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IT Pros: exclusive shows await you on Patreon, focusing on the more challenging aspects of running your practice and working with clients and employees.

580: Mission Critical: The Power Struggle

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In this episode of Command Control Power, the team discusses ongoing technical challenges involving network equipment and power management. Joe shares updates on troubleshooting a host of issues with his elevator client, alongside dealing with generator compatibilities and frequent power outages. The conversation includes insights from Jerry and Sam, while addressing client concerns and experiences with improving power protection and network reliability. They delve into various power backup solutions and the frustrations of managing sophisticated networking equipment under unpredictable conditions.

-Joe has an update to his elevator client story.

-Sam and Jerry both have generators now but of course, have not lost power since the installation.

-To have true uninterruptible power using a UPS, there are specific models and settings needed.

-Joe recommends the Ecoflow River 2 for a portable power station: https://us.ecoflow.com/products/river-2-portable-power-station

-We want to know what Joe has to do when troubleshooting requires an onsite visit.

-On top of all of this, Joe’s client has 2 UniFi mission critical switches: https://store.ui.com/us/en/pro/category/all-power-tech/products/usw-mission-critical

-The “Joe” recipe for recycling power on UniFi devices is to unplug for 2 minutes.

-For warranty, always buy direct from UniFi.

-Sam really wants to know the client mood after everything that has happened.

-Jerry is sporting a CCP shirt from friend and Patron, Richard Wingfield. Thanks Richard!

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

578: Tech Upgrades, MFA Madness and More!

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Topics:

-Sam talks about his recent trip to Las Vegas to see Dead & Co at The Sphere

-BackBlaze has increased the price of sending a hard drive to $279.

-Jerry is running macOS Sequoia on his daily driver.

-Each year, the path of how users upgrade is a hot button topic.

-Sam likes Erase-install from Graham Pugh.

-A minimum point release is a safe bet for stability.

-The same people that don’t like security rules are the very people that are more likely to fall for things like phishing emails.

-Pulling that same thread, Microsoft is moving to conditional access for MFA and sunsetting per-user MFA.

-Joe talks about Apple disabling support for Post Script files. Sam does a like test.

-Jerry turned to Archive.org for an older version of the Drobo Dashboard app and he finds a live link to what he needed.

-He also suggests NextDNS for additional protection from harmful sites.

Thank you to our Patreon supporters!

576: The Hunger Games: Call Center Edition - One Headset, One Rep, You vs. Everyone Else

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Topics:

In this episode, Joe grapples with a series of technical issues while trying to start his stream. Joe faces multiple frustrations with his Mac and browser configurations, expressing his exasperation with technology. The conversation shifts to broader grievances about poor customer service and systemic inefficiencies within major corporations, as Jerry and Joe recount personal experiences involving vendors, ISPs, and even a Tesla purchase process. Sam joins to provide moral support.

-Technical Difficulties and Introductions

-Joe's Frustration with Technology

-Jerry's Perspective and Client Stories

-Sam Joins the Conversation

-The Elevator Phone Saga

-Systemic Issues and Accountability

-The Busboy's Tale: A Lesson in Employee Care

-The Rigged System: Accountability and Retention

-Customer Service Nightmares: Real Stories

-Deferred Financing Fiasco

-Warranty Woes: The Mitsubishi Saga

-Frustrations with Facebook: A Tech Support Story

-The Bigger Problem: Industry Failures

-The Tesla App Experience

-Live StreamYard Troubleshooting

-Concluding Thoughts

574: Backblaze to the Future & Proofpoint Pandemonium

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Topics:

-Jerry shows off his new shirt.

-BackBlaze causes a major pain point for Jerry after a massive bill comes in. He has some good advice for those using BackBlaze groups.

-We debate how pricing increases affect how we pass the costs along to our customers.

-What is with BackBlaze’s maintenance schedule happening in the middle of a work day?

-Sam has a rough experience with Go Daddy when “defederating” Microsoft Office.

-This customer was using Proofpoint with Go Daddy and it remained active months after we attempted to disconnect.

-Go Daddy support seems to not have any understanding of the services that they are selling.

-Quick Tip regarding Apple Mail and Exchange when it stops responding: Quit Mail/Calendar/Contacts, go to Activity Monitor and force quit the exchangesyncd process. Restart the apps.

-Jerry shares an update about AppleCare+ and unlimited incidents.

-With changes to the Print Center and the removal of individual printer apps, Joe wonders why Apple can’t account for this and replace Dock items instead of leaving question marks.