Should you make the switch to Mac?

Asseer cites the lack of viruses, fewer (if any) crashes and the more attractive interface among the features that lured him to the Mac. “In terms of reporting,” he adds, “the applications that are available to the Mac are far richer and a lot more appealing. The calendar programs are fantastic. They really help us.”

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. has shown strong growth in the individual computer market, helped, perhaps, by the perception that Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. seemed to be asleep at the wheel. While Microsoft endured heavy criticism in 2007 for its Windows Vista OS, Apple continued to innovate. Windows 7, which launched two years later, saw Microsoft win back some hearts and minds; but Microsoft’s mobile strategy still languished for years while Apple continued to build a solid ecosystem spanning smartphone, tablet and desktop.

Research firm NetMarketShare (a part of Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Net Applications Inc.) reported a 7.08% market share for the Mac OS in January, up from 6.54% in March 2012. That may not seem like a huge shift, but bear in mind that many vendors sell Windows-based PCs while Apple stands alone. Market share also includes all the Windows OSes. By August, more people were using the Mac OSX than were using Windows Vista worldwide. (Those market figures don’t include iOS, the OS for Apple’s iPad and iPhone.)

“A lot of [financial services professionals] had started looking at [the Mac] because they had started using iPhones or iPads,” says Richard Allum, founder of Oxfordshire, England-based Paraplan Plus Ltd., a provider of research services to financial advisors. “They were keen to use the same philosophy with Macs.”

So, once you’ve decided to make the switch, what does that entail?

There are two broad approaches to migration when switching from your PC to the Mac: automatic migration, using a built-in assistant; and manual data transfer.

The migration assistant offered by a new Mac when it first boots up will do a lot of things for you automatically. It will transfer the look and feel of your PC, including your desktop wallpaper. Your email accounts and contacts will be copied to your new computer, as will your calendar events and web bookmarks. Files, including documents, videos, music, and pictures, also will be transferred. This can happen without the need for a cable if both computers are connected to a wired or wireless network.

You also can migrate files manually over your network by simply copying them between folders on the different machines. Alternatively, files can be copied manually via removable storage, including USB memory sticks.

@page_break@However, while Macs may be easy to use, migrating isn’t without challenges, as Asseer discovered: “The main challenge was [transferring] the data from Outlook. Windows doesn’t make it easy for you to leave.”

Nevertheless, there are ways around these issues. Many software applications will find a way to “export” their data into formats that then can be translated to other platforms. Asseer was able to export his Outlook data to a comma-separated variable (CSV) file, then transfer that file to his Mac. He then imported the CSV file into the new customer relationship management (CRM) software he used, which is available only on the Mac.

The other problem is that some applications used by financial services institutions simply aren’t available on the Mac.

For example, Asseer’s firm mandates PC-based insurance illustration software, and the firm’s financial planning software also is Windows-based. Even web-based applications suffer. Asseer’s organization requires Internet Explorer to access its intranet, for example.

Perhaps this is why a survey by Paraplan of financial advisors in Britain last year found a strong frustration with “platform lock-in.” Sixty per cent of the 49 respondents to Paraplan’s self-selecting online survey said they would prefer to use a Mac, but only 20% were doing so.

“We asked: ‘What’s stopping you from using the system you want?'” Allum says. “They said it was the investment platform they used [or] the CRM system they used. It was the IT department telling them what they had to use.”

There are solutions, though, and it is possible to run Windows on a Mac. There are two ways to do this. The first involves using Boot Camp, an alternative OS, instead of Mac OSX. The second method uses “virtual machine” (VM) software to run Windows as a separate platform inside your Mac’s OS.

Boot Camp lets you install Windows on a separate part of your Mac’s hard drive, especially carved out for that OS. When you turn on the machine, you can choose to boot up into either Mac OSX or Windows.

The alternative is to have access to both OSes at the same time. There are two VM programs that allow you to run Windows: VMWare Fusion and Parallels. Both involve creating a software “sandbox” that looks like a PC, but created by software. You then install Windows (or another OS you want) inside that sandbox. Each of these VM programs offers useful features, such as the ability to copy things between the Mac and the virtual PC, and the ability to run Windows applications in their own windows on the Mac desktop. The disadvantage of this approach is that you’ll need more memory and processing power to maintain performance.

Whichever way you choose to set up your Mac, the point is that it’s workable, without losing your existing software investment or annoying your firm. And with the iPad and iPhone having taken centre stage in mobile computing, many of your colleagues will be considering a Mac as their next move.

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