Mac Admins Podcast

MacAdmins have to manage all kinds of things. We talk a lot about settings and features when it comes to device management. But fonts are one of those things that can be important and in fact a security issue as well. For example, if a drug company uses the wrong font they could face massive penalties from regulators. Employees might send out materials with unlicensed fonts. In today’s episode we’ll talk about what’s involved in font management: how to get the right fonts on the right devices and build sustainable workflows so teams can have access to such an important aspect of computing.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Glenn Kowalski - LinkedIn

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Chank Fonts!
• DfontSplitter « Peter Upfold
• Extensis
• Trajan (typeface) - Wikipedia

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

 

The world of open source MDMs continues to evolve. We’ve had guests on to talk about open source mdm tools in the past but this is one of those episode topics that should come back up routinely. Especially when we see larger scale operations. Today we’ll talk about how NanoMDM could be  used to build a dynamic and flexible event-based mdm platform. This type of system is broadly useful to multiple different types of orgs and can have great security benefits.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge, Principal Product Manager, JumpCloud – @[email protected]
• Marcus Ransom, Senior Sales Engineer, Jamf – @marcusransom
• Charles Edge, CTO, Bootstrappers.mn – @cedge318

Guests:

• Ryan Diers, Security Engineer, Airbnb – @radsec
• Brandon Kurtz, Client Engineering, Airbnb – @discentem

Links:

• MicroMDM · GitHub
• NanoMDM is a minimalist Apple MDM server heavily inspired by MicroMDM
• NanoDEP is a set of tools and a Go library powering them for communicating with Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP) API servers.
• Videos – MacDevOpsYVR
• NanoMDM Sandbox
• MDMDirector
• https://radsec.net
• radsec (Ryan Diers) · GitHub
• discentem (BK) · GitHub
• Bk (@muffins222221) / Twitter

Sponsors: With Alectrona Patch you can install and update over 300 Mac applications automatically to keep your users protected with the latest security updates. Alectrona is a proud Sponsor of the MacAdmins Podcast and MacAdmins Foundation. Check out Alectrona Patch at alectrona.com/patch to learn more and to book a demo with our team. Patreon Sponsors:

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include:

Rick Goody, Mike Boylan, Melvin Vives, William (Bill) Stites, Anoush d’Orville, Jeffrey Compton, M.Marsh, Hamlin Krewson, Adam Burg, A.J. Potrebka, James Stracey, Timothy Perfitt, Nate Cinal, William O’Neal, Sebastian Nash, Command Control Power, Stephen Weinstein, Chad Swarthout, Daniel MacLaughlin, Justin Holt, William Smith, and Weldon Dodd

Mac Admins Podcast Community Calendar, Sponsored by Watchman Monitoring

Conferences Event Name Location Dates Format Cost XWorld Melbourne, AUS 30-31 March 2023 TBA TBA Upcoming Meetups Event Name Location Dates Cost Sydney Mac Admins Level 6, 341 George St, Sydney 5:30pm 20th April 2023 Free MacAdminsUA MacPaw.Space April 19 at 19:00 Free Recurring Meetups Event Name Location Dates Cost London Apple Admins Pub Online weekly (see #laa-pub in MacAdmins Slack for connection details), sometimes in-person Most Thursdays at 17:00 BST (UTC+1), 19:00 BST when in-person Free #ANZMac Channel Happy Hour Online (see #anzmac in MacAdmins Slack for connection details) Thursdays 5 p.m. AEST Free #cascadia Channel Happy Hour Online (see #cascadia channel in Mac Admins Slack) Thursdays 4 p.m. PT (US) Free Sponsor the Mac Admins Podcast:

If you’re interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Social Media:

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We’re @MacAdmPodcast!

