685: Recovered MacBook, Client Trust, and Preparing for Rosetta 2’s Phaseout

Recovered MacBook, Client Trust, and Preparing for Rosetta 2’s Phaseout

In this episode of Command Control Power, Sam and Joe discuss being short-staffed while covering client onboarding and ticket work, and how client relationships shift when a different technician becomes the main contact. Joe recounts a new small boutique client raising concerns about him having passwords, leading to credential changes and enabling MFA, plus a quick non-technical win fixing a poorly positioned VoIP phone stand. They address HomePod/Apple Music use in a business and disabling personal content requests, suggesting services like Spotify instead. Joe shares a case where a “stolen” MacBook Air was recovered via Delta’s lost-and-found because his MDM login window message showed company contact info; he used Adigy monitoring to track online status and IP changes, then arranged an Apple trade-in-value credit path for the recovered device. They close with upcoming macOS 28 changes: Rosetta 2 removal and loss of support for encrypted HFS+ volumes, recommending reporting to identify Intel apps and demonstrating MDM value to clients.

00:00 Cold Open And Introductions

00:17 Covering For Matt

01:31 Client Handoffs And Trust

04:49 Passwords And MFA Talk

06:55 The VoIP Phone Fix

08:13 HomePods In The Office

13:34 Small Biz Vs Enterprise Vibes

15:38 Adequate Survey And Anonymity

18:09 Music Tangent And Genre Debates

23:25 Back To Tech Teaser

23:33 Stolen Mac Recovery

24:23 Lost Device Monitoring

25:31 Delta Lost and Found Lead

30:15 Laptop Returned and Verified

30:36 Lock Screen Message Win

32:35 Trade In or Resell

35:29 Refurbish and Alerts Trigger

36:09 Flex Policy Breakdown

39:02 Lock Screen Serial Tips

41:20 Rosetta and HFS Changes

46:53 MDM Reporting Value

49:59 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Best Of CCP: 158: Balanced Billing the Partner Plan with Richard Wingfield of Envision Design

Recorded on may 31, 2016

TOPICS:

Richard B. Wingfield - Head Geek, Envision Design, LLC of Houston Texas:"I have been using Mac's in business since original Macintosh in '84 and Envision, as a consulting firm, has been around since 1993. Started part time as sole proprietor and 20+ years later we are now a firm of 5 full time consultants here in Houston.

I tell people I am a "recovering architect" as I got my start in technology practicing architecture and being the "tech guy" in every firm I ever worked for. I even helped manage a DEC vax/vms system for a firm in Austin soon after graduating from The University of Texas with a degree in Architecture.

This episode examines Richards own "recipe' for Managed Services. Here is a brief description as discussed:

… Simple Hybrid Partner Plan is setup so almost all the clients “get it” and are not confused about how it works

- 3 part invoice is made up of

- small monthly fee per device (each mac, each windows, each iOS or android, each server… fees like $25/mac or $49/windows or $250/server etc) client must enroll ALL computers in the office (cant get cheap and have some on the system and some not)

- our “consluting fee” - which is time for humans to do the work to manage, monitor, secure and maintain systems and ALWAYS includes a minimum of one 2hr visit per month

(more if needed or requested)

- fees for services or hosting (if we host kerio email or rackspace or web or crashplan backups or re-sell backblaze)

-----------------------------------

You can find more about Richard and Envision design here: Web: http://www.envisiondesign.net

Best Of CCP - 540: Interview With Mike Bombich of CEO and Developer of Carbon Copy Cloner

-We are pleased to welcome Mike Bombich, creator of Carbon Copy Cloner.

-He tells a story of losing data that inspired his creation of Carbon Copy Cloner.

-Mike spent 8 years as a creative with Apple.

-CCC was initially donation-ware.

-He never wanted to put any barrier between you and your data.

-macOS Big Sur started the downfall of bootable backups.

-Mike talks about how that affected CCC and his customers.

-We talk about Time Machine’s reliability and alternatives to built in solutions.

-Mike is not a fan of backing up to disk images.

-Jerry talks about the new Quick Updates feature of CCC.

-Mike talks about his feelings on cloud storage.

-Migration Assistant is another hot topic and we get into methods of restoration.

-Mike has always had a concern about releasing software that can delete data.

-We love the fish (it’s a tuna!) that guides us to privacy settings.

-He shares a bug from the Mojave days that affects helper tools, that has now been corrected in Ventura.

-Carbon Cooy Cloner’s update will not be subscription based.

-Check out the latest release of Carbon Cooy Cloner and the list of new features.

