Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

Jerry Zigmont, Joe Saponare, Sam Valencia

Sam, Jerry, and Joe discuss their thoughts and draw from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

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33 episodes
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English

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#674
June 23 · 48 min
674: Champing at the Bit for iOS 27 and Ghostly Hackers
The hosts discuss Jerry installing iOS 27 beta on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and watch, reporting strong stability, snappy performance, and minor reported edge-case crashes, while noting Siri AI requires newer hardware due to RAM constraints and that others find the new Siri improved. Joe shares a fresh issue deploying an MDM configuration profile to disable Siri: users still received "unable to use Siri" prompts because "Listen for 'Hey Siri'" could remain enabled, requiring removing the profile, turning it off locally, and reapplying; Apple Intelligence also wasn't fully disabled. Sam describes improving client offboarding by building a monday.com form that feeds Zendesk tickets, and the group compares running lean teams, using subcontractors and Foundation as pay-as-you-go helpdesk support (including an optional branded phone line). They also cover business uncertainty, tax-law changes affecting S-corps, and handling time-consuming "I've been hacked" client calls. 00:00 Show Kickoff Banter 00:35 iOS 27 Beta First Impressions 01:42 Installing Live and Siri AI Limits 04:40 MDM Glitch Disabling Siri 07:52 Advising Clients on Apple AI 10:16 Offboarding Workflow in Monday 12:25 Solo Juggling Without the Team 15:49 Jerry Business and Tax Updates 19:05 Hacked Device Panic Call 20:51 Explaining Normal iOS Mac Features 22:46 Clean Bill of Health Limits 24:07 Lean Teams and Overhead 28:51 Using Outsourced Helpdesk 29:58 Onboarding Big Client While Away 34:56 Pricing and Custom Phone Line 37:57 How to End Free Calls 41:56 Defining Success and Boundaries 45:23 Wrap Up and Outro
#673
June 16 · 56 min
673: AI for IT Workflows, Solutions and Apple's Slow Siri Rollout
In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts discuss practical IT uses of AI, including improving client communications, speeding email migration due diligence via AI-generated PowerShell reporting (mailbox size, forwarding rules, aliases, naming pitfalls, licensing limits), and reducing billing friction by summarizing recorded RingCentral calls in Claude to log hours and generate detailed invoices, including for Ubiquiti camera projects. They debate risks such as blindly running AI-suggested commands, clients acting on AI advice, and data leakage when employees paste company information into public AI tools, emphasizing guardrails, policies, and potential local/private AI setups (e.g., Mac mini with Ollama). The conversation broadens to AI's impact on IT business models, automation in ticketing, and Apple's lackluster AI progress, delayed Siri features, privacy positioning, and reliance on partners like Google/Gemini. 00:00 Show Kickoff 00:02 New Studio Tour 00:31 Flag Outage Story 01:35 AI Migration Prep 03:26 PowerShell Due Diligence 05:36 Call Summaries Invoicing 07:31 Automating Call Logs 09:35 AI As Expert Helper 11:51 Safety With Commands 12:58 Clients Using AI 13:54 Data Privacy Guardrails 17:17 Industry Shift Fears 20:07 Auto Reply Ticketing 24:18 Local AI Knowledge Base 26:02 AI Eats Software 27:35 Future Of IT Services 29:04 AI Automation Ethics 30:06 Market Pressure On IT 31:03 Apple Intelligence Doubts 33:10 Privacy And Gemini 35:06 Apple Strategy And Mindshare 37:43 MDM Guardrails Needed 39:39 First Mover Myth 43:32 Ubiquity And AirPods AI 47:21 Beta Plans And Rollout 48:06 AI Policy And Profiles 51:32 Wrap Up And Outro
