194: Blowing Up Your Zendesk Tickets

Topics:

Sam's team worked on a 27" mid-2011 iMac with surprising results.  Could it have been the drive enclosure this whole time?

-Friend of the show Mike Dent (@mcdent) of Ubertechs provides some insight on his experiences using a different drive enclosure:  https://www.zapals.com/akasa-ak-hda-03-black-2-5-to-3-5-ssd-hdd-adapter.html
-Equally important is the thermal sensor: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD11/

The rates conversation is revisited with each of the hosts bringing up their model for attracting MSP clients while not shying away from those "break/fix" clients.

Sam brings up a quick option to use Apple's Volume Purchase Program to purchase an app for a client when no credit card was on file.

While on the subject, he brings up a great little product for keeping volumes mounted even when the disconnect unexpectedly.  AutoMounter: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/automounter/id1160435653?mt=12

An old favorite FTP app called Rumpus: 

Joe found an intriguing (and possibly dangerous) problem with power adapters for an iPad in the office.

During a slow period, Jerry shares his thoughts on Watchman monitoring and ZenDesk integration and particularly how to turn them in to billable work with clients.

Jerry found an odd Apple Mail issue where it was slow to launch.  Keychain related?

Sam shares a great tip about how to login to a non-admin account on a Mac when the screen is locked...only to find that this feature does not function in Sierra!  Thanks to Kevin Ginger for the quick research.
-https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/21385/unlock-standard-user-s-screensaver-as-admin-broken-in-10-12

Joe's client has an issue where Safari would not load any websites.  The fix related to reinstalling the Security Update 2016-003 Supplemental (10.11.6).

Little Flocker is highly recommended from Jerry for detecting and protecting a Mac from malware and other security concerns: https://www.littleflocker.com.  Comes from the mind of Jonathan Zdziarski https://www.zdziarski.com/blog/

Jerry experiences a "wonky" iPhone search issue.

Sam encounters an odd situation with static DNS values ending up in his network settings after visiting a client.  Jerry chimes in with the possibility of a hacked router.  Sam will follow up on that on a future show.

As a special bonus, Jerry shares a great kitchen tool called the Rapid Egg Cooker: http://amzn.to/2lsJaJb

191: Cause & Effect

Jerry had more than one instance of clients with Airports requiring a firmware update to version 7.7.8 due to portables not connecting properly. 

Continuing on the wifi discussion, Sam discusses testing Ubiquiti access points at a residential client by temporarily running ethernet throughout the house to determine permanent locations.

Sam had the daunting task of giving an internet safety presentation at a middle school in the area.  Helpful hint: bribe them with Jolly Ranchers.

Temporary tattoos!  An anonymous listener kindly donates these temporary tattoos to the gang at CCP.  

Joe runs in to a startup issue after migrating a client to a new iMac.  Joe finds that adding /Library/Extensions to his troubleshooting process will help diagnose similar issues.
https://www.justinsilver.com/technology/os-x-el-capitan-10-11-1-hanging-on-boot-fixed/

Webex causes Sam some grief as the installer silently fails when attempting to install the plug-in.  The fix is created a missing folder:  ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins
https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/12578216/cant-installrun-webex-my-mac

Sierra Logs rehash: https://eclecticlight.co

Sam goes back on the psychiatrist couch to discuss working with a client when you have a personal relationship.

ARD - /var/folders & /var/db - Locations that are handy when troubleshooting or grabbing settings for ARD.

188: Interview With Jason Dettbarn / Founder & CEO of Addigy - Cloud Based Mac Management Platform

CCP proudly welcomes Jason Dettbarn, founder & CEO of Addigy, a Cloud Based Mac Management Platform.  Addigy simplifies and streamlines the IT management of your Macs by providing a comprehensive approach to security & management for macOS.

Jason, who obtained his Masters in Computer Science, worked for a few big players like CA and Kaseya before leaving to start Addigy in May of 2014.  Take a listen as we dive in deeper with Jason to learn about why he started Addigy and why it fills a void in RMM (Remote Monitoring & Management) support for the Mac.

Sign up for a free trial with Addigy: https://cmdctrlpwr.addigy.com/signup

187: "Merry Crimble!"

