439: Managed Services discussion with Luis Giraldo

438: Interview With Adam Engst Of the TidBITS Content Network

Topics:

-This week we welcome back Adam Engst of TidBITS Content Network.

-The supply chain issues are hitting many areas hard.

-Finding people to hire is no easy task of late. Adam gives us his thoughts based on recent research.

-Quality of life is affecting people’s decisions to go back to work.

-Adam uses Keyboard Maestro to automate specific tasks: https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/

-Sam is seeing customers that would rather pick up in store, even if the specifications are not exactly what they want, rather than wait for the supply chain delays.

-Joe & Jerry were comparing new models but didn’t quite pull the trigger.

-Not just increased processing power and unified memory, but faster SSDs.

-The 1080p HD FaceTime camera is still weak but better than the 720p camera in previous models.

-Adam talks about ergonomics like desktop height and keyboard/trackpads.

-He recommends a roller mouse from Contour Designs: https://www.contourdesign.com

-Does virtualization change anything for people on Apple Silicon?

-Gamers are still staying away from the Mac platform.

-Monterey appears to be an easier upgrade process in comparison to the issues that have plagued Big Sur.

-Upgrading from Mojave is still troublesome: https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-upgrade-to-big-sur-failed-stuck-progress-bar-fix-prevention/

-Get your Apple gifts on the early side as supply chain issues could affect timing.

-If you aren’t already a subscriber, get well written, professional Apple Content for you to use with your customers with TidBITS Content Network.

437: Interview With Dan Monge Of Mac IT Pros

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Special Thanks to our friends:

Topics:

-This week we welcome Dan Monge of Monge IT Consulting / Mac IT Pros

-In addition to running his business, Dan works with Watchman Monitoring in a variety of capacities.

-We have our usual Watchman discussion where we discuss use cases and helpful tips.

-Joe installs Watchman on his company computers as well, to keep tabs on the health of his equipment.

-Dan adds “Connect to Server” shares to make it easier for users to mount network volumes.

-Dan focuses on businesses only and refers any residential referrals to a fellow consultant.

Dan & Jerry talk about the fall of Google Ads and being mistaken for Apple.

-Another hat tip to our friends at TidBITS Content Network.

-smith.ai chat feature has really helped Jerry for no additional cost.

-Zendesk has a chat feature that Sam has put to use.

-What is chaff? Is it champing or chomping at the bit?

-The group discusses failed (or were they?) marketing ideas.

-Do you still use business cards?

-Company shirts and branded equipment gets noticed.

-Dan tries to convince Joe to move away from hourly to monthly plans.

-In Dan’s parting words, he encourages listeners to become patrons.

435: Less Than A Minute Remaining

Topics:

-Joe has to troubleshoot his own internet connection with the ISP.

-GoNetSpeed appears to be a new provider in the Fairfield County area in CT. https://gonetspeed.com

-Jerry has some challenges connecting routers that auto config to an Altice modem/router from Optimum Online.

-One of Sam’s clients decided to upgrade their ISP service without involving his team.

-Changing the all in one modem/router solutions can be extremely frustrating.

-Another one of Sam’s clients was down after the wiring consultant installed new equipment. It turned out to be oversight but it required a Saturday visit.

-Upgrading from Mojave to Big Sur is enough of an issue where there is a MacAdmins channel dedicated to it. (Channel: Mojave-Upgrade-Problem).

-Jerry has joined the Apple Silicon bandwagon.

-Has anybody else seen performance issues on Apple Silicon that requires a restart?

434: Interview With Jon Brown CEO of Grove Technologies

Topics:

-We welcome Jon Brown of Grove Technologies. Jon is a long time VIP supporter of the show.

-Jon recalls attending a WWE even with the CCP crew, thanks to Joe’s sister.

-Starting a new business proved to be challenging initially. He talks about his learning curve and experiences building his current business.

-Jon has a concept like Uber for Tech Support.

-Grove Technologies is going to offer its internal SaaS based tool for other businesses and industries. There are integrations built for other tools like Addigy, Watchman, Jamf, etc.

-Working with others as a sub contractor can help broaden your area of expertise as a company.

-Hiring remote technicians has proven to be useful to Jon’s business model.

-Should you increase your onsite rate vs remote?

-Do your clients care if you or your staff make onsite visits to their offices?

-Grove Technologies has put their stake in the ground about being a remote only support company.

-People still don’t seem to grasp the concept of password management or Multi-Factor Authentication.

-Cybersecurity training for end users can be incredibly useful. It can also provide some discounts with insurance.

-Malwarebytes for Mac proves to be less powerful than the Windows version. 

-Hook Security and Breach Secure Now are two big services to help with employee training.

-Jerry has some recommended security methods for his clients.

-Customers have a tendency to conflate security terms like VPN vs firewall.

-Jon wants you to become a sponsor of the show!

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433: Part 2 with Tim Nyberg of The MacGuys+

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Topics:

-Joe ponders the question, what about requiring a monthly plan?

-Everyone debates the merits of a managed services only approach.

-One of Jerry’s customers mistakenly deleted mass amounts of Gmail data synced with Apple Mail. Retrieval wasn’t a simple solution due to how Google “labels” items in comparison to folders in Apple Mail.

-One of Tim’s clients that stored everything in Apple Mail had a catastrophic issue.

-Is Apple Mail a professional mail client? The ongoing debate continues.

-Backupify offers native server side backups for Google and Microsoft 365. 

-Backblaze affiliate accounts can be an additional revenue stream for consultants.

-Alerting customers to issues that come from services like Watchman Monitoring is one thing. But getting them to take action is another.