Migrate an all Mac design shop to a PC environment? Challenges?

Pcs are more prone to Hardware failure and downtime due to malware. Have additional operating costs in keeping them up to date with security software. Also the cost of time lost by your designers who won’t be able to work as comfortably and efficiently as they can on a mac. Why does your boss want this again?

We have a Mac server that is on it’s last legs. It will end up costing around 10 grand to replace it. I think he feels that, for only a little more he can shift the department to a PC environment. Plus, we use an external vendor for service, we cut them out and then allow the internal tech department to maintain the equipment. I think this is also about cost and control. He can’t control what he doesn’t understand.

Fine. Go to a pc server. But let the mac workstations lie. They can play nice with a windows server. Us designers need our macs. Or, buy all your designers MacBook pros.

The biggest risk is that your designers will walk out. I’d bet that the cost savings from replacing all the computers with PCs will be dwarfed by the replacement costs when one designer seeks other opportunities.

In this job market, and where we are located, I’m not too worried about walkouts. Though the morale issues certainly bother me. Mine too! I don’t want to give up MY mac either.

I think @patg7590 has a good idea. Macs are like crack to Mac users…

Practically speaking, most of the software will probably transfer fine (or there is an equivalent for Windows machines) and buying a good PC machine is much cheaper than buying an equivalent Mac.

Probably the only issues you would have is a temporary decrease in productivity due to unfamiliarity, and the morale issues you mentioned due to withdrawal.

Fonts are a concern of mine. First we had to deal with legacy QuarkXpress files migrating to InDesign. Now opening legacy Mac QuarkXpress files in a PC version of InDesign? Ouch. That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.

“The biggest risk is that your designers will walk out.”

Some time back we changed our post production department, including graphics department from MAC to “PC”.
Had no problems with staff. All current software was available, so no real learning curve. And, when it came to hiring. There were more PC” people then MAC to choose from.

Why not just let them keep their macs? No extra cost, get your precious server an leve the macs alone.

Would the CIO or manager be willing to run a Linux server. Then, sneak Darwin in ;-)

@se_ven what about the other things I mentioned? Malware? Hardware failure? Maintenance cost? Productivity? Macs are a superior product at a superior price. Especially in the design world. That’s it.

The only experience I have in servers is with Novell (ok ok dont throw stuff, that was 8 years ago!) So I’m afraid other than the reach for a Linux server. (certainly more stable than a Micro$oft Winder$ server.

” Especially in the design world.”
That is old school talk.

Linux Linux Linux

If we end up with a PC server, it will have to be Windows. Honestly, I’m not opposed to that. Politically, it allows my CIO to feel like he is more involved in the design department. The designers wouldn’t care all that much as long as they get to keep their Macs. I think the important thing for me is to hold on to those Macs.

@ChazMaz ?
why is that old school talk?

I work in the business. Have been for 25 years now. Currently run a TV station.

In the day, MAC and “the design world” went hand in hand. That pretty much changed about 12 years ago. When software that was exclusively for MAC became available to the “PC”. Then it became a natural transition to go to “PC” or to start out with “PC” since a majority of people were “PC” knowledgeable and now were not out of the loop. More staff were able to cross train since they had “PC” knowledge.
Since, in the day, MAC was the main platform that the design world used.
With no disrespect to you. I find when I hear that the MAC is the tool of the design world., I tend to hear that from loyal MAC people or from individuals that are passing on what they heard from loyal MAC users.

At the end of the day this is what I look at. Productivity, personnel resources, and cost of repair. I have no issues with MAC it is a great tool. But, I find in the long run the “PC” works best, for me.

One caveat. That is, to get Final Cut or an AVID? If you can go the extra dollars if you want excellence and productivity. It is AVID. But in the work force, the mom and pop industry that is everywhere. The budget is the bottom line. I hate to admit it but you have no choice but to go with Final Cut. I can get a Final Cut editor for 12 dollars an hour or less. An AVID editor will cost me at least $20.