June 9 · 1 hr 8 min
Best Of CCP - Interview With Dave Hamilton - CEO of BackBeat Media, Mac Geek Gab, Gig Gab, and Business Brain Podcasts
Topics: -This week we welcome Dave Hamilton of Mac Geek Gab! -Dave actually grew up a street away from our very own Joe Saponare. -Dave has some knowledge on the music history in the area. -Dave has known his co-host, John Braun since they were 15 years old. -He remembers the days of NCSA Mosaic. -The Mac Observer and BackBeat Media are just some of Dave's major accomplishments. -Wasn't 2001 just a few years ago? -Dave takes us down memory lane in the early days of The Mac Observer. -His original plan was not to continue hosting Mac Geek Gab. -Being persistent paid off as he reached out to Steve Jobs himself to be included in their new Podcast Directory. -In both Texas and the northeast, Dave has a quite a technical background. -Quick Tip from Joe - If the minimum brightness is too bright on your iPhone, you can Reduce White Point under Accessibility>Display & Text Size. -We talk about listener burnout in the podcast world. -Mac Geek Gab is on episode 941! -A tip that Jerry heard on Dave's show was about Tailscale, which makes a virtual network out of your devices, no matter where you are. -Sam talks about some tips he learned on recent episodes of Mac Geek Gab. -The simple stuff is why you get paid the "big bucks". -Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast is another show Dave co-hosts with Shannon Jean. -The 20 minute rule - keeping clients engaged every 20 minutes along the way. -Besides his podcasts, you can find Dave at https://www.davethenerd.com or on Twitter @davehamilton
June 2 · 59 min
672: Apple TV Picks, Disclosure Theories, and Practical macOS Admin Tips
The hosts discuss Apple TV shows they were late to, including The Morning Show and For All Mankind, and talk about Hail Mary Project, comparing the film's "E.T.-esque" choices to Andy Weir's book. They segue into UFO/alien "disclosure" chatter, mentioning Spielberg's upcoming Disclosure Day, the film Age of Disclosure, alleged legacy programs, and the idea that disclosure could distract from other news. The conversation returns to Apple and IT topics: an Apple fix for managed login window settings not resetting, a Family Sharing change allowing adult members to use their own payment methods, and why hidden Wi‑Fi networks trigger Apple security warnings. They share productivity tips, including a Shortcut to sort Contacts by creation date, NFC tag uses, remapping Safari's Quit shortcut, menu bar icon spacing via defaults write, Finder column auto-sizing, and Boring Notch. Jerry describes building a client podcast studio around the RØDECaster Video S and Rode support, then they explain using Adigy DDM to automate macOS updates and upgrades with policies, scheduling, and monitoring alerts. 00:00 Show Kickoff Banter 00:18 Apple TV Catch Up 02:12 Hail Mary Debate 04:25 Disclosure Day Talk 07:32 Mac Login Banner Bug 09:47 Family Sharing Payments 10:50 Hidden WiFi Warning 13:25 Contacts Sort Shortcut 17:47 NFC Shortcut Ideas 20:38 Safari Quit Remap 24:00 Menu Bar Icon Tools 24:56 Menu Bar App Trust 26:16 Declutter Menu Bar 27:09 Shrink Icon Spacing 29:04 Finder Column Autosize 30:28 Boring Notch Tricks 32:10 Building Podcast Studio 33:17 RodeCaster Video S 39:27 Video Podcasts Debate 41:51 DDM Updates Workflow 49:20 DDM Policies and Alerts 55:32 Wrap Up and Patreon
May 26 · 45 min
Best Of CCP - 309: The Tech Power Of Magnets
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, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.
