Running Windows questions

I have a brand new Mac Book Pro lap top as of Dec 2011. I need to get Maya 2013 running on it on windows for work. I do game animation in Maya.

I have a few questions:
-What is the best way to run windows on mac? (I really like the idea of parallels because then I could keep all my documents in the same place and not have to reboot every time I want use them. But I also need horse power.)
-If I use parallels or boot camp, will something like time machine make back ups of everything or just my mac side?
-How will licensing work? (For example, I brought Quick Time Pro and need it for work. I have it on my mac side. Does this mean I can also have it up and running on the windows side without buying another copy? After all, it is technically the same computer and I paid for the copy. What about other programs?)
-Could I have Windows running off an external drive using boot camp or parallels? (Just to keep things separate and uncluttered.)