• certifications,  iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  public speaking

    Penn State MacAdmins Back for 2013

    Last year, I had a great time at the Penn State MacAdmins conference. There were tons of smart people to mingle with and everyone had plenty to discuss when it came to managing the Mac. There were a lot of people from education but also plenty from companies. The talks were well run and the conference location, the Penn Stater, was awesome. I love how it’s like a big winding maze. Having gone to school in a town like State College (Athens, GA), I’ve always had a warm spot for cute college towns. And State College is clearly a special place. I’d recommend a trip there to anyone that loves…

  • iPhone,  Mac OS X,  public speaking

    MacIT Is Coming

    If you haven’t signed up for MacWorld/MacIT, then now is the time to do it. The MacIT site is now flush with speakers, many of which are welcomed new faces to the community! Who would have thought back when Apple introduced iTunes as the tool to manage your click wheel iPod that iTunes would eventually be listed on an actual IT conference page in the same bullet as the word Enterprise? Back then we were all still trying to figure out why Metallica hated Napster. But with the advent of iOS a shift has occurred in our community and I think that the MacIT conference overview gives that shift as…

  • public speaking

    MacTech Conference 2012 In Retrospect

    I love going to conferences. MacTech Conference this year is a great example of why. The conference organizers and staff did a superb job, the attendees were top notch and the weather was just right. But it was the same last year in all three regards. What I felt really made MacTech special this year was the Disney pixie dust magic coming together with all of that. And I was only there for a day, regrettably… The talent level at these events continues to be top notch. As Jeff, Nigel, Peter, Gary, now Zack and others have moved on to other platforms and other roles I have continually wondered whether…

  • public speaking

    MacTech Conference in LA Coming Up Soon

    As many will know, I’m taking a break from speaking at conferences for awhile. But before I made that decision, I’d already planned to do a talk on Regression Testing for MacTech, in beautiful Los Angeles. If you haven’t signed up for the conference yet, it’s bound to be excellent, as all of the MacTech events have been. In fact, for more on MacTech from MacTech: MacTech Conference for Apple Developers and IT Pros, October 17-19, 2012 in Los Angeles, has announced its post-event sessions and activities.  The event: a three-day, information-packed event that will have sessions and activities throughout the day and evening. This immersive conference is hotel-based, giving attendees the…

  • Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  public speaking

    Goodbye & Thanks To MacSysAdmin

    MacSysAdmin, a great conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, is now over. The conference went off without a hitch. There were many great presentations and speakers. But I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank the great people from Apoio and especially Patric and Tycho. Tycho, I hope, can now ride Sleipnir home and take his well deserved Odinsleep. Anyway, MacSysAdmin was a class act all round and something I’m proud to have been a part of for the past few years. Thanks, guys! Now to finish up my MacTech talk!

  • public speaking

    My MacSysAdmin Presentations For Today

    The first presentation I’ll be doing at MacSysAdmin today is on Windows Server in Mac OS X and iOS environments, which can be found here: MacSysAdmin_Windows The second presentation I’ll be doing today at MacSysAdmin is on iOS deployment, which can be found here: MacSysAdmin_iOS If you’re not able to attend then I hope you will enjoy. I’ll try and get them to Tycho for uploading to the official site asap.

  • Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  public speaking

    MacTech Conference Sessions Posted

    Not sure if I mentioned awhile back that I’ll be doing a talk at MacTech Conference in Los Angeles. This session is on Regression Testing. The official description is: We have images, packages, scripts, file drops, managed preferences, profiles and countless other means to create change on client systems. This means a practically infinite number of combinations of change on client systems. In order to qualify whether an “image”, which is in reality a combination of all of these things, passes our test of whether or not we can roll it out to users, we must first test it. Otherwise, we end up flooding our help desk, touching systems by…

  • Articles and Books,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  public speaking

    Macworld Call for Speakers Now Open

    I won’t be able to make it to Macworld this year for a number of reasons, most notably that the scheduling gods (unrelated to the Norse pantheon, but similar to that of the Greeks) have me booked on a job that week. However, it’s an event that I wholeheartedly believe in. I think the more of these types of conferences there are, the better off we, as a community, are. My absence is not without my desire to be there, that is for sure. For those who haven’t been involved in the community of Mac Engineers, but who have a compelling narrative to tell, I’d recommend submitting a presentation. As…

  • Articles and Books,  iPhone,  Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment,  public speaking

    MacSysAdmin 2012!

    MacSysAdmin has quickly become one of my favorite conferences to attend. I love the high level of technical acumen and the chance to row a canoe from Minneapolis to Gothenburg, Sweden, which is a serious workout, let me tell you! The 2012 lineup boasts one of the politest guys I know in Arek Dreyer, my coworker Zack Smith, Andrew Renz (of Code 42/CrashPlan fame), the well dressed (and spoken) Ed Marczak, the great Greg Neagle (Munki/Repasado/awesome guy), Alan Gordon’s alter-ego Alan Gordon, the JAMFerific Andrina Kelly, the ostentatious Duncan McCracken, Rick Wylie, Gary Larizza, Luis Giraldo in all his wireless awesomeness, Sébastien Tomasi (representing the file set goodness that is…