Parallels Desktop 6 is being released in an Enterprise Edition for businesses to better manage Windows applications on client Macs. The new annual subscription license supports corporate policy compliance and simplified mass deployments. The Enterprise Edition has a business GUI that manages compliance, corporate change management policies, and software update policies and offers a local update server. It eliminates the need for individual user registrations and adds a Request Support menu item, directing users to internal help desk personnel.
A Mass Deployment app moves client software and virtual machines over standardized Mac software distributions and offers systems management tools. The Volume Licensing featured a unified key that tracks the latest updates and guarantees business-level support. That support includes priority phone and email access, new software updates and access to beta releases.
Parallels allows users to run Windows apps in a virtual Windows environment while booted in the Mac OS, working on both platform’s apps and moving between them seamlessly. It supports Coherence Mode, running Windows and Mac apps side-by-side, Full Screen Mode, switching between Mac or Windows desktops, and supports high end performance tools like OpenGL.
Enterprise licensing requires company contact for a quote. Version 6 generally requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or 10.6.3, Intel chips and 1GB of RAM, with 2GB of RAM preferred. It works with numerous Windows versions including 32-bit XP, Vista and 7 and 64-bit XP Professional SP2, Vista and 7. Windows Server 2003 and 2008 are supported and numerous versions of Linux can be virtualized.
