336: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Topics:

-Sam is in Minnesota at the Jamf Nation User Conference

-Meanwhile, he has just returned from an Apple training gig in Alaska

-While at JNUC, Sam again ran into friend of the show, Chris Stout of STOUT https://stout.computer

-A call to action for our listeners!  Take photos in various locations with your Command Control Power t-shirt

-Sam takes a closer look at his process he recently used with a large deployment:
-Sam used AutoDMG for a quick restore of macOS: https://github.com/MagerValp/AutoDMG
-The createinstallmedia command worked well as an offline installer of macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
-Here are the disks that were used to backup user data: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S1PCSV5/ref=twister_B07Y17L7BZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

-Joe takes us back in time to discuss the early encounters with Startup Security Utility on T2 computers

-Sam notices a difference in the behavior of users in large, corporate environments vs the SMB clients we are used to

-Joe deals with some confusion dealing with Daylite Saving while in Sedona, Arizona

-The topic of time zones reminds Sam about an issue he has with his Mac auto correcting time…incorrectly

-The Safari beachball bug has been plaguing Joe for a while

-Sam & Joe compare keychains

-After installing countless Synology NAS devices, Sam dug up a Github project which allowed for a python script to be run to do a speed test on the Synology: https://github.com/sivel/speedtest-cli

-When moving from a Windows Server to Synology, Sam had to do some Googling but found a tool built-in to Windows Server called Robocopy.  Here is an example of syntax to preserve modification dates & times: robocopy /s /e /DCOPY:T

335: Your Emergency Contacts Have Been Notified

Topics:

-Sam is off to an undisclosed location in Alaska

-As Jerry complains about Sam’s darkened contact photo, Joe talks custom contact photos

-Jerry has a head smack moment as he too, is affected by the certificates expiring for Apple’s macOS installers. Here are direct download links for macOS installers with valid certificates:
Catalina - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475
Mojave - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210190
High Sierra - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969
Sierra - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202
El Capitan - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
Yosemite - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210717

-Joe talks about how time consuming it can be to update the installers, especially since he has multiple PsiTool drives 

-Jerry offers a tip which deals with the Expanded Control Strip (System Preferences>Keyboard>Touch Bar Shows) that overrides Control Strip settings that would appear per app

-Backblaze PSA: Business Groups have the ability to keep Version History for 1-year or Forever; this applies to external hard drives that may have been unplugged for more than 30 days for example. Thanks Dan Monge @ Mac I.T. Pros, supporter of the show. 

-BackBlaze B2 is the method Joe uses for his Synology clients.  He has found success in charging clients a flat fee based on the amount of data they have.  Jerry challenges his pricing method

-Joe vents about working with clients that don’t see the light with their IT needs

-Jerry talks about his automation setup when he connects his iPhone 11 to CarPlay.  While in the midst of a ride in his car, he has an incident where attempting to reboot his iPhone caused a 911 alert and for his emergency contacts to be notified.  Jerry researches and learns how to force restart his iPhone:
https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/force-restart-iphone-iph8903c3ee6/ios

-Through all of this, Joe recommends going to Apple’s support article about their SOS features:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076

-Late breaking news from Jerry - Ubiquiti released their UniFi Dream Machine, which acts as a gateway, router, switch, & access point: https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-dream-machine

-Jerry really likes the Synology RT2600AC router (https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/RT2600ac).  Similar feature set but it also includes a USB port, where you can plug in a drive for network backup

-PsiMac now offers a monthly network maintenance and updates service. But he does have a PSA. He ran into an unexpected issue when testing notification emails were failing. As it turns out, he found that the “test email” button in UniFi simply doesn’t work. 

-Another PSA from Joe - he was receiving multiple notifications about UniFi devices being connected, even though they had not disconnected.  UniFi support didn’t have any reasoning so the advice is to turn that feature off at this point.

333: Justin Esgar of ACEs Conference 2020 & Virtua Computers

This week we welcome Justin Esgar of Virtua Consulting Group & Virtua Computers

-ACEs Conference just completed its 5th year!

