A: Yes, VMware Fusion for Mac works similarly. Ensure you have a Windows license and sufficient RAM (Macs with M1/M2/M3 have ARM architecture issues—use an Intel Mac or Parallels with Windows 11 ARM).
Running ISTA in a VM requires significant hardware resources because the software is "infamously difficult" to install and takes up massive amounts of storage.
Always keep a backup of your working VM folder on an external drive. When your laptop fails, you can restore your entire ISTA environment on a new machine in under an hour—something impossible with a native install.