#670
May 19 · 48 min
670: Adam Engst (TidBITS) Apple at 50 — The Anniversary Nobody's Talking About: Community, HyperCard, and What We Lost
Adam Angst of TidBITS reflects on Apple's 50 years through the lens of early tech idealism, arguing that what mattered most wasn't Apple itself but the community around it, which was weakened by shifts like the end of Macworld keynotes, Apple's vertical integration, and the decline of user groups and independent resellers. He contrasts the Mac's early "create" ethos (e.g., HyperCard) with later emphasis on communication and content consumption via iPod, iPhone, and social media, while noting growing societal harms from tech giants. Angst describes renewed excitement in creation via AI tools, citing apps he built for track training and race pacing. He recounts how his 1993 Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh bundled software (including MacTCP) and a flat-rate ISP account, prompting an Apple Legal scare resolved by the MacTCP product manager, and closes by urging people to ditch social media and "go outside." 00:00 Part Two Kickoff 00:37 TidBITS Anniversary 00:52 Apple 50 Reflections 01:59 Pre Web News Era 04:33 Early Internet Optimism 05:20 Flame Wars Then 07:31 Apple Idealism Fades 10:20 Community Was The Magic 11:45 Macworld And User Groups 14:00 Vertical Integration Shift 17:25 Apple Turning Points 22:20 Creators To Consumers 25:43 From Consumption to Creation 26:01 Bicycle for the Mind 27:27 AI as Research Assistant 28:26 Building Runner Tools 29:40 Pacing Math Problem 33:25 AI MVP to Real Code 36:04 Internet Starter Kit Origins 40:56 Apple Legal Scare 43:09 Invent a Better Future 46:04 Go Outside Finale ——————————————————————————__—
#669
May 12 · 1 hr 6 min
669: Adam Engst (TidBITS): Slack Impersonation Malware, Anthropic's Mythos, and Why You Need a Personal AI Defender
Adam Engst (TidBITS) discusses a malware incident in a long-running public "Slack Bits" group where a bad actor impersonated Glenn Fleishman via a duplicate Slack display name, tricking him into downloading an info-stealer, prompting Engst to consider shutting down the 1,400-member community. The conversation shifts to Anthropic's Mythos and Project Glasswing (as covered by TidBITS security editor Rich Mogull), which reportedly found long-standing bugs (including in OpenBSD and FFmpeg), raising concerns about AI-accelerated vulnerability discovery, defender/attacker asymmetries, costs and compute barriers, and impacts on zero-day markets. They also cover Apple's iOS signing and update/upgrade distinctions, why Apple supports macOS differently than iOS, broader distrust in institutions, social media's advertising/algorithm problems (including Section 230), bots and AI-driven phishing, and the idea of local, user-controlled AI agents to help protect individuals online. 00:00 Welcome Back Adam Engst 00:20 Slack Impersonation Scare 02:15 Cleaning Up a Public Slack 03:40 Mythos and Glasswing Explained 05:19 AI Bug Hunting Reality Check 08:25 Red Team Blue Team Asymmetry 09:50 Compute Costs and Access Barriers 12:19 Trust Ethics and Regulation 17:50 Personal AI Security Agents 23:34 Zero Day Markets and Exploit Kits 25:40 iOS Signing and Update Windows 27:13 Why Macs Get Longer Support 32:06 Scams Incentives and Pig Butchering 34:02 Life Offline and Misinformation 35:41 Social Media Hot Garbage 36:43 Addiction By Design 37:46 Advertising Model Flaw 38:47 Infinite Scroll Limits 39:39 Dunbar Number Reality 40:54 Platform Power Responsibility 42:46 AI Influencers And Slop 43:37 Bots And Fake Accounts 46:33 AI Phishing And Passkeys 49:21 Closed Communities Trust 53:25 CAPTCHAs And Human Help 56:08 Section 230 And Algorithms 57:46 Chronological Feed Fix 59:35 Two Week News Rule 01:02:41 Ads In Maps Backlash 01:04:10 Wrap Up And Next Part
#668
May 5 · 48 min
668: Michael Thomsen of Origin 84, Part Two - Reusable Compliance Policies, ISO 27001 Audits, and Building a Fractional GRC/Strategy Bench
