668: Michael Thomsen of Origin 84, Part Two - Reusable Compliance Policies, ISO 27001 Audits, and Building a Fractional GRC/Strategy Bench

In this Command Control Power episode, host Joe and guests discuss standards, policies, certification, and compliance with Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 in Sydney, continuing an ISO 27001 deep dive. Michael explains how policies are written to solve specific control problems (e.g., MFA) and can be reusable, while areas like data classification require tailoring based on a client’s industry, legislation, contracts, and workflows; key discovery questions include where data is stored and shared, and what obligations contracts impose. The conversation contrasts frameworks (NIST, Essential Eight) and notes auditors verify that policies drive processes and are followed, emphasizing continual improvement through audits, risk/incident tracking, and iterative remediation. Jerry and Sam share healthcare/SOC 2 experiences and discuss shifting solo consultants from tactical support to higher-value strategic advisory/account management, using fractional roles and partners. Michael outlines Origin 84’s fractional model (financial controller, HR, strategy officer, plus legal/CFO) and sourcing via professional networks, LinkedIn, and conferences like ACEs, where Michael will present on account management.

00:00 Welcome and Recap

00:45 Reusable Policies vs Tailoring

02:20 Data Classification Nuances

03:33 Discovery Questions That Matter

06:18 Building Trust Without Conflict

07:30 Insurance as the Trigger

08:47 SOC 2 and Framework Reality

10:50 Audits and Continuous Improvement

12:48 Breaking Down Compliance Work

14:07 Jerry’s Healthcare SOC 2 Case

15:49 Fractional Support Models

17:13 Move Up to Strategic Advisor

19:16 Agency and Stakeholder Dynamics

20:41 Consulting Revenue Mindset Shift

23:26 Hand Off Tactics, Lead Strategy

24:21 Healthcare Provider Experiences

24:30 Compliance Strategy Calls

25:16 Subcontracting Specialist Help

25:55 Scaling With Key Hires

28:18 Fractional Finance And HR

30:03 Fractional Strategy Officer

31:26 Outsourced Regional Support

32:31 Finding Fractional Talent

36:55 Networking At ACEs

39:41 Account Management Matters

41:51 Wrap Up And Farewell

667: Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 on Building a Process-Driven MSP and Using Compliance Frameworks for Strategy

Michael Thomsen on Building a Process-Driven MSP and Using Compliance Frameworks for Strategic IT

Host of Command Control Power welcomes returning guest Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 from Sydney ahead of the ACEs conference in Minneapolis, discussing the mental and operational preparation to leave a company running without him through documentation, chain of command, and role accountability using Confluence and selected EOS practices. Thompson explains balancing perfectionism with repeatable team standards, prioritizing avoiding preventable mistakes, and aligning service quality to what clients value. The conversation pivots to SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 as validation frameworks increasingly demanded via vendor risk and tenders, emphasizing policy vs procedure and continual improvement. He outlines Origin 84’s flat-fee, services-first model and “magic quadrant” approach—help desk, IT administration, account management, and strategy—using root-cause fixes and programmatic improvements across clients. He advocates standardizing on Microsoft (often using Entra even for Google clients), careful vendor selection, and tailoring higher-cost governance features (e.g., Defender/Purview, logging) to client needs while keeping baseline security consistent.

00:00 Welcome Back Michael

00:35 27 Hour Travel Ritual

01:14 Leaving The Business

03:23 Planning Like Military

04:47 Runbooks And EOS

07:22 Perfection Versus Good

12:24 Standards And Apologies

13:53 SOC2 HIPAA ISO Explained

16:32 Policies Versus Procedures

17:56 Making Services Sticky

20:14 Magic Quadrant Strategy

23:16 Fix Root Causes

26:21 Hourly Billing Incentives

27:45 Value Without Strategy Buy In

29:13 Listening Before Pushing

29:28 Pricing Pushback Case Study

31:52 Standardized Security Baseline

34:33 Paying For The Paperwork

36:10 Reducing Cost Via Account Management

36:50 Stack Ownership And Optional Features

39:21 Microsoft As The North Star

41:10 Vendor Risk And Pricing Strategy

47:54 Entra SSO For Google Clients

50:46 ISO 27001 Policy Reality Check

54:57 Wrap Up And Part Two Tease

Best Of CCP - 200: Not So Off The Rails

Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.

665: Apple’s 50th Anniversary Old Shortcuts, and What Still Delights - Part 2

The hosts revisit early Apple and Mac experiences and discuss first keyboard shortcuts, focusing on “Command Control Power” after a photographer client referenced it while troubleshooting a MacBook Pro that died on location from a drained battery. They debate the proper shortcut key order versus Apple’s conventions, recall Apple II shortcuts like Control–Open Apple–Reset, and reflect on floppy-drive workflows and multi-disk backups. The conversation shifts to Apple’s attempts to break into business hardware, Steve Jobs’ impact and management style, and a perceived reversal where hardware fit-and-finish improved while macOS feels buggier, with annual OS releases and settings moving cited as problems. They note Rapid Security Response/Background Security Improvements placement changes, praise Apple Watch and AirPods, share audience photos and Apple memorabilia, and close with gratitude to Apple, colleagues, and listeners.

