Many businesses are switching from the Microsoft Windows OS ecosystem to the Apple OS X ecosystem for a wide variety of reasons. For starters, many people just find Macintosh a lot easier to use than Windows-based systems - which itself goes a long way towards creating a more productive, more satisfactory working environment. A huge number of people also have iPads and iPhones, which all integrate well with the Apple ecosystem.

Before making the switch from Windows to Mac, however, there are still a few key things to keep in mind. Even though Macs are decidedly easier to use, many employees probably will not have had first-hand experience with these machines and the OS X operating system. This will require your support IT staff is empowered with the knowledge to get things up and running across the enterprise as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

There are a few key ways in particular that consultants can support IT staff when switching from Windows to Mac:

The Help Desk

One of the major ways that consultants can support IT staff when switching from Windows to Mac involves up-front training of Tier 1 Help Desk employees in the transition. Doing so ensures that those who are already in a position to help with technical issues - the Help Desk staff - are intimately trained in the environment that other employees will be working in on a daily basis.

If an employee is having a difficult time getting a project file that was created on Windows to open on a Mac, for example, they know that they can initiate a Help Desk ticket at any time. The Help Desk, thanks to the training, will have access to the tools to investigate and diagnose that problem and create either a workaround or a bona fide solution to the issue.

Even if employees are still having issues managing the transition, they know that they can go through their typical troubleshooting and supporting channels to get answers to their important questions by way of the Help Desk.

Tier 2 Support

Another way consultants can support IT staff when switching from Windows to Mac involves taking on the role of Tier 2 Support themselves. When a serious issue with the transition occurs, the consultant can begin a detailed investigation to determine what went wrong and why. In addition to the creation of a resolution for the issue, the business' Knowledge Base can also be updated with the most accurate information to help prevent these types of issues moving forward. Every time this happens, the business takes one more step in the right direction toward the smoothest transition possible.

The Trusted Advisor

Finally, consultants can support IT staff when switching from Windows to Mac by taking on the position of a trusted advisor within an organization. By definition, consultants work with many different clients using a variety of technologies. They therefore have a unique advantage of not only knowing how different companies are using technology, but they’re often times already experienced with potential pitfalls and how to resolve them.

Thanks to their intimate knowledge and level of experience, consultants are also in an ideal position to be open to new ideas, technologies and methodologies that will help the business in the future.

By training Tier 1 support staff in the transition from Windows to Mac first, serving as supplementary Tier 2 support staff and in turn acting as a trusted advisor to the organization as a whole, consultants can guarantee that they're doing everything they can to support IT staff when switching from Windows to Mac OS X.

Want more tips on preparing your IT staff for your new Mac integration? Click here.