by JP McInnis
2. June 2010 02:13
By JP McInnis
According to reports from the Financial Times, Google is currently making a push to eliminate the Windows operating system from their offices. Users are now being offered the choice between a Mac or Linux workstation. Any requests for systems running Windows must be approved by the CIO on a case by case basis. This change is said to be due to security issues with the Windows platform and recent hacking attempts which Google believes originated in China. Other reports speculate that the internal implementation of Google’s Chrome OS may be behind this shift. Regardless of the reason, this is a noteworthy change in Google’s business practices and will have a major effect on its over 20,000 employees.
by JP McInnis
21. April 2010 17:20
In Q4 of this year Microsoft will be releasing Office 2011 for Mac. The big news in is the demise of Entourage and the return of Outlook. Entourage could be described as Microsoft’s last attempt at keeping Macs out of the business environment. Entourage is slow, doesn't allow PST imports and is generally despised. In other words it is not Outlook. Microsoft has finally accepted that the platform and products that Apple creates hold an important place in the business. Outlook 2010 has been re-engineered to use OSX’s native programing platforms more efficiently and provides Mac user’s with all of the functionality you’d see on a Windows system.
Many of today’s Mac users are recent Windows converts and this update to the Office suite will make the transition much easier. I expect Microsoft to see good returns on this decision.
If you're looking to make the switch keep this in mind: The default Mac Mail client will only work with Exchange 2007 at this time. If your organization is currently on Exchange 2003 and you don’t have an immediate need to switch to a Mac, hold off until the new version of Office comes out. It will curb many hours of frustration.