00:00 Apple 50th Kickoff

00:27 Shortcut Origin Story

01:08 Photo Shoot Panic

02:17 Shortcut Order Debate

03:27 Open Apple Keys

05:16 Save Changes Shutdown

07:33 Floppy Boot Days

09:02 Apple In Business

12:22 Jobs Magic And Myth

14:03 Modern OS Buggy Era

19:27 Settings Search Problem

23:17 Yearly OS Cadence

26:04 Planned Obsolescence Talk

27:46 Software Sells Hardware

28:07 Mac CPU Transitions

29:12 Snow Leopard Lessons

31:37 Intel Era Reality Check

33:11 Security Updates Moved

34:22 Throwback Mac Photos

35:52 Daily Delight Devices

40:12 Old iPhones and iPods

42:29 Apple Employee Card

44:37 Startup Office Memories

46:13 50 Years of Apple

664: Apple at 50 - First Macs, HyperCard, iPod Halo, and Memories from the Early Days - Part 1

Apple at 50: First Macs, HyperCard, iPod Halo, and Memories from the Early Days - Part 1

CHM Live | Apple at 50: Five Decades of Thinking Different

The hosts celebrate Apple’s 50th anniversary (recorded April 1) and recommend David Pogue’s book “Apple at 50,” including his Computer History Museum interview. They invite listener stories and discuss first Apple computers (Apple IIe/IIc/II Plus), early BASIC programming habits, and Apple’s influence in schools via HyperCard/HyperTalk. Jerry recounts starting on PC compatibles in a tool-and-die business, moving into Macs for music/MIDI and Finale, and shows a 1989 receipt for a Macintosh IIx system costing about $7,000 (roughly $14,730 in 2026 dollars). Listener Dwayne Moss shares memories working at Apple, concerts at sales conferences, seeing Steve Jobs introduce the iPod at Town Hall, and being hired and laid off three times. The group reflects on the iPod’s Windows support, the “digital hub” era, early CD burning, Airport cards, Macworld/iPhone displays, Newton hardware, and transitions from PowerPC to Intel to Apple silicon. 

00:00 Apple Turns 50

00:40 David Pogue Book Pick

01:59 First Apple Computers

03:56 Learning BASIC Early

06:34 Jerry’s First Macs

09:25 Sticker Shock Pricing

11:55 From Punch Cards to AI

13:42 HyperCard Magic

15:38 Listener Story Dwayne

18:30 iPod Halo Effect

20:37 Digital Hub Creativity

24:15 CD Burning Nostalgia

26:31 Iconic iPhone Sounds

27:26 First Business Macs

28:49 Early WiFi Upgrades

30:35 Offline Computing Era

31:45 Macworld iPhone Memories

36:09 Newton Surprise Find

39:12 Early Influences

39:55 Jerry Career Pivot

46:23 Vintage Server Rooms

50:33 G4 to Intel Shift

50:55 Wrap 

662: Wildfire Warnings, Aging Clients, and AI’s Growing Impact

The hosts discuss unseasonably warm February weather in Boulder, a small wildfire near the Flatiron Mountains, and concerns about drought, low snowpack, and higher summer fire risk. Joe shares a soft launch of psikit.com to promote MeshTastic-based mesh communication devices for emergency preparedness. They then talk about a senior living network project requiring outside cabling certification due to unlabeled, problematic wiring, and how client crises can finally drive needed spending. Joe describes a long-term client’s aging Mac mini and 15-year-old Promise RAID enclosures, recent drive failures, and a likely refresh to newer Mac hardware with direct-attached RAID and faster networking while noting how client retirement timelines affect investment and business valuation. They preview ACEs (CCP discount code) and an MDM panel, debate AI’s near-term staffing impact, and warn that Synology C2 backups can’t be transferred from an MSP to a customer.

00:00 Welcome and Check In

00:07 Boulder Drought and Fire Scare

01:59 Mesh Comms and PSIKIT Launch

03:23 Getting Out Bossed on a Project

05:52 Why Network Certification Matters

09:15 Client Server Upgrade Warning Signs

12:26 Aging Hardware and Backup Plan

13:47 Longtime Client Origin Story

15:53 Retirement and Tech Spending Choices

18:49 Upgrade Proposal and Storage Strategy

21:21 Promise vs NAS and Other Vendors

24:35 Software RAID Pitfalls

25:33 SoftRAID Upsells

26:34 Client Aging Valuation

28:21 ACEs Discount Plug

29:19 MDM Panel Preview

31:07 Intune Reality Check

31:55 AI In Small Business

37:21 AI Workflow Quirks

44:40 Synology C2 Lock In

48:07 Wrap Up Thanks