The global market for personal computers in the education sector is expected to grow from US$20.2 billion in 2018 to US$48 billion by 2025, or a 13.31% compound annual growth rate for that period. Microsoft, Google and Apple are among the top-selling device providers for the education sector globally. In the US, Google Chromebooks lead the PC education market, followed by Windows 10 laptops. Google and Microsoft are poised to take advantage of the growth opportunities in the market. 

Chromebook Definition 

 A Chromebook refers to any laptop, desktop or tablet that runs on the Google-developed and Gentoo Linux-based Chrome OS, which in turn was derived from the open-source Chromium OS. Compared to other operating systems, Chrome OS is lightweight and fast, allowing you to edit photos, browse the web, check emails, listen to music, and watch and stream videos with ease. 

A common misconception about Chromebooks is that they require an always-on internet connection. This may have been true when the first Chromebooks came out, but this is not so true now—you can edit Google Docs and other documents and even watch movies offline.  

The Google Chrome web browser is the primary user interface for Chromebook applications. This is in line with Google’s objective for the Chromebook—a laptop that will run applications seamlessly from the cloud and without the need for installing applications on local drives. In essence, a Chromebook is a thin client with a browser-based OS geared to take advantage of the cloud. It is not surprising that 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage (good for two years) comes standard with a Chromebook. 

Google started work on the Chrome OS in June 2009. The first Chromebooks, from Acer and Samsung, came out in June 2011. Initially met with skepticism, these relatively cheap machines soon began gaining popularity. 

Google came out with its own Chromebook in 2013, the Chromebook Pixel, which had better specs than most Chromebooks from other manufacturers at that time. The Pixel was also priced higher than the usual Chromebook. The Google Pixelbook replaced the Pixel in 2017. 

Chromebooks have become sleeker and more feature-rich in recent years, helped along by continuous innovation from the Google team responsible for Chrome OS development. Seeing how Chromebooks have helped others in their industries, more organizations and people are adopting them. Leading the upsurge in demand is the education sector. In the US, Chromebooks comprised 60% of the computers bought by schools in 2018. 

Chrome OS comes with a media player and file manager plus support for Chrome Apps, which are like native applications. Remote access to the Chrome desktop is standard. 

In 2014, Google added support for Android applications to Chromebooks; two years later, Chromebooks could access Android applications on Google Play. If your Chromebook has a touchscreen (some do not), your user experience with Android applications on a Chromebook will not be that different from running them on an Android device.  

In 2018, the addition of a lightweight Linux kernel that runs containers inside a virtual machine allowed Linux applications to run on Chromebooks. 

Initially available only on laptops, Chrome OS variants now power desktops known as Chromeboxes, all-in-one computers dubbed Chromebases, and dongles known as Chromebits. Acer and Google also partnered to create a Chromebook tablet in 2018. 

Officially, Chrome OS is available only on Google-sanctioned hardware from leading manufacturers. Chromium OS can be compiled from source code and installed on standard hardware. It’s also possible to get CloudReady OS for a Chrome OS experience on PCs 

Chromebook Security 

Google is a newcomer in operating systems compared to Apple and Microsoft. Fortunately, when it comes to security, Google learned from the mistakes of its rivals. Knowing the risks of a constantly connected world, Google adopted the following features to harden the Chrome OS and thwart malicious actors. 

• Sandboxing: All application processes are confined to the Chrome OS tab running the application. Thus, even if malware finds its way into a Chromebook, it remains confined to the specific tab that ran the application containing the malware, without any chance of infecting the rest of the system. In contrast, unless administrators run mitigation measures such as installing anti-virus software and running regular scans, Windows and MacOS are vulnerable to malware finding their way into the system.  
• Verified boot: Chromebooks go through this self-diagnostic process to ensure that only code from Google gets to run when booting the system. Thus, even if for some reason malicious code gets inserted into your system, once it boots, this code gets trapped before bootup completion. This effectively neutralizes the threat. This feature is like Windows Secure Boot, which has been known to fail at times due the complexity of Windows.  
• Data encryption: With Chromebooks storing almost all their data on the cloud, it is virtually impossible to get to these data locally, particularly since the Chrome OS encrypts any data on the device. Since the Chrome OS is lightweight, the encryption process does not impact system performance. With Windows devices, data encryption is available only to Windows Pro users via Bitlocker. It can also lead to significant performance degradation, particularly if your device hardware is not up to the task. 
• Automatic updates: Google guarantees OS updates for Chromebooks for seven years after release. These updates are applied automatically and do not require restarts nor downtime. The upgrade process works this way: Chrome OS applies the updates to one of the two versions running on the hardware at the same time, then puts the updated version to work once the update process is over. The update process in other OSes may be more complicated because the different hardware and OS combinations can lead to issues, as is the case with recent Windows updates. 