-2019 introduced a new format of less speakers and more round table discussions

-ACEs 2020 has been announced!  May 19-20 in Atlanta, GA

-Code CCP at www.acesconf.com will get you 10% off ticket prices

-Justin talks about his support team including his wife, employees, and board of directors.

-Coopetition, a term that Kim Mannit coined, is a big part of the discussion in how the Apple consultants community operates

-Justin recently rebranded his business, Virtua Computers, to Virtua Consulting Group.  This change incorporates his different businesses into one umbrella.

-A new product from Virtua is Your Computer Inventory, where you can share specific computer inventory information with your clients: www.yourcomputerinventory.com

-Justin talks about learning from his app, SignMyPad, where he sold it at a price in the App Store but didn’t have a subscription model that became popular years later.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

329: DAKboard & PODMod

Topics:

-Joe is questioned by Jerry about a product that he used for many years called Statusboard for iOS by Panic https://library.panic.com/statusboard/. He has since moved to a solution that runs off a Mac mini in his office. Joe recommends products called Geek Tool & Feedwind to add dynamic calendar content that he displays for clients to see when in his office

-An excellent customizable display solution called DAKBoard https://dakboard.com/site/business is what Jerry uses for his family to run his shared calendars

DAKboard at Casa de Jerry

DAKboard stock photo

Statusboard at PsiMac World Headquaters

-Jerry has an iPod eBay story to share. iflash.xyz sells boards that can be inserted into specific iPods to increase storage. He uses that along with open source software called Rock Box to play FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec ) files. 
https://www.iflash.xyz/store/iflash-solo/
https://www.dcsoundop.com/88-ipod-classic-sd-card-upgrade-w-iflash-xyz-adaptor/
https://www.iflash.xyz/prepare-sdxc-exfat-for-use-with-the-ipod/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-B2DJKKSCA

-Joe & Jerry get philosophical and reflect on how technology has changed over the years

327: Bob's Your Uncle

Topics:

-Sam and Joe are back after a one week hiatus

-On one of them’s latest travels, he is a fellow passenger with their flight entertainment system July Joe has a story of helping a friend with theory and their HomePod while visiting line

-Sam’s local mail truck catches fire!

-Joe and Sam are discuss the filters in iOS Mail app and how it can confuse end-users

-Ignoring the support ticket is a perk that Sam thoroughly enjoys

- In recent work with a local Unifi controller, Sam discovers just how easy it is to access the database and reset the admin password:
https://techreally.com/ubiquiti-controller-forgot-password/

-Sam and Joe discuss the origin of “Bob‘s your uncle”

-In what can be filed in the “I should have known this” section of the show, Sam discovers keyboard shortcuts in the calendar app that blow him away

-The new iPhone and Apple Watch models are briefly discussed and the guys kick around ideas about upgrading

-An interesting new development is the Apple Independent Repair Program: https://support.apple.com/irp-program

326: Interview With John Moder of Crisp Solutions, LLC - Part Two

Topics:

-This week we continue our conversation with John Moder, owner of Crisp Solutions, LLC in Des Moines, IA

-We kick off the show talking about billing practices, MSP, value based billing

-It took John about 7 months of hourly billing when he started 4 years ago before he started being able to sign his first managed care contract

-John discusses coming up with his formula and the struggles in doing so. Jerry can relate to those difficulties.

-The hosts ask John for his opinion about value based billing on a recent episode with Tim Nyberg. Methods of efficiency and grey areas make it difficult to diagnose.

-Jerry has an tough story to tell with macOS Server 10.10 and legacy software that simply went south.

-NOC (Not Our Customer) is a concept that a friend introduced John to. If a client doesn’t get the value that we add, perhaps they simply are “Not Our Customer”.

-One of John’s customers took on an email migration project on his own, only to raise the white flag requiring emergency assistance over a holiday weekend.

-John is curious about Jerry’s one man show and that ultimately leads to business growth and exit strategies

-Hiring is not only a question of quality, but how it may directly impact your own income.

-No matter who you hire, they will not have the same desire as the owner. This is a challenge many of us know all too well.

-John attended the ACEs Conference this year and took a lot out of the experience that he can apply to his business

-John is very active on the MacAdmins Slack as @jmoder. You can also find him online at crispsolutions.net