macOS

Online privacy with a VPN

Personal VPNs can help you stay safe and anonymous when doing research online.

Mac Admins Podcast - Episode 375

Big thanks to Tom Bridge and Marcus Ransom for having me on the podcast to talk shop about managing an Apple MDM at scale in the MSP space! Mac Admins Podcast: Episode 375: Managing Macs at MSPs with Ross MatsudaRoss Matsuda joins the Podcast from Ntiva, where he manages a

Scripting

Cisco Secure Client + Umbrella, Part 3: Deployment

Putting the pieces together to install Cisco Secure Client on your macOS fleet will look something like this.

Scripting

Cisco Secure Client + Umbrella, Part 2: MDM Profiles

You'll want a few MDM profiles ready to go before you begin deploying Cisco Secure Client 5.x with the Umbrella module

Scripting

Cisco Secure Client + Umbrella, Part 1: Ingredients

A review of the items you'll need to migrate from OpenDNS Umbrella Roaming Client 3.x to Cisco Secure Client 5.x with the Umbrella Module.

macOS

DDM Software Update Logs

To learn more about prompted (or unprompted) DDM software update restarts, we took a look at the important, but temperamental, /var/loginstall.log.

Videos

The University of Utah Presentation - November 2023

A presentation that picks up where my MacAdmins 2023 presentation on GUI scripting left off.

macOS

DDM Software Update Local Status for macOS

Once a DDM software update declaration makes it to a Sonoma Mac, it stores some information on the device that we can use.

Videos

Scripting the Unscriptable - MacAdmins 2023 Presentation

A recording of my MacAdmins 2023 session on GUI scripting using AppleScript.

News

MacAdmins 2023 Session

I'll be presenting a session on GUI scripting at the MacAdmins 2023 Conference in Pennsylvania on July 20th.

Scripting

Software Updates, Bonus Round - SWU Bugged Fact

Here's a device fact/extension attribute you can use to see if the `softwareupdate` binary can't see the most recent macOS updates.

macOS

Software Updates, Part 3 - Remediation

There are a lot of different approaches you can take to remediating software update availability errors on your fleet, and many tools at your disposal.

News

Command-Control-Power interview

An interview with the team at the Command-Control-Power podcast.

Scripting

Software Updates, Part 2 - Advanced States

Depending on your Macs' software update state, you can divide your fleet into groups with some advanced logic.

Scripting

Software Updates, Part 1 - Device State

We can use locally-stored .plist data to differentiate between available updates and upgrades, then make decisions based on those results.

MDM

Google Chrome Extension MDM Profiles

If you aren't looking for full browser management, but still need some Chrome extensions deployed, manage them via MDM Profile.

Scripting

GUI Scripting with AppleScript

GUI scripting can be a high-investment, high-reward endeavor. While often intimidating, it can give you some unique and powerful tools.

Scripting

Guidelines for installer types

A review of a few types of condition scripts you can use for your installers. Every app has its needs, and you can meet those needs elegantly.

Addigy

Accessing Addigy's Public Software pkgs

Once Addigy has released a public software item, you can point your scripts at their .pkg installers, saving yourself the time and trouble of uploading them yourself.

MacAdmins 2020 Presentation

MacAdmins 2020 - Early Efficiencies: Prioritizing your time as a new Mac Admin through automation and other best practices.

macOS

macOS Ventura beta in VMWare Fusion

VMWare Fusion doesn't make it easy to set up a fresh VM with Monterey or later. Here are some resources to help get your Ventura beta VM on its feet.

Scripting

Per-device exemptions using flag files

Setting and removing flag files can be a quick, reliable way to identify Macs that should be included (or exempted) from certain actions.

Addigy

Exceptions in MacManage policy scoping

Policy inheritance prevents MacManage scoping exceptions in child policies - but we can build around that with creative use of flex policies.

Addigy

Creating support tickets in Addigy scripts

You can use Addigy's go-agent binary to generate support tickets and emails from within your scripts. Here's an example of that in action.

Addigy

Managing Microsoft Office in Addigy

Managing the app lifecycle for Microsoft Office can be more sensitive than it looks at first glance. Optimize your deployment and update workflow in Addigy to keep your fleet up-to-date invisibly.