• Powerwash: This feature allows Chromebook you to reset your systems to factory state with a click of a button. The process takes two minutes at most. Since most applications are on the cloud, you do not have to wait for your data to be copied back to the system. The Reset PC feature on Windows PCs mimics this feature. 

All of these features tighten Chromebook security. This is not to say that malware and other threats cannot ever infiltrate Chromebooks, since there are other vectors into the system such as Chrome extensions. Thus, users must remain vigilant and not take security for granted. 

Chromebook Cost 

Although some Chromebooks are expensive, most are cheaper than Windows laptops. This is because they have lower-priced parts and specifications. For example, Chromebooks do not require more powerful Intel or AMD CPUs—they can run on lesser-known CPUs with fewer capabilities without any significant performance impact. Since graphics-intensive applications are not allowed to be installed locally on Chromebooks, they also do not require expensive graphics cards. 

Moreover, Chromebooks do not require large storage drives since you can store your data on the cloud. Thus, it is common to find Chromebooks with as low as 16GB storage via embedded Multi-Media Controller (eMMC) data storage. The same is not true in Windows—even low-end Windows laptops require at least 128GB, considering that you may need to install some applications locally. 

The lower system requirements for Chromebooks mean that they are much cheaper, even if you compare them to Windows laptops with similar specifications. If you consider the considerably shorter time it takes to deploy Chromebooks in the enterprise, you also save deployment and IT administration costs. 

Chromebook Productivity 

Chromebooks have a wide range of web and Android applications that you can run on the Chrome browser and are available from the Chrome Web and Google Play Stores, respectively. These include productivity software such as Microsoft Office and various other software. Some of these applications also offer offline functionality. 

However, Windows still offers better variety and more functionality when it comes to software. For example, if you are a graphics designer, you can install Photoshop on Windows if you have capable hardware. This is not possible in Chrome. 

Although their numbers have improved recently, the range of applications available for use on Chromebooks is still not that extensive compared to Windows, although that may change soon. With software such as Parallels® Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, it is now possible to use Windows applications on your Chromebook. 

Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise Will Bring Windows Applications to Chromebooks 

Released in late 2020, Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise is set to become the world’s first desktop virtualization solution for full-featured Windows virtual machines (VMs) on Chromebooks, without an internet connection. 

With Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, IT administrators can manage the automated deployment of VMs that are fully capable Windows installations, just like any physical Windows PC. It also allows the reuse of Windows VMs previously created in Parallels® Desktop for Mac. 

From the Parallels® Desktop for Chrome OS Launcher, users can download a virtual machine directly to their Chromebooks, without any additional setup requirements. Downloads are secured via a Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) 256. 

Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise allows sharing of Chrome OS folders with Windows and vice versa, and the redirection of Windows user folders to the Windows files section on Chrome OS. It provides quick access to VM settings, including the almost-instant ability to suspend and resume working with Windows applications. There is a seamless transition between mouse input in Windows and Chrome OS, and you can switch easily to a full-screen Chrome OS, if needed.  

Time and time zones on the VM are synchronized from Chrome OS, and the network connection is shared between Chrome OS and Windows, with the latter effectively behind a virtual Network Address Translation (NAT). Host proxy configurations and Windows VPNs are supported, and printing from Windows applications to Chrome OS printers is allowed. 

If your organization is already using Chromebooks, Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise is the ideal solution for finally running full-featured Windows applications that you need to boost your productivity. If you are mulling between lower-cost Chromebooks and more expensive Windows laptops, it can help you decide in favor of the former, since it means that you can finally use Windows applications even in a Chromebook-only environment. 

Get started with Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise!  

References 

Laptop Mag | https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/chromebooks-vs-windows  

Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromebook 

The post What Is the Difference Between a Chromebook and a Laptop? appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Apple’s “one more thing” event on November 10, 2020, revealed the first Mac computers powered by the Apple M1 chip.   

Parallels is excited to see the performance, power efficiency, and virtualization features that are brought to the Mac with the Apple M1 chip. The transition to Mac with the M1 chip should be smooth for most Mac applications, thanks to Rosetta technology. Fortunately, Parallels^® Toolbox, and Parallels^® Client software worked smoothly as universal binaries even before Parallels rebuilt them. However, virtual machines are an exception and Parallels engineers proactively implemented native virtualization support for Mac computers with the M1 chip. This enables our users to enjoy the best Windows-on-Mac experience ever.

Learn more about the new version in this blog post.

