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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.

540: Interview With Mike Bombich of CEO and Developer of Carbon Copy Cloner

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Topics:

-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.

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.


518: The Sin Eater

Topics:

-What is a sin-eater?

-Jerry talked about which level of Microsoft to move to from Rackspace.

-He used Emailchemy to convert the data.

-Dealing with customers that purchase the wrong hardware to save a buck.

-What to do when you have additional storage needs with Microsoft accounts. Jerry finds out.

-After an automated Synology alert, Jerry finds out that a client moved and unplugged it without a proper shutdown.

-Sam & Joe differ on their Amazon return experience at Whole Foods.

-UPS Store experiences are another level of customer service.

513: Pricing Your Device Management Stack

Topics:

-Jerry & Joe talk about their monthly MSP offerings and the services it includes.

-Jerry uses Square for automated credit card payments and invoices.

-Joe talks about competing on quality as opposed to pricing.

-Offering a lower starting point without important services can put both you and the customer in a bad position.

-How do you handle consultants in your area that offer extremely low rates?

-The hosts speak to the benefits of monthly fees.

-Priority scheduling and unattended remote support are big selling points for Joe’s plan.

-We spoke with Tim Pearson on Patreon Episode 471 to discuss some great tips on managed services pricing.

-One of Jerry’s clients uses a Remote Desktop tool called NuoRDS.

-Jerry was able to remotely assist a customer while in an Uber in Belgium.

-The tool that Jerry uses to manage scheduled restarts is called Power Manager