Today, let’s talk about integrations. Most software companies these days want to be a “platform”. Part of that play is to build APIs, document them, and facilitate other companies building integrations as well. But many of us have unique workflows and so have to build our own. In this episode we’ll think about building our own integrations with various tools (e.g. LogicMonitor), and some things to consider when doing so.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge, Principal Product Manager, JumpCloud – @[email protected]
• Marcus Ransom, Senior Sales Engineer, Jamf – @marcusransom
• Charles Edge, CTO, Bootstrappers.mn – @cedge318

Guests:

• Selina Ali, Product Manager, LogicMonitor – LinkedIn

Links:

• LogicMonitor SDKs
• Using LogicMonitor’s REST API
• API Tokens | LogicMonitor
• https://developer.connectwise.com/
• Bonus Question Links:
  • Boat – Wikipedia
  • History of email – Wikipedia
    • Alpine Inn first email: The saga of Alpine Inn aka Zott’s over the years – InMenlo
  • George Mallory – Wikipedia
  • Antikythera mechanism – Wikipedia
  • Pesse canoe – Wikipedia – oldest canoe afaik
  • Is This 10,000-Year-Old Carving Europe’s Oldest Known Depiction of a Boat? | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine – one of the oldest boat depictions
• Selina Ali – LinkedIn

Listen

Sponsors: With Alectrona Patch you can install and update over 300 Mac applications automatically to keep your users protected with the latest security updates. Alectrona is a proud Sponsor of the MacAdmins Podcast and MacAdmins Foundation. Check out Alectrona Patch at alectrona.com/patch to learn more and to book a demo with our team. Patreon Sponsors:

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include:

Rick Goody, Mike Boylan, Melvin Vives, William (Bill) Stites, Anoush d’Orville, Jeffrey Compton, M.Marsh, Hamlin Krewson, Adam Burg, A.J. Potrebka, James Stracey, Timothy Perfitt, Nate Cinal, William O’Neal, Sebastian Nash, Command Control Power, Stephen Weinstein, Chad Swarthout, Daniel MacLaughlin, Justin Holt, William Smith, and Weldon Dodd

Mac Admins Podcast Community Calendar, Sponsored by Watchman Monitoring

Conferences Event Name Location Dates Format Cost XWorld Melbourne, AUS 30-31 March 2023 TBA TBA Upcoming Meetups Event Name Location Dates Cost Sydney Mac Admins Level 6, 341 George St, Sydney 5:30pm 20th April 2023 Free MacAdminsUA MacPaw.Space April 19 at 19:00 Free Recurring Meetups Event Name Location Dates Cost London Apple Admins Pub Online weekly (see #laa-pub in MacAdmins Slack for connection details), sometimes in-person Most Thursdays at 17:00 BST (UTC+1), 19:00 BST when in-person Free #ANZMac Channel Happy Hour Online (see #anzmac in MacAdmins Slack for connection details) Thursdays 5 p.m. AEST Free #cascadia Channel Happy Hour Online (see #cascadia channel in Mac Admins Slack) Thursdays 4 p.m. PT (US) Free Sponsor the Mac Admins Podcast:

If you’re interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Social Media:

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We’re @MacAdmPodcast!

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” - Plato

There are so many different ways to learn about the MacAdmin field. One that we haven’t covered on the pod is the Lynda.com (now LinkedIn) courses that date back to the era of Mac OS X Server. Today, we’ll hear from its creator Sean Collins about his courses, how the industry has evolved, how being considered an industry “expert” helps with building consulting business, and even a little about his upcoming book called “Technically Fit”.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Sean Colins - @sean_m_colins

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Sean Colins (@sean_m_colins) • Instagram photos and videos
• Sean Colins - President - Creative Technology Management | LinkedIn
• https://www.facebook.com/seancolins
• https://www.technically-fit.com
• https://www.seancolins.com

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• Alectrona Patch
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

 

Configuring new devices with Automated Device Enrollment can be a thoroughly magical experience for the end user receiving their machine, but Apple doesn’t have the entire flow programmed in such a way that it’s obvious to the end user what’s happening. Baseline is a new open-source way to handle some of that messaging, and we’re here today to talk with Rob and Trevor from Second Son Consulting in LA about their development efforts.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318