When Apple Silicon Mac was first announced during the keynote at  WWDC on June 22, 2020, Apple  demoed a Parallels Desktop for Mac prototype running a Linux virtual machine flawlessly on Apple Silicon. Since WWDC, the new version of Parallels Desktop, which runs on Mac with the Apple M1 chip, has made tremendous progress. We switched Parallels Desktop to universal binary and optimized its virtualization code; Apple M1 Mac computers and macOS Big Sur became available, and Microsoft announced and then introduced support for x86_64 applications in Windows on ARM Insider Preview. 

As our customers know, Parallels cares deeply about the quality of our software products and the experience they provide. With macOS Big Sur and the new Mac with Apple M1 chip available, we continue to conduct more extensive evaluations, both in our lab and with your help via the Parallels Technical Preview Program. More than 100,000 M1 Mac users tested the Technical Preview of Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Mac and ran Microsoft’s Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview, as well as tens of thousands of different Intel-based Windows applications—including Microsoft Office for Windows, Microsoft Visual Studio, SQL Server, Microsoft PowerBI, and MetaTrader.  

We received enthusiastic feedback about the remarkable performance of both the Technical Preview of Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Mac and Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview as well as x86 applications and the games inside it, including Rocket League, Among Us, Roblox, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Sam & Max Save the World, and many others. Testers loved Parallels Desktop’s easy to use features, and seamless integration of Windows and its applications with macOS Big Sur, which increased their productivity.  

On April 14^th 2021, the new update for Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac was released and now features support for both Mac computers with Intel processor as well as Mac computers with Apple M1 chip. 

The post Parallels Desktop for Mac with Apple M1 chip appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Chromebook Enterprise Enrollment is the process of enrolling your Chromebook as part of a particular organization. It benefits organizations by enabling administrators to manage Chrome device updates and policies, allow or deny website access, view and configure applications and extensions, and manage Chrome devices with Active Directory from a centralized location. 

What Is Enterprise Enrollment? 

Centralized management is a desirable feature for every administrator. Enterprise Enrollment on Chrome OS is one method for achieving centralization. Enterprise Enrollment marks devices and enrolls them as part of a particular organization, thus enabling better management. 

Enrollment requirements 

Requirements for enrolling a Chrome device are: 

• Only devices without an owner can be enrolled. 

• Only enterprise users can enroll the devices. 

Enrollment Scenarios 

There are four different types of enrollment scenarios. Choosing which one to use depends on what initiates the enrollment, if the user can avoid enrollment, and how authentication and authorization is to occur. The different types of enrollment scenarios are: 

• Manual enrollment 

As the name suggests, enrollment is done manually on the login screen via the Ctrl+Alt+E shortcut. Users must authenticate using a username and password or can cancel the enrollment attempt and return to the login screen. 

• Re-enrollment 

If a device is already enrolled, it needs to be enrolled again by navigating to Device Management > Chrome > Device Settings > Enrollment & Access from https://admin.google.com/. The authentication process is the same as in the manual enrollment case. 

• OEM-triggered enrollment 

OEM-triggered enrollment occurs based on the special OEM manifest that device manufacturers provide. It indicates if the device should be enrolled or if enrollment is forced. The authentication process is the same as in the manual enrollment case.  

• Offline demo-mode enrollment 

Intended for demo Chrome OS features, this enrollment does not require a network connection and enrolls devices to a fixed domain by using local resource policy. It is triggered during the initial setup using the Ctrl + Alt + D shortcut. This method does not require authentication. 

How do you Enterprise Enroll Your Chromebook? 

Enterprise Enrolling your Chromebook is a simple process. Chrome OS is a cloud-native operating system that simply requires an internet connection to an enterprise. To Enterprise Enroll it, follow these steps: 

1. Connect to an enterprise wireless network. Chrome OS checks and applies the latest security patches and operating system updates set by the enterprise administrator. 

2. Sign in to your Chromebook once the enterprise updates are completed. 

3. Navigate to the Enterprise Enrollment screen in one of the following ways: 

• Click More options on the sign-in screen, and select Enterprise Enrollment. 

or 

• Press Ctrl+ E to open the Enterprise Enrollment screen. 

4. Log in with your administrator account or a user account that has enrollment permissions. 

In a matter of seconds, your device is Enterprise Enrolled, unlocking Chrome enterprise policies and management capabilities. Now your Chromebook is a managed device, and the user is ready to sign in. To double-check if the Chrome device is Enterprise Enrolled, navigate to the Google Admin Console >> Devices >> Chrome devices tile and you should see your device count increase. 

What Are the Benefits of Chromebook Enterprise Enrollment? 

There are many benefits of Chromebook Enterprise Enrollment, but the ones that stand out are the ability to: 

• Manage Chrome device policies with ease. 

As a Chromebook Enterprise administrator, you can set device-level policies, user-level policies, and application and extension policies for Chromebooks and other devices that are enrolled in your organization. 

• View and configure applications and extensions. 

