If you’re looking for a company that’s into evangelizing the Mac platform, particularly Mac OS X, look no further than the new MacBasics, which officially launches today.
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The company’s founder, President and CEO is Keith McDaniel, most recently the corporate sales manager at AIS Computers of Atlanta, GA. He told MacCentral that his new enterprise will focus on both one-on-one (individual) and one-on-many (business) Mac training and evangelism.
“Our personal computer training will involve everything Macintosh, including helping the masses transition to Mac OS X,” McDaniel said. “Our corporate consulting will be for enterprise transitioning to OS X.”
The name “MacBasics” doesn’t mean that there’ll be no in-depth training involved. The moniker is meant to denote “great experiences through sound fundamentals,” McDaniel said.
“In general, companies rarely take advantage of more than 30 percent of the capabilities of their operating systems,” he said. “But Mac OS X can increase workflow performance and efficiency of companies by 100-200 percent. AppleScript is a good example. It’s a key part of the operating system, but relatively few people have taken advantage of it. MacBasics will help companies harness the power of their computers to improve the daily lives of their employees. We’ll also help companies and individuals discover what the Mac platform can do for them, as well as what the future possibilities are.”
Don’t expect MacBasics to concentrate just on current Apple loving firms and folks. Part of their goal is to spread the word on our favorite computing platform.
“We’ve got to get out there and talk to people who haven’t used the Mac platform before — or who haven’t used it a while,” McDaniel said. “We’ll also help people leverage Apple’s iApplications to enhance the digital lifestyle for the everyday consumer.”
He said that while MacBasics would work with large corporations and with individuals, the primary clients would probably be small to medium sized businesses.
“On the corporate front, we’ll consult with companies to determine the value that Mac OS X brings to their company,” McDaniel said. “Once this value has been established, we will work closely with Apple, and Apple Specialists in their area to bring the most powerful resources possible to our customers.”
McDaniel will also serve as the national sales executive for SafariGuide, a contact relationship manager for the Mac. SafariGuide is installed on your server and runs within FileMaker Server. FileMaker Server is certified for Mac OS X, Mac OS 8.6-9.x, Windows 2000/NT/NT Server and Linux. SafariGuide may be served from any of these platforms. Most installations are either: Macintosh (an iMac works fine), Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server. It will also run over hybrid networks (Mac and Windows) without any other networking software. See our March 14 story for details.
Though MacBasics will be independently based, it will remain closely tied with AIS Computers. The two firms will share opportunities and resources to enhance and compliment each other’s services, McDaniel said. And though the new company will be based in Atlanta, McDaniel said he’s willing to travel “anywhere” he’s needed.
He said he’s not worried about starting a new company in a financial environment that’s proven slippery to many technology companies. Apple is growing in times where no other computer maker is growing, he said.
“That growth is due to innovation, but innovation means change,” McDaniel said. “People and corporations sometimes need help to deal with changes. Companies can tell us what they want to accomplish, and we can tell them how to get there.”
The MacBasics founder was with AIS for nearly two years before launching his new business. He was corporate sales manager and major account executive for the company, which is number one in Apple CPU sales for the state of Georgia. McDaniel was responsible for managing all sales for AIS with a total net worth of US$5 million. He grew the Apple market share in five of his top seven accounts. Before coming to AIS, McDaniel was account executive for Capital Mac in Richmond, VA. During his two years there, he produced over $1 million in sales of Apple and third party products.
For more info on MacBasics, you can check out their Web site, a work in progress, or e-mail McDaniel.
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