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

328: I am Not My Brothers Printer

Topics:

-The band is back together!  

-Jerry discusses upgrading from the iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone 11.  He is “whelmed”

-Sam & Joe still haven’t pulled the trigger on upgrades

-A little time is spent talking about the latest product releases.  The Always On feature of the watch isn’t blowing our socks off.

-Jerry’s 2015 MacBook Pro went sideways and he had to put his skills to work on his own hardware

-An old issue that Jerry experienced before was related to Automated Device Enrollment at Setup Assistant

-Sam ran into an intriguing conundrum with blog posts created by our friends at the TidBITS Content Network
https://tcn.tidbits.com

-Joe realizes that marketing is a part of his business that he needs to incorporate more

-The practice of sending using breached password combinations to gain access to secure information is called “Credential Stuffing”.  Jerry thinks Joe is talking about Thanksgiving

-Clients sending passwords via email is nothing new but Joe reveals how it can also lead to the client paying for time to have their consultant now change their credentials.  He also discusses how you as the consultant can be tied to this bad practice.

-Jerry shows up to a client site to do a hard drive upgrade on a Mac mini.  He heads into trouble when a keyboard he brings with him does not allow him to boot in to Target Disk Mode.

-He has another story at a client site where he was troubleshooting the wrong Brother printer

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

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

325: Interview With John Moder of Crisp Solutions, LLC - Part One

Topics:

-This week we are pleased to welcome John Moder, owner of Crisp Solutions, LLC in Des Moines, IA

-Jerry asks John about his choice going to Synology after moving away from macOS server 

-John discusses his small team and his decision to move off on his own

-Crisp Solutions operates out of a co-working space

-Customer service is John’s focus and a building a “not transactional” relationship 

-Building a relationship with clients is of critical importance 

-Response time and letting the customer know you are aware of their situation makes a massive difference

-Jerry wonders about competition in John’s market and he talks about his relationship with them as well as with the Apple Store in Des Moines

-Building a rapport with the store is an art form that differs for each of us. Strategies are discussed. 

-With Ashleigh’s iPhone needing a replacement, Joe learns some interesting tips about repair costs and trade in values. 

-John is a very active participant on the MacAdmins Slack

-John runs into an odd issue in a Ubiquiti UniFi Deployment with a USG that would periodically stop communicating. He polls the hosts about what their next steps would be. 

-Synology backup solutions and cloud syncing tools are kicked around. John has been testing Synology’s own cloud backup solution, called C2. The thing to be aware of is that the data is stored in Germany. 

-Jerry picks John’s brain about managing Wi-Fi implementations as part of a monthly managed fee

-Ping monitoring and being proactive leads into a story about John’s ability to replace a dead AP before open of business for a customer

-John talks about keeping meticulous notes and making full rates known, even for MSP customers, to remind them just how valuable your services are

-Do you charge for notes or proposal creation? An important topic that you may need to consider. Listen to the crew and their take on the subject.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

324: Update Your Gateway, We're Not In Kansas Anymore

Topics:

-Jerry compares a client to an itchy mosquito bite. He also references one of our old favorite methods of troubleshooting - removing items in the /var/folders directory.

-While working on an iMac, Jerry hears that “pop” sound and immediately knows that it is the stand hinge has snapped. One method of repair is from “The Mac Hack”:
https://themachack.com

-Joe questions the organization and direction of icons on the Mac. Sam compares it to a direct opposite of Windows desktop icons.

-The Ubiquiti UniFi initial splash screen raises unnecessary alarm bells

-Ever since diagnosing the Cloud Key disconnects as being power related, Joe’s team has had major strides in stability of the gen 1 Cloud Key by connecting to power as opposed to relying on POE.

-Sam has some follow up on using his offsite controller and adopting his client devices into sites

-Although discussed before, figuring out how to sell additional services like UniFi monitoring to existing clients is a challenge

-Autofill options in Safari were prompting for Keychain credentials with one of Joe’s clients. After some research, he found similar instances with a laptop in clamshell mode. The odd fix was to disable Touch ID for use in Safari.

-As regular listeners are aware of, Jerry has recently located. He has an odd story of unmarked trucks making deliveries from Amazon. With enough pushback, he was able to push for a change to licensed drivers and companies.