Depends on you clientele. If Final Cut came out in a “PC’ version. I would predict MAC would be in big trouble. The reason why Steve Jobs will never release it in a “PC” version.

I wouldn’t want to get into the Mac vs PC debate… that is beaten to death. I can say that I have created some beautiful work on a Mac… I have also done so on a PC. Not just design work for clients, but fine art as well. At my home office, I have both platforms and switch between them for a variety of reasons. On my desk here at work, I have both machines as well.

But, I am looking in the face of a costly migration and trying to minimize its impact on my department, company and clients. That is where the rubber hits the road for me.

@metadog may I inquire as to what security solution will be protecting your newly vulnerable business?

Point. But we have that covered… My company has a pretty good size. Mostly PCs and handling confidential information every day.

@ChazMaz: considering that you have missed one of the big shibboleths—MAC is not an acronym, it’s spelled Mac—it’s a sign that you don’t have a lot of experience with Macs or with Mac people, or that would have been beaten out of you decades ago.

Or it is only an issue to MAC people.
I mean Mac.

Also “PC” is Personal Computer. A “MAC” oops I mean Mac is a PC too.
You use PC so specifically I guess it’s a sign that you don’t have a lot of experience knowing the difference between the two?

But then again I know what you are saying. And, that is the point.
I do have bigger fish to fry. Then to split hairs with you.

@metadog I honestly wanted to know what security software you are running.

All of the computers at my company rely heavily on the firewalls and security put in place by our network guys. The Macs are somewhat sequestered, though. They don’t have access to most of the company network, only a couple of shared drives.

X(

nevermind

I manage Mac labs in the design department of a large university. 3 Xserves and over 120 Mac clients. All by myself. If this were a PC environment there would need to be three of me. Once I set up the accounts at the beginning of the semester, I have almost no work to do keeping things running smoothly. Apple’s Server Admin tools make configuring and monitoring services so easy.

Many of our design students start their education owning PC laptops. Many of them end up switching to Mac by the time they graduate.

@patg7590 The security discrepancy is really an argument of the past. With proper IT/Network security there shouldn’t be any of those issues.

It really comes down to user preference, what works best in the budget, and what works best for the company.

@se_ven AGAIN
i was honestly was just wondering what PC security software his company uses. This is not a veiled argument.

I work with companies every day that are encountering challenges going in the other direction, i.e. moving from PC to Mac. I would start by asking what your CIO hopes to gain by moving everyone over. I’m a dirty skimmer on this thread and haven’t looked through all the conversation yet. I can only imagine that a transition to PC platforms would be for a cost savings. You can get a lot more PC for the dollar than you can with a Mac, bottom line. However, if you’r software is all licensed for the Mac it depends on the agreement you have in place with Adobe and Microsoft as to whether or not you have to buy all your suites and Office’s over again. What software would need to make the transition?

We would need to buy all of the Creative Suites again and copies of QuarkXpress. We would also have to buy more site licenses for MS Orifice. We would probably also have fo buy fonts again too.

As for security, I’m not privy to all of the security measures in place. This is by design on the part of out network security team. Suffice to say, things are pretty tight here.

How did you buy your MS Office? Was it boxed or through the Open Licensing program? Same with the Adobe… Did you get boxed, or did you go through the TLP licensing program? The reason I ask, if you got the licensing, Open or TLP, there’s a chance you might not have to buy it over.

@charhalCDW hey do you work at CDW? and if so….do you know Ray Subiano???

We already have hundreds of copies of Orifice, so I am sure that won’t be much of a logistical issue. As for Adobe, we bought those one at a time as we added staff. No special provisions made there.

No, don’t know Ray, he’s on the East coast it looks like. I sit in Chicago and serve San Fran and Silicon Valley.

Metadog, if you message me I should be able to put you in touch with a CDW rep that can help you out. It looks like this is a little more complicated than a 5 person segment, especially if you have a large MS agreement in place. There are ways around having to buy yoru software over again, but it requires a bit of information that may not be appropriate for a public space. Hope you can understand :)

Removed by Microsoft