591: Optimizing MSP Operations with Tim Pearson of Creative Techs

Command Control Power: Mastering IT Workflows, Automation, and Vinyl Rituals

In this engaging episode of Command Control Power, hosts Joe, Sam, and Jerry, alongside guest Tim Pearson from Creative Techs, explore a wide range of topics spanning advanced IT management and nostalgic music traditions. They reminisce about the ACEs conference and introduce ACEs After Dark, a community event for sharing mobile device management (MDM) and remote monitoring and management (RMM) tips. The conversation dives into optimizing IT workflows through automation, discussing tools like Halo dashboards and Backup Radar for efficient backup management. The group highlights the importance of community support in the Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Apple Certified Network (ACN) landscapes, emphasizing the benefits of integrated tools like PSA and Pax8 for business process streamlining. Additionally, they address the challenges posed by the fragmented MSP vendor landscape and share insights into the economic and time commitments required for creating community-driven tools. Tim Pearson wraps up the episode with a nostalgic discussion about vinyl records, reflecting on the charm of analog music rituals and the sentimental value of physical collections, enriched by personal anecdotes and the significance of classic albums.

564: Interview with Jason Dettbarn, Founder & CEO at Addigy

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Jason Dettbarn joins us on the show once again! Jason is the founder and CEO at Addigy.

Jason has been on our show many times over the years.

Jason talks about how he didn’t pay himself for two years as he built up Addigy’s business.

MDM (Mobile Device Management) has been around for 14 years and is a traditional method for managing mobile devices.

DDM (Declarative Device Management) is a newer approach by Apple that takes more initiative in managing devices.

MDM tells devices what to do, while DDM provides a recipe for the devices to follow and manage their own state.

• Advantages of DDM:

• Less burden on MDM servers

• Devices are more proactive in managing their state

• Requires less communication between servers and devices

• Challenges of DDM:

• MDM tools are still needed for some tasks (e.g., software deployment, agent-based features)

• Requires trust in Apple to manage devices effectively

Key takeaways:

• DDM is a significant shift in Apple's device management philosophy.

• MDM and DDM will likely coexist for several years.

• Agents will still play an important role in device management alongside DDM.

• There's a need to balance user experience with enforcing compliance policies. Ideally, compliance checks should happen seamlessly without interrupting the user workflow.

• Conditional Access features in Microsoft Endpoint Manager allow enforcing compliance rules and remediating issues automatically.

• Managed Apple IDs with built-in compliance features can improve data compartmentalization on Apple devices.

• Users should be able to see their compliance status and take corrective actions if needed.

• AI-powered smart filters can help identify devices with potential issues based on user-defined criteria.

• Addigy is developing a new solution to simplify and automate updates for public software and third-party applications.

• Jason talks about how collaboration between vendors is crucial for creating a more secure and efficient mobile device management ecosystem.

555: A Desperate Cry For Help

▶️ New: watch on YouTube!

Topics:

-Has Sam really not backed up in an extraordinary amount of time?

-This sparks a discussion about backup policies in general.

-We talk about the 3-2-1 backup strategy and how relevant it still is.

-Joe shares a client story about how a calendar syncing app removed calendar history.

-If you’re a consultant, finding a backup service with affiliate options can be beneficial financially.

-We are constantly fighting the good fight about keeping macOS and hardware up to date.

-Joe charges a fee for working with unsupported Mac computers.

-There is a difference of what we will support, depending on residential vs business clients.

-How reliable is Time Machine?

-We share some details from our rates and plans survey. Join us on Patreon to hear more.

544: Interview With Adam Burg - Owner Of CALSO Technologies LLC

Topics:

-This week we welcome Adam Burg, founder of CALSO Technologies and Command Control Power Patreon sponsor.

-Adam shares the story of his consulting career.

-CALSO is an acronym for the members of his family.

-Partnering with key vendors made it simpler to manage his clients.

-They manage clients as small as 2 up to 50 users.

-MDM, email backup & archiving are key components to his MSP stack.

-The MacAdmins Slack is a major source of help. Adam can be found as MacDadmin.

-Adam hosts the Los Angeles Mac Admins Meetup.

-Adam’s kids love the Command Control Power theme songs.

-“There’s no substitute for being there”. -Joe Saponare

-Adam talks about his team, including his wife, who is a co-owner, and a contractor/employee that he relies on heavily.

-Taking a job can sometimes mean you need to rely on others that have the expertise to get the job done.

-Adam talks about traveling with the family on work trips, and finding time to get away on hikes.

519: Interview With Jason Dettbarn / Founder & CEO of Addigy - Watchdog & RSR Updates

Topics:

-Jason Dettbarn, founder and CEO of Addigy joins us once again.

-We dive right into updates on macOS being problematic and how Addigy deals with this issue.

-With Apple’s first Rapid Security Response, they did not receive any disclosures to provide details.

-Addigy released a new MDM Watchdog to mitigate macOS update issues.

-Addigy made their MDM Watchdog available to everyone.

-We discuss the tools that are out there that try and guide the users to updates as another alternative when MDM is not completing its task.

-Finding out what is next on Apple’s radar can sometimes be a guessing game.

-At Addigy they try to focus on three things: Security first, scalability, and Apple expertise.

-Jason speaks about sticking to what they know and using the tools that are already out there like InTune for device compliance and Okta identity management.

-He gives us his 5-10 year predictions.

505: DuckDuckNo

Topics:

-Joe likes Apple Music playlists. Sam takes live notes. Some good recommnendations:
Restorative Yoga
Headspace

-Jerry can’t listen to music while working.

-He didn’t find Apple Fitness was working for him. Athlytic is an app that he highly recommends.

-Jerry is currently watching Skinwalker Ranch on Netflix.

-HomePod Mini should have a chargeable battery.

-Sam uses his HomePod as a speaker for his bedroom TV.

-Dark Reader is a great browser extension Sam uses with Safari to automatically enables dark mode for sites, even if they don’t support it.

-Sam’s latest gripe about 1Password is that it has a legit issue auto filling SonicWall pages.

-Why is 1Password 8 not in the App Store?

-Jerry doesn’t like DuckDuckGo.

-We get into browser preferences.

-Jerry and Sam both are independently testing Yubikey by Yubico for authentication.

-HCS wrote a guide for using security keys as a second factor with an Apple ID.

-Sam works with a client for a while before he asks the most basic of questions.

-Amazon DNS causes an issue with internet connectivity for one of Jerry’s clients.