Business Interview: CPA Firm Goes All Mac.

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How much money do you estimate you save by using Macs vs. Windows PCs?
My wife’s prior parntnership of similar size experienced significant downtime (days, often) and the corresponding significant outlay. Accounting is a profession that relies 100% on the computers/printers/software/networks. No network, no work.

It’s very difficult to quantify, but we’d estimate that we’ve saved 10s of thousands of dollars over the 2 years using Macs. We have not had a single crash or significant downtime and our employees can always print and access files over our network. It just works. Can’t really put a price on it.

Additionally, our backup is so slick that it shocks people. We use FireLite Firewire external hard drives for our backup. It takes seconds. You zip it in its pouch, and store it securely off-site. I’m pretty sure we’ve saved years when you compare the speed and efficiency with old tape drive backups, of which PC using firms seemed to adore.

Do you rotate offside backups? Do you backup only data files or entire server volumes? What application do you use for file backups? Is the backup up process automated or manual?
Yes. We’re strong believers in backups and have multiple external hard drives in different locations that hold our data. We only backup data thus far. Virtual PC is a special animal in that the entire drive image can be backed up, thus saving the entire windows environment in one step.

Our backups are easily handled manually at the end of each day. Using SharePoints, only one folder is designated for the entire office. No data is saved anywhere else. It’s a simple matter of drag-n-drop and everything gets saved.

What are client reactions to a whole company that runs on Macs?
Most of our clients love the look of it and when we show them how various admin tasks are handles so easily, they really appreciate why we went Mac over PC. The aesthetics are impressive enough that nearly everyone has asked what kind of computers we have.

It’s very slick to be consulting with a client and then swivel the beautiful screen over so they can see exactly what you’re discussing. We’ve had just a few visitors or networking pros (our DSL installer) remark that they don’t work with or support Mac and the usual comments that follow, but that’s becoming less and less as more people are exposed to Apple and OSX. Most are amazed that it’s so cross platform friendly.

It’s hard to imagine, but even today, there’s quite a few people out there that don’t know you can run Microsoft Office, and other popular software, native on the Mac!

Mis-information about the Mac platform appears to be common among Windows PC users. What problems has that caused your company?
The only area is when we have an outside person come install something, such as a DSL line. The standard response seems to be, “Oh, uh, we don’t do Macs…” but that has proved irrelevant as Rendezvous will auto-configure once the hardware is installed. We’ve also heard our clients express surprise that Macs aren’t just for graphics.

What do you do to maintain “compatibility” with Windows PCs (customers, files, etc.)?
We’re fortunate that the Apps we use are cross compatible. In addition, being able to save files as .pdf has saved our bacon more than once. There really isn’t much incompatibility these days, at least with the work we perform.

Do you employ any version of “sneaker net?”
We use the internet whenever possible, of course. But as you see in the photos, each Mac has its own Zip drive, Floppy disk drive, and Flash drive (can you say iPod shuffle?). Additionally, all our Macs are superdrive models, so they can burn any type of CD or DVD as well. We’ve never had a problem associated with getting files back and forth.

What do employees say about using Macs vs. Windows PCs?
At first, there’s a disorientation as they relearn how to perform basic OS tasks. But once they get used to the paradigm that is Apple, they usually accept it wholeheartedly. Once they see Expose in action, I doubt they could ever go back to PC!

What additional Mac-only attributes have your employees noted vs. Windows PCs?
They all love the rich Aqua interface - the dock and how it magnifies. They love being able to sync their calendars and address books at home. And, of course, we have iPods that allow us to keep our schedules updated when we are out of the office. Drag-and-drop is supported on a whole other level on Macs. It just works, every time.

Plus we often send attachments to our clients as .pdf files, no additional software required! And on a non-work related note: my wife has made movies, books and slideshows and now all the employees want to do the same. The integration between Apps is amazing.

Assuming you use Microsoft Office, how does it compare to the Windows version?
We’re not really familiar with the Windows version of Microsoft Office. Files back and forth between us and clients seem to work flawlessly. We only make use of 3 Microsoft Apps in the package: Word, Excel, and Virtual PC.

Have you tried Apple’s iWork “Pages?” If Apple had an Office compatible suite, would you install that in your operation? How critical is the Microsoft Office suite for Mac?
I just purchased the new iWork. It seems really slick and when Apple adds a spreadsheet component to it, we certainly will consider it over Word and Excel. We’ll probably always have a version of Microsoft Office installed just in case there’s a compatibility issue with a clients file.

What have been the drawbacks to using Macs in the office?
Having to endure Virtual PC, which can be quite slow. And before Microsoft took it over, it had the strangest bugs and workarounds I’ve ever seen. We’re so relieve that they seem to be getting it buttoned down and stable.

If we didn’t have to run VPC, it’d save a lot of time and RAM! Hint: Get at least 2 GB RAM if you intend to use VPC (and don’t forget to max out its RAM allocation in preferences).

How would you summarize your use of Macs in a professional, financial operation?
Our office is one of the highlights of my life. We’ve had so much fun learning how to make everything work. Using Macs and OSX has made our work life easier and more enjoyable. It’s a synergy of simplicity, stability, security and style that is hard to beat.

We are excited and proud of our office and the work we output.

What recommendation would you make to an IT department or small company that has ONLY Windows PCs in their environment?
I’m not familiar enough with the inner workings of PC networks, but I’ve read that Macs mesh right in to PC networks just fine. I would certainly point out the nonexistence (thus far) of viruses, spyware, malware, etc. But then again, their job security is enhanced greatly by the existence of such things.

That big “N” was designed by my dad and I on our Mac (surprise!). If you think you’ve seen it before, it’s because our “N” is similar to the one on the dollar bill (where it spells O-N-E).

Tera’s Note: The first Comment link below has additional information about how you can contact Art and Kelly at Nelson Accounting Partners.

How about you? Does your business have Macs or is the computer environment mixed with Macs, Windows PCs and other servers? How about an interview? Drop us a note via the Feedback link below, or share your experience with Macs in the workplace via the Comments link below.