Guests:

• Trevor Sysock - @[email protected]
• Rob Calvert - LinkedIn

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Second Son Consulting, Inc.
• Baseline - GitHub Repo
• Baseline - Wiki

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

 

Join us today for a live panel episode from the X World conference in Melbourne, Australia

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom
• James Smith - @[email protected]

Guests:

• Tony Gray 
• James Corcoran
• Jon Rhoades
• Merill Fernando
• Bart Reardon

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• X World Sessions

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

 

Packaging every version of each piece of software managed can be incredibly time consuming. Without automation, it would take an inordinate amount of time to download, package, test, and deploy software at a cadence that matches how often third party vendors patch their tools. Autopkg can be one of the biggest time savers for those charged with managing Apple devices. We’ve discussed it in previous episodes but in this episode we’ll talk to Manuela Muñoz Bocanegra about her studies of autopkg at a more academic level.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @tbridge777
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Manuela Muñoz Bocanegra - LinkedIn

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Pattern Recognition (Blue Ant): Gibson, William: 9780425198681: Amazon.com: Books
• GitHub - grahampugh/jamf-upload: Scripts for uploading packages to Jamf Cloud
• GitHub - autopkg/autopkg: Automating packaging and software distribution on macOS.

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

HomeKit and the Home app. There are many like it, but this is the kit (no pun intended) that Apple has vetted for automating the home. This ecosystem of products is the culmination of decades of R&D by the home automation industry, made simple - or simple(ish) by Apple. Yet it doesn’t always work as it says on the tin. In this episode we’ll have a panel with Bob Gendler, Steve Yuroff, and Tim Pearson to talk through what we like, what we don’t, and everything in between!

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Tim Pearson
• Bob Gendler
• Steve Yuroff

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Clipsal C-Bus - Wikipedia

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

We love APIs. It tells us a little about products and a lot about how various vendors feel about structured automation. In today’s episode we’ll chat about the FileWave API - what can be done, what can’t - and of course, some cool uses in a new age of AI for everything! Our guest is Josh Levitsky, Global Head of Pro Services at FileWave, who gets to tinker with the FileWave APIs often.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Josh Levitsky - @jlevitsk

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• Carmina Burana - 'In Taberna Quando Sumus' - Carl Orff
• Bulk Update the Enrollment User (auth_username) using API
• JumpCloud Restart an MDM Device with Kext Paths: JumpCloud API - 2.0
• AlmaLinux OS
• Use the winget tool to install and manage applications | Microsoft Learn
• Charles’ Similarity script to find GPT-3 and GPT-J sources
• Forums - FileWave Alliance  - Web Forum
• FileWave Discord Server  - Discord Server
• Josh Levitsky: [email protected] / https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlevitsk 
• FileWave Product Management - Knowledge Base - FileWave Knowledge Base (atlassian.net)
• Script to Bulk Update auth/enrollment username and client name from CSV - Knowledge Base - FileWave Knowledge Base (atlassian.net)

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson

 

There’s always news. So we’ll talk about that for a hot minute. We’ll also talk about how to get the most from products that, well, don’t do everything you want them to do. Or at least the ones that don’t do what you want… yet… In other words, let’s chat about how you convince product managers to build what you need.

Hosts:

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Charles Edge - @cedge318
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Transcript:

Click here to read the transcript (brought to you this week by Alectrona)

Links:

• X World Sessions – 2023 – AUC
• Objective by the Sea
• Automaton 2 Update (Feb 8, 2023) – Twocanoes Software
• MacSysAdmin
• MacAD.UK
• MacAdmins Conference
• Automaton 2 – Twocanoes Store
• What is yak shaving?
• Marty Coffey - Celebrity Speakers

Sponsors:

• Kandji
• Kolide
• dataJAR
• Alectrona
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson