Missouri
Professional IT Support
Business Technology Solutions

Making the Switch to Mac OS X

You've seen the Apple Switch commercials. People, just like you, talk about how much easier it is to use their new Macs. The commercials are pretty persuasive, but are these testimonials real? Pelarious recently had the experience of transitioning a business from Windows to Mac OS X.

Here is their story....

Mac OS X makes it possible. Pelarious makes it happen.

The Goal

Plan and execute the switch for AAC Property Management of St.Louis, MO from Windows to Mac OS X. Implement their wireless networking solution, internet service upgrade, new printer installation, and new iMac migration for the entire staff.

The Right Decision

Paul James wanted a better and easier way to organize his company’s business. Having made the switch to Mac at home with great success, Paul decided to implement the switch to Mac in his business as well. He turned to the Pelarious Experts for help.

After an evaluation and site survey, the Pelarious team prepared a comprehensive plan to make the AAC goal a reality.

Four elements were vital in the plan:

1) Resolve the company's long-standing email issues
2) Maintain the ability to work on existing files
3) Provide for data backup and security
4) Minimize the learning curve for these Windows refugees with focused training

Element One: Easy Email and Group Collaboration

Pelarious and AAC agreed that the existing Microsoft Exchange server was the source of much of the maintenance issues (and expense) for this business. Instead, Pelarious recommended a more standard email system with all the attributes AAC relied upon. NOW Up-to-Date and Contact™ made it possible for the entire office to share contacts and a calendaring system. As a result, AAC will function on fewer machines — three Macs instead of four PCs.

Element Two:
Smooth Software Transition

AAC used QuickBooks Pro for Windows. Quickbooks Pro 5 for Mac OS X was an easy choice. To ease the transition, one workstation (above) will run Virtual PC 6 until the data is fully transferred. Pelarious also equipped the AAC Macs with FileMaker Pro and the Microsoft Office v.X.

Element Three:
Backup, Backup, Backup

Pelarious found AAC's previous data storage didn't prepare them for full disaster recovery. Pelarious instituted a solid system that not only made AAC more stable in their day to day operation, but gave them the ability to fully recover should anything happen to their files. Retrospect 5 for Workgroups paired with the Exabyte VXA tape drive provides safe and solid data backup.

With all the Macs set-up properly (left), AAC was ready to get started.

Element Four: Knowledge Is Power

The entire AAC staff spent the day in the Pelarious Professional Skills Development Center for dedicated Mac OS X training. This insured that the AAC team was able to get to work right away without any loss in productivity.

AAC talks about the switch . . .

Implementing a switch can be made simple with the right Information Technology group. AAC worked with Pelarious, Inc. on this project from day one. With upgraded computers, software, Internet access, and printers, we checked in with AAC to see how the switch is working out.

While talking with Laura Lukens about Frank Lombaer, the Pelarious Expert to work most frequently with AAC, it is evident that a friendly relationship has played a big part in the switch. "Pelarious’ work is seamless and flawless," Laura says smiling. "My only complaint is that Frank doesn’t have a desk here in our office.

Paul James (below), owner of AAC, has worked with other IT companies, but found the Pelarious Experts to be a cut above the rest. "When I have a problem or challenge to explain to them, they understand and can explain back to me a solution. Pelarious can communicate with me and doesn’t use gobbledygook to answer a question."

Sometimes the best work will go unnoticed. In the background of AAC is a solid backup and reliable server. Paul put his trust in Pelarious to provide his office with the stability he required. He says confidently, "I just know that it works and leave the rest to Pelarious. When we have questions, they are right there with answers."

It didn’t take long for AAC to transition to their new Mac-filled office. The AAC team were prepared to jump right into using her new iMac. They joined a Pelarious Professional Skills Development Center seminar designed for new users of Mac OS X. During the training session, they became familiar with the Mac OS X interface and features.

For more information about how Pelarious can help you make the switch, contact us to assess your specific needs.

Macintosh Consulting St. LouisHome • Contact Us • Privacy • Site Map

Macintosh Consulting St. Louis© Pelarious, Inc. 2005