Making the upgrade

Home Office Computing, Feb, 1998 by Rick Broida

Solution. Technology can bridge the gap--but somebody will have to make a few concessions. A program such as Virtual PC (Connectix, 415-571-5100, 800-950-5880, www. connectix.com; Mac; $150) lets Power Mac users run Windows 95 applications, which can be helpful if you're trying to share, say, a contact database or spreadsheet files. Alternately, PC MacLAN 6.1 (Miramar Systems, 800-862-2526, www.miramarsys.com; Win 95, Mac; $199) provides peerto-peer networking between Windows 95 and Macintosh systems, giving you seamless printer and file sharing capabilities.

Next step. As you step up to such high-end applications as Microsoft Word, Adobe PageMaker, and Claris Filemaker, you'll find built-in crossplatform compatibility. If your machines are networked, you'll have an easy time sharing files. Better still, upgrade your network to a full-blown server with Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server (Microsoft, 800-426-9400, www.microsoft.com; Win, Mac; $595), which lets your office share hardware and software with the greatest of ease.

5. Connect to Collaborate

Scenario. In the old days (we're talking last year), when you held the titles of president, CFO, and sales director, you could hold company meetings in your head--and in the shower--before trudging downstairs to the office. Now that you've got employees and outside contractors, you'd need a much larger shower (and some pretty understanding employees).

Solution. Stay dry and hold your meetings online with NetMeeting 2.1 (Microsoft, 800-426-9400, www.microsoft.com; free), a component of Windows 95 that lets you use the Internet to share applications and documents, draw with others using a shared whiteboard, and even hold voice chats. Or if your ISP supports it, check out Instant! TeamRoom (Lotus, contact your local Internet service provider or check out www.lotus.com; Win, Mac; $14.95 per person per month), a kind of virtual conference room where you can leave e-mail and store files for.browsing and downloading. It even offers password protection to keep your meetings private.

Next step. With a hardware/software videoconferencing package such as the Bigpicture Video Phone Kit (3Com, 800-638-3266, www.3com.com; Win, Mac; $399), you can show your partners a new-product mock-up or give that important presentation. Remember: Videoconferencing, when it's working, is the next best thing to being there.

6. Manage Those Projects

Scenario. A bigger company means a bigger staff and, therefore, bigger projects. Longer ones too. Once you reach the point where you've got a team made up of leaders and followers, a notepad no longer suffices for keeping track of everyone's deadlines and progress.

Solution. Sounds like you need project management software. Project 98 for Windows 95 (Microsoft, 800-426-9400, www.microsoft.com; $499) and TurboProject 2.0 Professional (IMSI, 800-833-8082, www.imsisoft.com; Win 95, Win; $299.95) give you the tools to create, organize, and manage your projects from start to finish; you can also generate reports along the way.