Recorded live on December 23, 2016

- When The Beatles Gave Fans A 'Crimble' Present
http://www.npr.org/2014/12/21/372257350/when-the-beatles-gave-fans-a-crimble-present

- We're sponsored this week by:

Watchman Monitoring, a favorite tool of ours that should be in every professional consultant's toolkit.

Visit WatchmanMonitoring.com/cmdctrlpwr and sign up for your free trial to find out how Watchman Monitoring can keep an eye on your client machines and notify you of over 100 issues. Be sure to tweet @cmdctrlpwr #CCPsentme to support the show!

Gruntwork is the ultimate managed service package for you and your clients. "Think of what you would do when trying to solve a user’s support request: run a disk verification utility. Run permission repair. Update the affected software to the latest version. With Gruntwork, those chores have already been accomplished. Your time spent troubleshooting issues is greatly reduced when the common maladies are already ruled out. Better yet, Gruntwork prevents many common problems, so the Mac just works and you can focus on higher level tasks for your client." 

Find out more at - http://mac-msp.com/gruntwork and tell them CCP sent you.

ACES CONFERENCE 2017
Phoenix, Arizona | May 31-June 1, 2017
ACEs Conference- https://acesconf.com/  is the industry-leading event for growing your IT consulting company. With unique, premium content delivered by world-class speakers, ACEs is THE place for inspiration, ideas, business networking, and instantly-applicable knowledge. It’s no surprise that our attendees continue coming year after year—just one ACEs and you’ll be sold.

Many of us IT professionals are in business because of our innate skills as technologists. ACEs Conference was conceived to help us grow our businesses in every other way. From management and operations tools to sales and growth opportunities and strategies, ACEs will leave you inspired, reinvigorated and equipped to take your business to the next level.

- Enjoy Command Control Power and want more commercial free programs? Please visit our Patreon Page where you can support Command Control Power and help us bring you more commercial free programming.

186: Interview With Dennis Nolan - Cirrus Partners, LLC

Recorded  Sometime In November 2016

Joe and Jerry welcome Dennis Nolan of Cirrus Partners, LLC to the show to talk about his successful managed service practice.

Dennis Nolan is the founder of Cirrus Partners, a 12 year old Madison WI based, Apple IT support business. With a team of 4 talented professionals, they provide managed services and solutions to leading businesses in the southern Wisconsin market. 

Previously Dennis had owned and operated a commercial photography business for 18 years in Austin TX, Minneapolis and finally Madison. Combining creative approaches with a technical skill set has always been his strong suit. His previous work experience has taken him around the globe working in various countries and cultures. From Istanbul with a small Turkish man walking up and down his back in a 300 year old bathhouse to sharing a campfire with the Marlboro Man, his life experiences help shape the creativity and effectiveness of Cirrus Partners' solutions for their clients.

Dennis and his team can be reached at sayhi@gocirrus.com.

- Enjoy Command Control Power and want more commercial free programs? Please visit our Patreon Page where you can support Command Control Power and help us bring you more commercial free programming

180: Watchman Monitoring Proactive Support Professional Certification / "Cupertino, We have a problem!"

Recorded  on November1, 2016

TOPICS:

Allen Hancock joined to discuss the new Proactive Support Professional Certification.

The certification is aimed at building upon best practices, and aims at making Proactive Support an expectation, rather than something which needs explaining.

So often, people only see the value of Proactive Support after the fact. This site aims to help consumers of IT perceive the value even before it's too late. 

IT Professionals are encouraged to submit their own stories if Proactive Support at

https://www.proactiveprofessional.com/submit-story/

Stories will be credited to you and link back to your site. There are no fees or affiliations required to have your story posted.

Certification as a Proactive Support Professional is granted after attending the 1.5 hour course and passing the exam.

Attendees of the course will receive Certified Proactive Support+ designation, use of the PSP Logo, and a listing in the upcoming Proactive Support Professional Locator. 

Online certification will be available in the future with similar benefits, but will lack the "+" designation. 

To be included in the initial Proactive Support Professional certification, register today at

https://www.proactiveprofessional.com/register/ 

Use coupon CCPSENTME and get 1/2 off the certification exam, which also includes dinner Tuesday at MacTech Conference.

PART TWO:

- http://bgr.com/2016/11/01/macbook-pro-2016-ram-specs/

- Enjoy Command Control Power and want more commercial free programs? Please visit our Patreon Page where you can support Command Control Power and help us bring you more commercial free programming