In this Command Control Power episode, host Joe and guests discuss standards, policies, certification, and compliance with Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 in Sydney, continuing an ISO 27001 deep dive. Michael explains how policies are written to solve specific control problems (e.g., MFA) and can be reusable, while areas like data classification require tailoring based on a client's industry, legislation, contracts, and workflows; key discovery questions include where data is stored and shared, and what obligations contracts impose. The conversation contrasts frameworks (NIST, Essential Eight) and notes auditors verify that policies drive processes and are followed, emphasizing continual improvement through audits, risk/incident tracking, and iterative remediation. Jerry and Sam share healthcare/SOC 2 experiences and discuss shifting solo consultants from tactical support to higher-value strategic advisory/account management, using fractional roles and partners. Michael outlines Origin 84's fractional model (financial controller, HR, strategy officer, plus legal/CFO) and sourcing via professional networks, LinkedIn, and conferences like ACEs, where Michael will present on account management
#667
April 28 · 58 min
667: Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 on Building a Process-Driven MSP and Using Compliance Frameworks for Strategy
CCP welcomes returning guest Michael Thomsen of Origin 84 from Sydney, Australia and discusses how he prepares to leave his business for long travel by relying on organizational design, documentation, and clear accountability, using Confluence and EOS-style role success criteria to prevent gaps and duplication. They explore perfectionism versus "good enough," emphasizing repeatable standards a team can deliver, protecting integrity, and avoiding preventable mistakes. The conversation shifts to why SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 matter as clients face more vendor-risk questions, and how policies differ from procedures by enabling decentralized decisions. Michael explains Origin 84's fixed-fee, services-first model and a "magic quadrant" approach that moves from help desk and IT admin to account management and strategy, using root-cause fixes across all clients. He details standardizing on Microsoft-first tooling (including Entra SSO for Google), vendor-risk concerns, and how certification frameworks drive continual improvement and practical, auditable policies. 00:00 Welcome Back Michael 00:35 Travel Rituals Offline 01:14 Leaving the Business 03:23 Planning Like Military 04:47 Runbooks EOS Accountability 07:22 Perfection Versus Good 13:53 Standards And Certifications 16:32 Policy Versus Procedure 17:56 Building Sticky Services 20:14 Magic Quadrant Strategy 23:16 Fix Root Causes 26:21 Flat Rate Incentives 27:45 Strategy Alignment Limits 29:13 Listening Before Pushing 30:08 Pricing Pushback Story 31:52 Standardize Security Baselines 34:33 Paying for Certification Proof 36:10 Cut Costs via Account Management 36:50 Client Owned Subscriptions 39:21 Microsoft as North Star 41:10 Vendor Risk and Contingencies 47:37 Entra SSO for Google 50:46 ISO 27001 Policy Reality Check 54:57 Part Two Wrap Up
April 21 · 57 min
Best Of CCP - 200: Not So Off The Rails
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, thaey discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.
#665
April 14 · 49 min
665: Apple's 50th Anniversary Old Shortcuts, and What Still Delights - Part 2
The hosts revisit early Apple and Mac experiences and discuss first keyboard shortcuts, focusing on "Command Control Power" after a photographer client referenced it while troubleshooting a MacBook Pro that died on location from a drained battery. They debate the proper shortcut key order versus Apple's conventions, recall Apple II shortcuts like Control–Open Apple–Reset, and reflect on floppy-drive workflows and multi-disk backups. The conversation shifts to Apple's attempts to break into business hardware, Steve Jobs' impact and management style, and a perceived reversal where hardware fit-and-finish improved while macOS feels buggier, with annual OS releases and settings moving cited as problems. They note Rapid Security Response/Background Security Improvements placement changes, praise Apple Watch and AirPods, share audience photos and Apple memorabilia, and close with gratitude to Apple, colleagues, and listeners. 00:00 Apple 50th Kickoff 00:27 Shortcut Origin Story 01:08 Photo Shoot Panic 02:17 Shortcut Order Debate 03:27 Open Apple Keys 05:16 Save Changes Shutdown 07:33 Floppy Boot Days 09:02 Apple In Business 12:22 Jobs Magic And Myth 14:03 Modern OS Buggy Era 19:27 Settings Search Problem 23:17 Yearly OS Cadence 26:04 Planned Obsolescence Talk 27:46 Software Sells Hardware 28:07 Mac CPU Transitions 29:12 Snow Leopard Lessons 31:37 Intel Era Reality Check 33:11 Security Updates Moved 34:22 Throwback Mac Photos 35:52 Daily Delight Devices 40:12 Old iPhones and iPods 42:29 Apple Employee Card 44:37 Startup Office Memories 46:13 50 Years of Apple