You can also view applications, add the desired applications, block applications and set policies for an application from the Google Admin console. Additionally, you can also install, block or set policies for extensions on enrolled devices with ease. 

• Update Chrome devices more easily. 

Once your enterprise enrolls your devices, you can update the operating system of the devices in your organization. Chrome releases full OS updates every 6 weeks, and minor updates occur every 2-3 weeks. You can automatically update all the enrolled devices with ease. 

• Manage Chrome devices with Active Directory. 

You can also integrate your enrolled Chromebooks with the Microsoft Active Directory server. You can use Windows Group Policy to manage integrated devices and push Active Directory policies to users and devices. 

• Restrict, allow or deny access to websites. 

With enterprise enrollment, you can also allow or deny access to websites with ease, thus restricting and allowing users’ internet access. This helps increase productivity and protects your organization from viruses and malicious content. 

Learn more about the partnership between Parallels® and Chrome Enterprise! 

References: 

1. Enterprise Enrollment on Chrome OS: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/master/docs/enterprise/enrollment.md

2. Manage Policies for Chrome Devices: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/topic/6274424?hl=en&ref_topic=4386913

3. Enroll Chromebooks on Enterprise Domain: https://cbookreviewguide.com/chromebook-blog/enroll-chromebooks-on-enterprise-domain/

The post Manage Your Chromebooks with Chromebook Enterprise Enrollment appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Chromebooks have become increasingly popular with remote-first companies because they are portable, low-priced and have a super-fast sandboxed OS. However, unlike the Windows OS, you cannot install third-party software or legacy applications—all the applications you use must come from the Google Play Store or Chrome Web Store. 

For some third-party applications, though, you can use online versions that are not as productive as their desktop counterparts. However, when it comes to the legacy line of Windows applications, you can’t use them—even with internet connectivity. For the first time, Parallels^® is enabling Windows 10 on Chrome, via its Parallels^® Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise. 

What Is Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise? 

Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise is yet another world’s first in desktop virtualization technology by Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions. It allows a full version of Windows 10 to boot in a virtual machine (VM) on a Chromebook. Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise has been created in a collaboration between Google and Parallels. This partnership will help organizations run Windows 10 applications on new high-power Chromebooks coming to market. 

With Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise you can run any Windows 10 application—including legacy software—alongside Chrome OS and Android applications. You can launch any Microsoft Office suite application, for example, while browsing on your favorite Chrome browser. 

Likewise, you can drag and drop folders and files from Windows File Explorer to Chrome Local Explorer and vice versa. You can also swap between a Chrome OS and Windows 10 without rebooting your Chromebook and choose which applications you want to launch. Feature highlights for Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise include: 

• Seamless access to Windows users folders: Typically, Windows 10 user profiles and settings get stored in a local profile. Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise redirects your local profile to the Windows files section on the Chrome OS. By redirecting your local profile, Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise eliminates duplicate files within the Chromebook. It also allows you to access Windows 10 files even when the OS is offline. 
• Share any Chrome OS folder with Windows: You can select any folder (e.g. Downloads or Google Drive folder) in Chrome OS Files application and share it with Windows. Now you can open files in this folder with Windows application or save your Windows document in this folder.  
• Quick access to settings:  The device bar has a robust menu that you can use to perform many useful tasks without digging around for specific applications. For example, you can use the device bar to access printers, keyboard shortcuts, and shared folders, among other things. 
• Ability to suspend and resume Windows 10 in seconds: Suspending Windows 10 is, in many ways, similar to closing the laptop’s lid, which moves it to sleeping mode. You can use the suspend/resume feature in Parallels Desktop for Chrome Enterprise to quickly start and stop Windows 10 instead of the time-consuming Windows shut down and boot features. And all your opened apps and documents will be waiting for you, without using CPU or memory. 
• Seamless switch between Chrome OS and Windows via mouse movements: To capture and direct the input to a VM, Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise grabs the mouse and keyboard so that all the mouse moves and keystrokes get to the VM. The process of switching from the host to the guest OS is simple. Any time you slide the mouse in a Windows 10 application, it captures the input in that application so long as the mouse is moving over its window. When the pointer moves outside the window, it automatically releases the input to Chrome OS.  
• Share network settings between Chrome OS and Windows: By default, Windows 10 shares network settings with Chrome OS. As such, Windows 10 applications can access other machines on the local network and internet via the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your Chromebook with ease. Shared networking is advantageous because it supports host proxy configurations and Windows Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that offer enhanced security. 
• Reuse VMs created in Parallels Desktop for Mac: Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise allows IT administrators to move Windows 10 VMs to new Chromebooks seamlessly. When you purchase a new Chromebook, you don’t have to install the VM if you had previously created it on a Mac with Parallels Desktop for Mac—simply transfer the existing Windows 10 VM to your new Chromebook and get up and running. 
• Simplified provisioning and administration of Windows applications and desktops: Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise provides centralized deployment and management capabilities as it is integrated into Google Admin console. This allows IT administrators to streamline the delivery of Windows applications and desktops on Chromebooks. When users launch Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise from the OS Launcher, their VMs specified by IT admins get downloaded automatically, and they are ready to go. 
• Ability to share the host’s printer with Windows: With Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, you can print from Windows 10 to any printer available on the Chrome OS without installing the drivers on the VM. By default, Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise configures a virtual serial port to communicate with Chrome OS printers. 

