Spunky Monkey
20th Oct 2013, 13:27
Hello All
I need your knowledge and wisdom to help me with a business IT problem I have.
I run a small online company with 3 other staff.
We buy and sell items online through a third party website.
If you can image we are a company that sells through a website similar to E-bay or Amazon supplier - sadly not all of our software is Cloud based.
We produce our invoices and manage our sales through third party software, that is pretty rubbish and is windows 7 based - we hate it, however he need to use it.
Currently I use a Mac Book Pro that I love using and my work rate is far higher than my staff who use Windows 7 based laptops.
(I was stuck in Nice about 3 years ago with a laptop that went kaput. It took three days to get it working again, so when I arrived back in the UK I went straight to PC World and bought a Mac - Never looked back)!
We have a big problem in our office, that I am trying to address and I need your advice with.
Our Windows 7 Laptops are less than a year old (We need to use Windows 7 as that is what the software works on).
If we switch to Macs - Can we use Windows 7 compatible software? Or will it revert to Windows 8?
Which is the better Windows software to use on a Mac? (I don’t want to use it - however it is needed to run one piece of software only.
We need a database software programme. Currently I am trialling FileMaker Pro. I have been told that we don’t need the Filemaker Server software as there are only 5 machines. (it is also on offer 2 for 1).
I have purchased Office 365 for our computers and all that did was waste 2 days installing it and then lost our emails for 3 days.
It is difficult to use and at £40 a month seems to be a waste of money.
Solution - (This is where I need your advice)
1 x desktop Mac, that can hold all of our images and use as a base computer - I would rather not have to pay for a server if I can help it.
3 x Mac Book pro or Air, that can link together to share database contacts, that need to be updated in real time. (A database that holds names, emails and client notes, as well as invoices and inventories).
Run the third party software though a Windows Parallel Operating System on a Mac.
Update our contacts, diary, spreadsheets, tasks and notes in real time.
For example a client phones in and requests information on a product, when can then log the call and any actions, which will update everybody else in the company, should they look at the clients details.
We need to be able to look at each others diary, and amend info if required or add appointments.
Set reminders for each other and have a task list that we can all use and amend.
Can all this be done through iwork?
Any advice would be gratefully received.
I need your knowledge and wisdom to help me with a business IT problem I have.
I run a small online company with 3 other staff.
We buy and sell items online through a third party website.
If you can image we are a company that sells through a website similar to E-bay or Amazon supplier - sadly not all of our software is Cloud based.
We produce our invoices and manage our sales through third party software, that is pretty rubbish and is windows 7 based - we hate it, however he need to use it.
Currently I use a Mac Book Pro that I love using and my work rate is far higher than my staff who use Windows 7 based laptops.
(I was stuck in Nice about 3 years ago with a laptop that went kaput. It took three days to get it working again, so when I arrived back in the UK I went straight to PC World and bought a Mac - Never looked back)!
We have a big problem in our office, that I am trying to address and I need your advice with.
Our Windows 7 Laptops are less than a year old (We need to use Windows 7 as that is what the software works on).
If we switch to Macs - Can we use Windows 7 compatible software? Or will it revert to Windows 8?
Which is the better Windows software to use on a Mac? (I don’t want to use it - however it is needed to run one piece of software only.
We need a database software programme. Currently I am trialling FileMaker Pro. I have been told that we don’t need the Filemaker Server software as there are only 5 machines. (it is also on offer 2 for 1).
I have purchased Office 365 for our computers and all that did was waste 2 days installing it and then lost our emails for 3 days.
It is difficult to use and at £40 a month seems to be a waste of money.
Solution - (This is where I need your advice)
1 x desktop Mac, that can hold all of our images and use as a base computer - I would rather not have to pay for a server if I can help it.
3 x Mac Book pro or Air, that can link together to share database contacts, that need to be updated in real time. (A database that holds names, emails and client notes, as well as invoices and inventories).
Run the third party software though a Windows Parallel Operating System on a Mac.
Update our contacts, diary, spreadsheets, tasks and notes in real time.
For example a client phones in and requests information on a product, when can then log the call and any actions, which will update everybody else in the company, should they look at the clients details.
We need to be able to look at each others diary, and amend info if required or add appointments.
Set reminders for each other and have a task list that we can all use and amend.
Can all this be done through iwork?
Any advice would be gratefully received.