Fix this, fix that, my computer’s crashed, I’ve just lost that 5,000 word report I’ve been working on since last Friday.

Sounds familiar? If you haven’t heard any of those groans and grumbles today, you can bet your last memory stick your IT department has.

So why don’t you say ‘I love you’ to your IT folks by buying Deskcenter Management Suite, available from Purple Rage Software.

One of the most comprehensive product portfolios on the market, Deskcenter helps IT managers save time and perform all processes in your company quickly and reliably.

The product allows servers, PCs, assets, configurations and applications to be administered from one central point. All functions are included right from the start and modules are added by changing the license key at any time.

Deskcenters has many advantages – here are just a few to whet your appetite.

OS deployment – The suite allows you to install complete operating systems.

Software deployment – Supply departments, groups or users with the software they need.

File and contract repository – Store, find and connect files, documents and contracts.

Reporting – Run valuable and relevant analysis on collected data.
Real-time system management – Use all the commands that can be run on a workstation.

Service calendar – Manage all support employees’ appointments so nobody is forgotten about, especially that bloke and his 5,000 report.

For more details about how Deskcenter could transform the way your company works, contact Purple Rage Software, specialised UK and European distributors working with leading American and European software manufacturers, on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com

Office bins overflowing with waste paper are a cleaner’s nightmare – and they’re no good for your bottom line, either.

Just think of all those documents your employees needlessly print on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

You could stand over their shoulders and yell “noooooo!” every time they reach for Control + P.

Or you could take the less stressful option by investing in Print Manager Plus, now available from Purple Rage Software.

It seems there are lies, damned lies and statistics, though you’ve got to admit the following stats are impressive.

A college in Rennes, France, with 1,200 students, 130 staff, 350 workstations and 14 networked printers installed Print Manager Plus two years ago. Since then, they’ve saved between 200 and 300 reams of paper each month and cut down on ink, electricity, printer repair and maintenance costs. And the total saving per annum has been £13,500. What’s not to like?

Print Manager Plus limits users’ ability to print their files and allows you to share networking printing data within your company – whether you are a small business with two printers or a large enterprise with thousands.

You can plan your budget needs and flow data easily or, if you want your computer to take the strain, set it to automatic to activate a built-in scheduler that will send reports and graphs via email and save to a share on the server.

Oh, and if you’re still wavering, manufacturers Software Shelf International have been included in the online directory www.guidemegreen.com for saving more than 150,000 trees a month worldwide. Makes you want to go and hug one right now.

To find out more about Print Manager Plus could save your company money, contact Purple Rage Software, specialised UK and European distributors working with leading American and European software manufacturers, on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com

Parallels Desktop for Mac version 3 is now available and better than ever before. You thought the previous versions brought you leading-edge functionality, well check out version 3.

Parallels allows you to run Windows, Linux, and more side-by-side with Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Mac, without rebooting. With Parallels’ award-winning virtualization technology, you can run Mac OS X and your favorite Windows applications at the same time. You can even drag-and-drop files between desktops!

The latest release of Parallels Desktop for Mac comes packed with 50+ new features and enhancements, including SmartSelect, Snapshots, and 3D graphics. Learn more about the new capabilities in the latest release of this award-winning product.

With the latest version of Parallels, you can:

• Use Windows and Mac OS X at the same time… without rebooting
• Run Windows programs like native Mac applications with Parallels Coherence
• New! Open Windows files with Mac programs and Mac files in Windows programs with Parallels SmartSelect
• Share files and folders between Windows and Mac OS X
• New! Browse through Windows folders and access files without launching Windows with Parallels Explorer
• New! Run today’s most popular PC games on a Mac with support for 3D graphics
• Achieve maximum performance by leveraging Intel® Virtualization Technology
• New! Protect your Windows with Parallels Snapshots

To get more details or to download a free trial visit www.purplerage.com/parallels.

MacWorld magazine recently ran a poll of their readership. The question they asked was “Do you want to run Windows on your Mac?” Guess what, 63% said that they would run Windows on their Mac. The really great thing with Parallels Desktop of Mac is you can run Windows on it without affecting MacOS X. In fact you can sandbox Windows so it is only able to run in its own environment without being able to even access the Internet (host networking). Will be interesting to see which version of Windows people buy given that if they are going to run Vista they must buy the business editions. Looks like XP could still be a winner for Microsoft even when its been superceded.

As a UK distributor for Parallels, Purple Rage are offering a free 30 day trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac, the leading virtualisation solution for Mac, which allows Mac users to run Windows simultaneously. To get it simply go to www.purplerage.com/parallels. If you like it you can also buy through our store for 24 hour delivery at £49.50 ex vat. Visit store.purplerage.com.

Over the last few days we’ve had a number of clients asking about Parallels and whether they can run MacOS 9 in a virtual machine. Whilst others want to run Vista. Whilst the latter is mostly certainly possible (with a few qualifications), the former most certainly is not.

Its not that its technically impossible to run MacOS as a Parallels virtual machine. More that Apple does not permit their operating systems to be run on anything other than physical Apple hardware. We understand that whilst this issue has been raised with Apple, nothing has come of it so far. Let’s hope something does in the future, saving users from having to keep old and failing hardware going.

As for Vista, unless you’re running Vista Business, Ultimate or Enterprise, you’re not allowed to run Vista at all in a virtual machine. Not even if you’re running Microsoft’s own VM application! This is very explicitly declared in the EULA that accompanies the software. Seems Microsoft is being either greedy or shortsighted. By excluding the Home editions, potential users will either be driven away by the higher cost, or will simply head straight for the Windows XP second-hand market.

If you want to learn more about Parallels virtualisation software, check out the product page on Purple Rage’s website.

Following the recent release of the latest incarnation of Parallels Desktop for Mac, users are now finding the traditional dividing lines between Windows MacOS becoming very blurred. The question now being asked by managers and company owners is now much more “which application do users need to do their jobs best?”. It matters little that one may run on MacOS X and another on Windows. With the introduction of the unique Coherence mode into Parallels Desktop, Windows applications run from wihtin virtual machines as though they are native MacOS applications. In Coherence mode, Windows applications like Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Word run on the Mac desktop and from the Mac dock.

Also included with the new version is a new product; Parallels Transporter. Got yourself a nice new shiney Mac but still need the apps and files from your old PC? Run Transporter and create a copy of your PC as a virtual machine. Now you can run your old machine on that new hardware. No complicated migration, no new licenses, no re-installation. Create the image with Transporter. Create the VM. Run the VM. Job done.

Find out more from the Paralells pages on the Purple Rage website.