What Are the Benefits of Using Windows 10 on Chromebook? 

A Chromebook is a solid enterprise computer. And as remote working and schooling become the new norm, its growth prospects are even higher. But the truth is that running Windows 10 on Chromebook is still a compelling argument for businesses due to the following reasons: 

Some applications don’t run in Chrome OS. 

Users need to have fully functional devices in a digital workspace. As such, you must equip your laptops with enough applications, including ones for productivity, video editing, video playback and photo editing. For Windows PCs, this is possible. However, for Chrome OS, it’s still a work in progress. 

Also, Chromebooks lack the wide range of enterprise-grade applications that you find in Windows. There are plenty of researchers, engineers and other specialists who find themselves locked to Windows because of certain industry-standard applications that you can’t get with Chrome applications.  

It gives the ability to work offline. 

Chrome OS and its applications rely heavily on a solid internet connection. While some applications do have offline capabilities, your Chromebook must be sanctioned by Google to work with Android applications. Also, offline applications often miss certain features, potentially leading to poor user experience. With Windows, you can do more, even while in offline mode. Running Windows 10 on Chromebooks would be a better alternative for employees with intermittent internet connectivity.  

It enhances productivity. 

For most businesses, Windows 10 is still the go-to OS when it comes to getting work done. Chromebooks, on the other hand, are portable, low-cost, and secure. When you integrate Windows 10 with Chrome OS, you get the best of both worlds, in terms of:   

• Time savings while transferring files. With a shared clipboard, you can directly copy and paste files from Chrome OS to Windows 10 and vice versa without performing any configurations.  
• Storage space savings. Chrome OS apps can directly access Windows user folders via a shared user profile redirected to the Chrome OS’s Windows file section. This doesn’t generate any duplicates. You can also access these files even when Windows is offline.   
• Flexibility when accessing Chrome OS folders from Windows. While in Windows, you can easily access the shared Chrome OS folders, including One Drive and Google Drive, and save Windows files in them.  
• Dynamic screen resolution. While in Windows, altering screen resolution is simple: just click and drag the window’s edge on Windows 10, and you’re set.   
• Ability to utilize full screen in Windows 10. Using an entire screen in Windows 10 is straightforward: you simply click on the maximize button in the window’s top-right corner. You can place the Windows 10 on a separate workspace and resume operations in Chrome OS via a single swipe. 
• Ability to open windows web links from any location. Deciding where you want Windows web links opened is up to you. You can open them in Chrome OS or use your favorite browser, such as Edge or Mozilla Firefox, to launch them. 
• Associating Windows apps to open on Chrome OS. Via Chrome OS’s “Open With” context menu, you can easily assign certain Windows apps to be the default programs for launching some file types.  
• Hassle-free printing. By sharing Chrome OS’s printers with Windows 10 and vice versa, you can flexibly use them without installing appropriate printer drivers. 

Read more about the partnership between Parallels and Chrome Enterprise! 

References 

The Verge|https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21348963/google-chrome-os-windows-apps-chromebooks-features-interview 

Parallels| https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/chrome/ 

The post Windows 10 On Chromebook With Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise appeared first on Parallels Blog.

It’s finally here! We’re so excited to introduce a new version of Parallels® Desktop: Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac.  

With Parallels Desktop, you can run Windows, Linux and other popular operating systems on your Mac without rebooting. For 14 years, we’ve been the #1 solution for over 7 million users worldwide. 

Learn more about the hottest new features in Parallels Desktop 16—and stay tuned for more blog posts coming this week detailing everything you need to know about Parallels Desktop 16. 

What are the top new features in Parallels Desktop 16? 

Incredibly fast  

This version of Parallels Desktop is THE fastest version ever released. It starts up twice as fast as previous versions. Plus, Windows resumes and quits up to 20% faster.  

Improved graphics 

Parallels Desktop 16 users can now run even more graphic-heavy, resource-hungry Windows apps with ease. Version 16 delivers up to 20% faster DirectX 11 and improved OpenGL graphics support for both Windows and Linux so you can run more Windows applications and games, including DIALux evo 9, ProPresenter 6, Samson Connect and more. Plus, the new version includes the world’s first support for applications with 3D capabilities running in a macOS Big Sur VM. 