680: Microsoft Retires SMS/Voice MFA, Salesforce SSO Headaches, and SOC 2 Realities

Sam and Joe discuss Microsoft’s plan to retire Microsoft-provided SMS and voice calls for MFA, with key dates of Sept 1, 2026 (users on SMS/voice are automatically enabled for passkeys and nudged to register) and Feb 1, 2027 (blocking enforcement for users whose only MFA is SMS/voice, no opt-out), noting paid/customer-managed telecom options and the need to warn clients, address legacy per-user MFA vs conditional access, and handle shared accounts via shared mailboxes or passkey-sharing tools. Sam recounts a prolonged Salesforce SSO/MFA issue worsened by poor vendor documentation and misleading AI guidance, ultimately tied to a Microsoft KB update. They then cover partnering with Fuji for client SOC 2 compliance support, emphasizing evidence, audits, costs, and ongoing maintenance, plus how cyber-insurance questionnaires drive security improvements. The episode also touches on residential support cases, Vision Pro support challenges with DRM blocking screen mirroring, and show wrap-up.

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:17 Microsoft MFA SMS Retirement

00:44 Key Dates and User Impact

03:28 Authenticator Backups and PSAs

04:40 Legacy MFA Cleanup Challenges

07:36 Conditional Access Licensing Risks

10:12 Shared Accounts and Passkeys

12:21 Salesforce MFA SSO Headaches

13:25 AI Missteps and Vendor Docs

17:50 SOC 2 Help from Fuji

21:23 SOC 2 Costs and Maintenance

22:49 Easy Buttons and Real Audits

26:27 Cyber Insurance Questionnaires

27:53 Partnering for Expertise

29:07 Cyber Insurance Foot in Door

30:31 Apple Store Referral Win

31:01 Lightroom Migration Pitfalls

34:31 Blocked Contacts Mystery

38:04 Email Search and User Training

40:02 Supporting Vision Pro Clients

47:28 Amazon Returns and Exceptions

50:24 Wrap Up and Callouts

679: New OS, Old Problems

In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts discuss early experiences with the macOS 27 “Golden Gate” beta, noting it feels snappy and stable but breaks QuickBooks, leading one host to keep QuickBooks on a headless Mac mini running macOS 26. They cover upcoming Apple Intelligence features, including AI-assisted file renaming, Safari profiles and AI-suggested tab grouping, page-change notifications, and Apple Passwords’ potential to automate password changes (which appears incomplete in testing). The conversation compares Apple Passwords with 1Password, explains passkeys with client-friendly metaphors and technical points, and notes issues caused by multiple password tools. They also review AirPods Pro 3 fit and changes, discuss hearing-aid functionality on AirPods Pro 2/3, and share troubleshooting tips for Splashtop permissions and an Apple Mail send bug tied to “check spelling before sending.”

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:08 macOS Golden Gate Beta

01:47 Safari Tab Groups

06:18 Apple Intelligence Highlights

08:39 Passwords Auto Change

17:48 Passkeys Explained

24:01 Passkey Pitfalls

26:33 AirPods Pro 3 First Impressions

26:47 Better Fit Out of Box

27:07 Why Upgrade AirPods

28:08 Lost AirPod Find My

30:10 Sound Signature Debate

31:25 AirPods at Loud Venues

33:03 Hearing Aid Potential

37:00 Remote Setup iPhone Mirroring

42:08 Splashtop Permissions Trick

44:42 Fuzzy Mic Trend Rant

46:50 Apple Mail Send Bug Fix

49:17 Next Episode Teasers Wrap

676: OS 27 Support, Siri AI, and the New Backup Reality

The hosts discuss early impressions of iOS 27 on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and interest in Siri AI on newer iPhone hardware, plus Apple’s macOS 27 compatibility list ending Intel support while continuing support for 2020 M1 Macs, which they estimate could extend security updates to roughly 2029. They debate device lifespans for home and business, note iOS 27 supports iPhone 11, and consider how Siri AI’s on-device, voice-first, screen-aware approach could change form factors and competition. A cautionary story highlights lost Quicken 2016 data due to missing backups and limitations of iCloud Drive and Backblaze, including Backblaze’s cloud-sync folder controversy and retention/restore issues, while Carbon Copy Cloner’s option to temporarily download cloud-only files is raised. They recount multiple Migration Assistant failures resolved by re-wiping and redoing the migration, identify a client complaint as Stage Manager, and briefly cover testing the UniFi 5G Max cellular backup with AT&T and a low-income T-Mobile-based SIM option.

00:00 OS 27 First Impressions

01:13 macOS 27 Compatibility Shift

02:34 M1 Macs Longevity

05:34 Upgrade Cycles and Siri AI

08:30 Siri AI and Voice Future

10:50 AI Hardware Beyond Phones

13:05 Quicken File Lost

15:09 Backblaze Cloud Sync Fallout

23:24 Carbon Copy Cloner Workaround

26:54 Backup Strategy for Workstations

28:20 Migration Assistant Stalls

29:24 Migration Keeps Dropping

30:36 iCloud Backup Wish

31:25 Thunderbolt Reset Fix

32:55 Fallback Migration Options

33:59 Why Did It Fail

34:59 Sam’s Reboot Mystery

36:56 Backups and Backblaze Rant

40:21 Stage Manager Diagnosis

42:48 Settings Menu Weirdness

46:26 UniFi 5G Max Testing

50:18 Wrap Up and Goodbye