Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk Jerry Zigmont

Michael Thomsen, founder of Origin 84 sits down with us once again to have a long overdue conversation.
Michael shares how he and his company has faired since the pandemic.
Will Joe miss ACES for his 20th wedding anniversary?
While in town for ACES 2024, Michael will take the opportunity in to do some fascinating work and experience the Grand Staircase in Utah.
We talk about how Origin 84 is reassessing and potentially adjusting client relationships to optimize efficiency and alignment with their post-pandemic vision.
Initial focus was to identify clients who:
-No longer align with our current business goals (products, services, target market).
-Have outdated contracts that lack clarity on terms, expectations, and fees.
Creating timelines is important to establish a completion date.
Client contracts shows the full value of the business.
Use the media narrative to create opportunities for your business.
Conduct client reviews (surveys, one-on-one meetings, etc.) to assess alignment and contract status.
Develop and implement clear communication protocols (preferred channels, response times, etc.).
Establish healthy boundaries with clients (e.g., scope of work limitations, after-hours communication expectations).
Improve client relationships and manage expectations through clear communication.
Origin 84 sat down as a team to re-evaluate client relationships and used a multitude of factors to decide to continue to work with them.
We discuss the difficulty to assess profitability per client with unlimited monthly models.
Time tracking is still critical to understand if your company is profitable.
“Track the time, sell the value.” Jason Harrison
Jerry talks about how he manages his business as an army of one.
Be careful proposing to all your clients. What happens if they all say yes?
Michael gives us some great insight into his business acumen. 
It all flows back to Burning Man for Joe. 
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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.

Beloved Author and Apple Authority Passes Away
The Apple community mourns the loss of Charles Edge, a renowned author and expert who dedicated his career to empowering users with knowledge.  
Charles was a cornerstone for many Apple enthusiasts.  His acclaimed book series, "Take Control of OS X Server," provided users with clear and comprehensive guidance on managing their server environments.  He was also known for his ongoing work on a historical chronicle of computing, showcasing his passion for technology's evolution.
Beyond his publications, Charles was admired for his genuine kindness and willingness to share his expertise.  He leaves behind a legacy of not only valuable resources, but also a spirit of helpfulness that enriched the Apple community.
Command Control Power remembers Charles Edge, a friend and expert we had the pleasure of speaking with. This conversation from 2014 is a testament to his knowledge and enduring legacy. We miss him dearly.
Sincerely,
Joe, Sam, and Jerry

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How do you protect domains that do not have email? Here are the key points:
-Email addresses can be spoofed to appear as if they are coming from a different domain. This can be used for phishing attacks.
There are several ways to protect domains without email addresses:
* DMARC record: This tells email servers what to do with emails that claim to be from the domain but don't come from an authorized source.
* DKIM record: This helps to verify the sender's identity for emails.
* SPF record: This specifies which email servers are authorized to send email for the domain.
Jerry recommends looking into Cloudflare.
* Whois privacy: This service hides the contact information for the domain owner. It can prevent ethical hackers from reaching out to report vulnerabilities, but it doesn't prevent spoofing.
Joe talks about creating a separate global admin account that is not used for regular email and has a strong password. MFA (multi-factor authentication) should also be enabled for this account.
Phishing campaigns and training is a great add on to protect clients from the weakest link…the user.
-Some users won’t see the value of services until something goes wrong.
-Sam is concerned about being locked into a cloud backup service once enrolled.
* Challenges of selling security services: Some clients may be resistant to paying for security recommendations, especially if they don't see the immediate benefit. We need to explain the risks and the potential consequences of not taking action.
Let clients say no to additional services, especially with relation to security.
* Synology vs Backup Service: There's a good discussion in the chat between on-premise backup using Synology and cloud-based backup services like Datto or Barracuda. Synology requires an upfront cost but offers more control and potentially lower cost in the long run, while cloud backups are easier to manage but can be more expensive.
Backup Considerations:
* Legal holds: Legal requirements to retain data for a certain period (e.g., 7 years) need to be considered when choosing a backup solution.
* Migration:** Moving between backup solutions can be difficult and expensive.
Synology Management:
* Active Backup can be used for backups.
* Active Insight can be used for monitoring backups and servers.
* Email notifications can be configured for Synology alerts.
Ultimately, choosing a Backup Solution depends on factors like the number of users, the amount of data, budget, technical expertise, and desired level of control.
Joe brings up Genie by Norton as a free scam detector.

Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, they discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.

Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, they discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.