Parallels Desktop users collectively run more than 200,000 Windows applications and with Parallels Desktop 16 can run even more applications.  

Ready for macOS Big Sur and other OSes 

Parallels invested more than 25-person-years of engineer programming to take full advantage of the new architecture in macOS Big Sur. We also revamped kernel extensions to deliver our best Windows-on-Mac performance ever. That’s why we’re proud to say that version 16 is optimized for macOS Big Sur 11.0 (when released) with a refreshed design, easier setup, and much more. Plus, our developers continue to update Parallels Desktop for future releases of Windows, macOS and Linux. 

Better productivity 

• Wouldn’t it be nice to get extra screen time while traveling? Windows in Travel Mode now uses less energy and extends battery life by up to 15%. 
• 10% of Parallels Desktop users are short on available disk space. We’ve included a feature that will help you better manage disk space, with the option to reclaim available disk space to Mac automatically. 

• Set “Do Not Disturb” on your Mac and Parallels Desktop will make sure that Windows 10 doesn’t disturb you either. This is especially useful when you’re in an important presentation. 

• Do you usually work with a Trackpad instead of a mouse? Now you can zoom and rotate objects smoothly in Windows applications with Trackpad gesture support.  

Enhanced integration 

Every year we develop new features to perfectly integrate Mac and Windows with each other. In Parallels Desktop 16, we’ve added some powerful new features that make it even smoother to run Windows apps as if they were native on the Mac. 

• Do you want to use duplex printing from Windows applications, with paper sizes ranging from A0 to envelope? Good news—you now can with new print options. 

• Now you can confidently work on Mac files in Windows by engaging the “safe removal check” to ensure files in shared folders aren’t accidentally deleted.  

Linux and Mac VMs 

Everyone who is passionate about using Linux virtual machines (VMs) has reason to cheer. With version 16, you can be more productive when working with Git repositories in Linux Shared Folders with up to 75% faster “git status” execution. In just one click, you can use and download the latest Linux distributions including Ubuntu 20.04, CentOS 8, Fedora 32 and Debian 10. Plus, Linux OpenGL improvements now let you run Steam.  

Do you want to achieve picture-perfect quality and performance using macOS Big Sur in a VM? You can now, thanks to the first-in-the-world Metal graphics acceleration in a VM with macOS Big Sur. 

Parallels Desktop and Apple Silicon 

We’re all very excited about this demo shown at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which depicts a prototype of a forthcoming version of Parallels Desktop running on Mac with Apple Silicon. Parallels and Apple work closely to bring virtualization capabilities to Mac with Apple Silicon. Learn more.

New features in Pro Edition and Business Edition 

For our professional and business customers, we recommend Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition and Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition. Of course, all new features of Parallels Desktop 16 are included in these editions. Pro Edition and Business Edition now offer improved virtual machine deployment, including export capabilities to reduce the network load when deploying to many Mac devices on a corporate network. For developers, Parallels Desktop 16 enables users to name their custom networks for more organized testing.  

Check out all new features that are exclusive to Pro Edition and Business Edition.  

Special gift for Parallels Desktop users 

In all subscriptions of Parallels Desktop 16, users get more than 30+ single-click utilities from Parallels Toolbox for Windows and Mac, plus Parallels Access to remotely access your PC or Mac from your iOS or Android device or any web browser.  

Check out all the recently released features in Parallels Toolbox and Parallels Access. 

There are lots more new features to discover! Check it out yourself and let us know which feature you like most in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter.  

How to get your copy of Parallels Desktop 16  

 If you… 

…are an existing customer, upgrade now. 
…are a new customer, purchase your copy here—or test it for 14 days for free. 
…have just recently purchased Parallels Desktop 15, check out our Tech Guarantee to see if you get a free upgrade. 

The post Just Released! Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Creating a Parallels user account, managing it and logging into applications has never been easier for Apple users. They can now use their Apple ID to create a new Parallels account in a simple, fast and safe way. Using “Sign in with Apple,” you can log into your Parallels account from any device. You don’t even need to memorize a separate password for this procedure. Your Apple password is enough.

Register with your Apple ID and save yourself from a separate password

Since 2019, Apple has allowed users to register with sites and apps using their existing Apple ID. This comes with two benefits:

• There is no additional password to remember
• The sign-in procedure is especially safe

What you need is an Apple ID, your Apple password and a two-factor authentication resource, such as a smartphone.

A further benefit for users is that “Sign-in with Apple” helps obscure their email addresses. They are automatically assigned “proxy” addresses, or Relay Addresses as Apple calls them. Announcements and messages coming from Parallels are forwarded to your real inbox automatically. Parallels is only provided with this alias address on your sign-in, so you’ll continue to receive important messages but your real email address remains concealed to us. Basically, this sign-in method is tantamount to an authentication by Apple.

