Parallels announced today that Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft System Configuration Manager won a Best of TechEd 2014 award in the Systems Management category. The Best of TechEd awards, co-sponsored by Microsoft and Windows IT Pro, recognize Microsoft partners that offer innovative products and services for the industry. Winners were announced at the Microsoft TechEd North America 2014 conference in Houston, Texas.
Industry Commentary
"Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM enables Slalom IT to leverage our existing PC infrastructure to manage and secure our entire fleet of PCs, Macs, and Parallels virtual machines without the need for additional Mac-specific software tools or extensive analyst training. The Parallels win at the Best of TechEd awards validates what we already know - that Parallels Mac Management is an awesome and unique tool for helping primarily PC-based organizations like Slalom cost-effectively support their ever-growing Mac user base." – Michele Bleser, Managing Director of Technology, Slalom, LLC
“Managing the Macs coming onto our network was previously a manual process, which led to issues with both compliance and control, in addition to extreme inefficiency. Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM is great as it allows us to continue to provide users Mac machines, while making it easier to ensure their systems are managed and compliant. It lets our IT department extend our existing infrastructure, processes and skills, without extensive re-training to manage Macs. This gives us more time to work on forward-looking projects that will make our internal systems stronger and faster." – Nicholas Velich, Client Systems Sr. Technician, Loyola University
“This year, we judged products in nine technical categories. We vetted the nominations from more than 200 entries down to three and sometimes four finalists in each category. It’s really exciting to see so many companies creating products that truly help IT professionals and developers make the most of technology advancements. These products add business value for the people who adopt them. As cloud and mobile become more integral to the workplace, innovation continues to accelerate at a rapid pace. Windows IT Pro is proud to be on the front line for evaluating the best technology solutions.” – Amy Eisenberg, Editor-in-Chief of Windows IT Pro
“Parallels is proud to be a close partner with Microsoft and is honored to receive the Best of TechEd 2014 Award. Macs are coming into the enterprise but often are supported only reluctantly. We are working to remove some of the most common roadblocks so that Macs and Windows can co-exist in business environments, making for a happier and more productive workforce who can use the machine of their choosing.” – Parallels President Jack Zubarev
Product Overview
Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) extends existing very rich SCCM functionality to Macs, allowing IT departments to leverage existing processes and skills to manage Macs. Parallels Mac Management takes full advantage of the functionality of SCCM to allow IT departments to discover, enroll and manage Macs just as they would with existing PCs, through a single pane of glass. From deploying Mac OS X images to managing virtual machines running in Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition, Parallels Mac Management provides the necessary tools for an IT organization to be Mac management experts.
Parallels also offers implementation resources for IT departments as they go through the proof of concept and implementation process of Parallels Mac Management. These include a Hosted Test Lab program that lets IT professionals test out the Parallels Mac Management plug-in before they install it in their environment, and a Jumpstart program that comprises the Parallels Mac Management plug-in for up to 100 Macs as well as 10 hours of assisted installation and configuration support.