#664
April 7 · 55 min
664: Apple at 50 - First Macs, HyperCard, iPod Halo, and Memories from the Early Days - Part 1
Apple at 50: First Macs, HyperCard, iPod Halo, and Memories from the Early Days - Part 1 The hosts celebrate Apple's 50th anniversary (recorded April 1) and recommend David Pogue's book "Apple at 50," including his Computer History Museum interview. They invite listener stories and discuss first Apple computers (Apple IIe/IIc/II Plus), early BASIC programming habits, and Apple's influence in schools via HyperCard/HyperTalk. Jerry recounts starting on PC compatibles in a tool-and-die business, moving into Macs for music/MIDI and Finale, and shows a 1989 receipt for a Macintosh IIx system costing about $7,000 (roughly $14,730 in 2026 dollars). Listener Dwayne Moss shares memories working at Apple, concerts at sales conferences, seeing Steve Jobs introduce the iPod at Town Hall, and being hired and laid off three times. The group reflects on the iPod's Windows support, the "digital hub" era, early CD burning, Airport cards, Macworld/iPhone displays, Newton hardware, and transitions from PowerPC to Intel to Apple silicon. 00:00 Apple Turns 50 00:40 David Pogue Book Pick 01:59 First Apple Computers 03:56 Learning BASIC Early 06:34 Jerry's First Macs 09:25 Sticker Shock Pricing 11:55 From Punch Cards to AI 13:42 HyperCard Magic 15:38 Listener Story Dwayne 18:30 iPod Halo Effect 20:37 Digital Hub Creativity 24:15 CD Burning Nostalgia 26:31 Iconic iPhone Sounds 27:26 First Business Macs 28:49 Early WiFi Upgrades 30:35 Offline Computing Era 31:45 Macworld iPhone Memories 36:09 Newton Surprise Find 39:12 Early Influences 39:55 Jerry Career Pivot 46:23 Vintage Server Rooms 50:33 G4 to Intel Shift 50:55 Wrap
#633
March 31 · 57 min
663: No Slam Dunk: Apple Setup Snags & Compliance Hoops
Joe and Jerry discuss Apple's redesigned online store, noting that Mac configuration choices are now embedded in the URL, making it easier to share exact specs with clients. Jerry describes upgrading from an M3 MacBook Air to an M5 Air via trade-in and 0% financing, then they compare experiences with Migration Assistant failures during remote migrations, including restarts, antivirus removal, and workarounds like migrating via an external drive. They talk about battery-life and thermal concerns on smaller MacBook Pros, using Low Power Mode, and consider how an entry-level "Neo" Mac might expand education or large deployments. Joe warns Apple's Partner Network locator has worse search and may mishandle reviews, recommending saving reviews via Claude-generated HTML. They gripe about post-update "Welcome to Mac" and Apple Intelligence prompts disrupting remote access, share an iPhone brightness mishap, cover RingCentral shared-inbox texting requiring opt-in/terms/privacy compliance, and Jerry previews a job cleaning mouse contamination from a network closet using protective gear. 00:00 Show kickoff Sam missing 00:20 Apple Store URL configs 04:35 Jerry upgrades MacBook Air 05:29 Migration Assistant failures 07:21 Remote setup workflow 13:44 Trade in timing value 14:53 Battery life low power mode 16:29 Thermals 14 inch Pro 18:45 Mac Neo market wildcard 20:48 Partner locator review backup 24:23 Locator search broken 28:39 AI Bugs and Review Backups 30:03 Claude Recreates Review Page 31:34 Welcome Screen Update Rage 33:14 Remote Access Blocked by Prompts 35:22 Stability Over New Features 37:37 iPhone Brightness Disaster 40:19 Shared SMS Inbox with RingCentral 41:44 Business SMS Compliance Hoops 49:34 Hazmat Tech Closet Cleanup 54:41 Patreon and Wrap Up

Showing 21–33 of 33 episodes