Once you have created your account via your Apple ID, you can sign in to your browser or your Parallels applications using this Apple ID. Just select “Sign in with Apple.” If you have purchased a Parallels license any time earlier, you can easily import it into your (new) user account. You can enter your license key(s) or your previous Parallels address by selecting the “Restore Purchases” option, which will transfer your previous licenses into your new account.

This safe and consistent sign-in experience is another example of the enhanced usability of Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac running on macOS Catalina, which also helps users handle Parallels software with simplified security and privacy dialogs and optimized iCloud support.

Why not try and sign in to Parallels with Apple now and download a Parallels Desktop 15 trial version?

Learn more:

• Apple Support | How to use Sign in with Apple
• Parallels Support | Restore Parallels Purchases
• Apple Developer | Technical basics for Sign in with Apple
• Parallels Desktop | Download Trial Version

The post How to Create a Parallels Account Using Your Apple ID appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Since the advent of macOS Catalina, Apple users can use their iPad as a second computer screen for their Mac with the feature sidecar. This opens up completely new application areas and makes mobile computing flexible like never before. Anyone on the road with a MacBook and an iPad can use two screens to work productively. 

Combined with Parallels Desktop 15, an iPad becomes a second screen not only for a Mac itself but for all Windows programs running on it. What users need to have to make this happen is a fairly recent Mac along with an equally recent iPad running iOS 13.

An iPad acting as a second screen

With the new feature included in macOS Catalina “Sidecar”, the iPad display can either mirror or extend the Mac desktop. Mirroring helps when a user wants to demonstrate or present something. In all other cases, extending the display is the more suitable option. 

Another benefit of Sidecar is that it allows the MacBook Pro Touch Bar to be displayed on the iPad. This helps when operating the MacBook while it is closed (using its mouse and keyboard) if you still want to access the Touch Bar. 

An iPad is quite a small display screen, of course, even when compared to a MacBook’s own display. Sidecar may be best suited to display a single application’s program window in full-screen mode on the iPad. You can simply move your Windows virtual machine (VM) to the iPad and continue to work with your Mac as usual. To do this, hover over the green dot in the screen’s upper-left corner and select “Move to iPad.” 

Sidecar offers a further advantage of enabling Apple Pencil to act as a data entry device for Mac devices. And that’s not all—thanks to Parallels Desktop, Windows programs can also make use of the Apple Pencil for accurate line-drawing and handwritten annotation. This allows an iPad to be used not only as a display but also as a drawing tablet for Windows programs such as CorelDRAW or Microsoft Sketchpad. Notes can be added directly to screenshots, making commenting more direct than ever.  

Learn more about all the features in Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition and test them for 14 days for free!

The next issue of this series about using macOS Catalina in a corporate environment will focus on enhanced graphics performance for macOS and Windows.

Learn more:

• Apple Support | Using iPad with Sidecar
• Apple Support | Sidecar system requirements
• Parallels and Sidecar | Parallels Desktop 15 for macOS Catalina
• Parallels Desktop Business Edition | Free Trial

The post How to Use Parallels Desktop with Sidecar: Windows on iPad appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Parallels Desktop ^TM for Mac Business Edition enables end users to connect or mount physical disks to a virtual machine (VM) and treat them as internal disks.

Why connect external physical disks to VMs?

The advantages of being able to connect external physical disks to VMs include:

• Increasing the storage of your VM
• Installing Windows or another operating system (OS) to the disk
• Boot to an OS installed on that disk
• Use non-native Boot Camp installations on the connected disk

Without a solution like Parallels Desktop Business Edition, a Mac user will not be able to connect an external hard disk to a VM, if storage devices (in general) are not allowed.

Sometimes you cannot use specific USB devices in your VM. There might be cases when plugging in a USB device causes problems—for example, when the connected USB:

• Does not appear in the list of USB devices
• Disconnects automatically from the VM
• Behaves erratically in a VM
• Is not detected by the computer

Using Parallels Desktop Business Edition, you can easily connect hard disks to VMs.

How do you connect hard disks to VMs in Parallels Desktop Business Edition?

To connect a hard disk to a new VM:

1.Connect the external disk to the Mac via USB.
Note: Make sure to select Customize settings before installation when creating a new virtual machine.

2. In the virtual machine configuration window, select Hardware, select the Add button and then select Hard Disk.

3. Select Physical Disk under the Type menu and select the hard disk that you want to connect to the VM from the Location menu. Select OK.

After you connect the hard disk to the VM, the physical disk appears in the VM configuration.

To use the existing data of the disk, leave it as is. When the VM boots, this disk appears next to other VM disks.

To boot the VM from this disk, select Boot Order. Use the Up arrow and move this newly added disk to the top of the Boot Order list.

To connect hard disk to an existing VM:

1.Connect the external disk to the Mac via USB.

2. Shut down your virtual machine by selecting the Parallels icon in the macOS menu and choose Actions > Shut Down.

Note: If the VM is suspended or paused, resume it before shutting it down.

3. Select the Parallels icon in the macOS menu and choose Configure. The virtual machine configuration opens. Select Hardware, select the Add button and then select Hard Disk.

4. Select Physical Disk under Type menu and select the hard disk that you want to connect to the VM from the Location menu. Select OK.

Move up to Parallels Desktop Business Edition today

Parallels Desktop Business Edition offers features such as license management, mass deployment of Parallels Desktop and VMs, corporate compliance capabilities and business-level support.

Download the free trial and find out how it can benefit your organization.

For additional information on connecting external disks to a VM, see the following references:

• Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition Administrator’s Guide  

• Parallels Desktop User’s Guide  

• How to Add a Hard Disk to an ESXi Virtual Machine  

• Increase Storage by Adding New Virtual Drives  

• Connecting External Hard Drive to VM Software 

The post How to Connect External Physical Disks to a Virtual Machine in Parallels Desktop Business Edition appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Virtualization plays a major role in computing in general and is gaining relevance in desktop computing. When in use as test environments or virtualized desktop systems, virtual machines (VMs) may seem to have quite low security requirements at first sight. Acting as so-called sandboxes, VMs are easy to set up and delete again and only present a limited hazard for their host systems.  

But although an infected virtual machine can be replaced relatively quickly, it’s still worthwhile to take suitable action to protect it against attacks. Even a wholly safeguarded host system will not extend its protection to a virtualized guest system—and an infected virtual guest system with access to the computer’s functions and files can do real damage. When users work with two systems in parallel on one device, IT departments are well-advised to safeguard both of them with the help of suitable software. 

Isolate virtual machines from their host systems for enhanced safety 

If VMs are to be used productively in a business environment—for example, for the purpose of using Windows software on corporate Mac devices—then those VMs should be secured in the same way as native systems. Even if a VM can easily be restarted after an infection, there can still be negative effects. Suitable safety measures include malware protection on the virtual guest system and isolating it from its host system as needed.  

Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition offers the option to turn off part of its convenience functionality, resulting in enhanced sandbox safety. The “Isolate Windows from Mac” option, found under the “Safety” options, makes it so the guest system will not have direct access to any of the device’s hardware features. File synchronization is also deactivated. This prevents malware from “crossing over” to the host system and doing damage beyond the boundaries of the virtual machine. This can be the best way to go for VMs used for development and testing.  

If the VM is used for day-to-day operations, including access to the company’s vital systems, then isolating it will not be sufficient as the only safety measure. Furthermore, it will impact daily operations, as isolating systems from each other affects the user experience and lowers convenience. 

Learn more about all the features in Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition and test them for 14 days for free!

Learn more:  

Mailfence | Virtual machine: why use it? 

Ask Leo |Difference between Sandbox / VM 

Parallels Desktop for Mac | Business Edition  

The post Isolation Helps Secure Virtual Machines appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Whenever IT specialists look for solutions and tools to improve their productivity, the first thing they’re interested in is the right functionality. Once a tool has been shown to offer the required features, more details are needed. What does the dashboard look like? How does deploying the application work? How usable is it on a day-to-day basis? Insights like these are fundamental for dispelling doubts, revealing details of handling the application and informing IT administrators and decision-makers. 

Parallels offers two different ways for IT experts to learn about its Mac® management solution, Parallels® Mac Management for Microsoft® SCCM.  

1. A 30-Minute Introduction Demo provides a general overview of how SCCM enables IT administrators to treat and manage Mac systems like Windows clients. It’s the most important basics and benefits in a nutshell. This is followed by a question-and-answer session for all those interested. If the offered dates don’t fit into your schedule, you can view this short overview any time as a recorded webinar. Book an appointment now. 
2. If you’re interested in more in-depth information and a closer look at SCCM and Parallels Mac Management, the Deep Dives may be the right place to go for you. These are detailed webinars allowing for expert insights that show how Parallels Mac Management resolves Mac-specific challenges. Deep Dives are held once every two weeks, alternating between Wednesdays and Thursdays. Topics include varying software application models, working with macOS® images and managing patches and Mac encryption using FileVault®. Book an appointment now.   

Learn more about how to manage Mac devices like PCs with Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM in our weekly webinars. Register now for free!

The post Diving into the Details of Parallels Mac Management appeared first on Parallels Blog.