MacTech Boot Camp is specifically targeted at the issues facing techs supporting small to medium sized businesses, small office, and home office (often referred to as SMB or SOHO markets), as well as home users (consumers). Specifically, it is not for Enterprise nor developers (those topics are covered at the annual MacTech Conference). MacTech Boot Camp's sessions cover a variety of topics from those in the know about the following topics: all designed to make Boot Camp attendees more successful in supporting these markets. See the individual session descriptions below for a break down of each topic.

Sessions

Sessions are 30-60 minutes long, with most sessions are about 45 minutes. There are nine sessions in the 2012 curriculum titled:

• Building Your Brand: Marketing and Business Concerns
• Best practices: Hardware, Software and Network Deployment
• The New World of Apple IDs, iTunes, and Mac App Store
• Troubleshooting Methodologies: Hardware, Software and Network Problems
• Business Technologies: Mobility, Virtualization and Windows
• An Experts Guide to Working with Clients
• Storage and Protecting Oneself: Backing up, Archiving and Restoring Data
• How to Make Remote Consulting Work for You
• You Can't Know Everything: Getting the Support You Need

Topics Examples

The topics covered will include such as:

• Marketing Oneself in a Community
• Client Handling
• Client Documentation, Passwords and Records
• Apple's New Approach to Apple IDs
• Apple ID Management, account merging
• Resources for Finding Answers
• Methods for troubleshooting
• Business technologies and the Mac
• Windows on the Mac Options
• Backup Systems and Options
• Viruses and Security
• Support Call Techniques
• Remote Support and Access
• and more...

Read on for more details.

Session Title:
Building Your Brand: Marketing and Business Concerns

Time: 40 minutes including Q&A

You are new in business, or you've been doing this for years; in either case you can't apply your skills as a technology consultant until you have customers to apply them to! Marketing is one of the most important, but most overlooked skills in our business. We will teach you how to market yourself using your social skills, and contacts, as well as people and organizations you may not have considered. You will learn to market your skills to specific communities where word of mouth can catch fire to set your business above the rest.

Session Title:
Best practices: Hardware, Software and Network Deployment

Time: 45 minutes including Q&A

What are best practices for installing new computers? What about Windows partitions, how to install an OS, software updates, and more? What do you need to know about password strength, printer setup, and more? How do you handle serial numbers? What are the basic choices your clients need to know for wired and wireless networks, and VPNs? What are the benefits of master images and deployment methods? We’ll discuss these and other items.

Session Title:
The New World of Apple IDs, iTunes, and Mac App Store

Time: 30 minutes including Q&A

Apple has changed the rules for Apple IDs, iTunes accounts, and more. Learn the new rules, how devices are treated, migrating to new hardware, dealing with multiple IDs, and iCloud. Find out how iTunes Match works, how Mac App Store differs from iTunes, and the right way for doing deployment and imaging. Learn the restrictions for merging Apple IDs and how to combine them.

Session Title:
Troubleshooting Methodologies:
Hardware, Software and Network Problems

Time: 45 minutes including Q&A

You've worked your magic on the problems you've encountered and nothing is working. It must be hardware, but how can you be sure? What are the tests and tricks you should try, and in what order? How do you know when a problem is software based or hardware based, and how will that determination change your plan of action to get the problem solved for your customer?

We walk you through the best tests and utilities, along with a best practice methodology for troubleshooting, and what to do when you are sure hardware is the problem.

Session Title:
Business Technologies:
Mobility, Virtualization and Windows

Time: 55 minutes including Q&A

Businesses of all sizes need business technology. Find out your options for integrating mobility, virtualization and Windows into your clients’ networks.

Mobility is a big part of today's world, and it's getting bigger. Who are the main mobility players? What are your Mobile Device Management Options? How do you deal with iOS integration to the Mac/PC?

With everything you've done for your customer so far, they think the world of you. It would be horrible to lose that trust just because they ask you to put Windows on their Mac. You may not be a Windows person, but you can absolutely handle Windows on your customers Mac, and we're going to show you how. We will give you the pros and cons of virtualization and non-virtualization options. We'll help you understand some of Windows' main technologies, security and best practices.

Session Title:
An Experts Guide to Working with Clients

Time: 30 minutes including Q&A

So your marketing paid off! You have clients. Now, can you talk to them? Can you translate those often misspoken needs and wants into tangible technical deliverables? Can you help your hard won customers to understand your ongoing value and keep coming back for more? We’ll guide you through some of the most important steps to help you lead your customers; guide them to the right solutions, and convert their unfocused dreams into fully understood needs.

Learn how to best protect yourself from scope creep, incorrect needs assessment, miscommunicated rate structures and other communications faux pas' that can lead to unpaid invoices, or worse. Your customer now knows what they want, and what you can deliver and you have agreed to do it for a mutually understood price. You are well on your way to a positive customer experience, and repeat business.

Now, how are you going to document all of this? In fact, once you get started, how will you document your work, the customers serial numbers, inventory, and other important data they surely assume you will gather, keep and protect on their behalf? We will show you how to safely and securely document information for your customers, and we will expose you to some of the pitfalls of failing to do so properly.

Session Title:
Storage and Protecting Oneself:
Backing up, Archiving and Restoring Data

Time: 45 minutes including Q&A

Well, you've learned your lesson, the hard way. Before making a major change to a system, get a clean backup. But what about backups? There are so many options, some free, some very expensive, and some require you to roll your own. We expose you to the software available to perform backups, and we give you best practices for backup strategies related to backup rotation, media types, online, offline and nearline storage solutions, as well as over-the-net solutions. We talk about the pro's and con's so you can make an informed decision that is right for your specific customers needs. There is no "one size fits all" solution, so we prepare you to make an informed decision.

One of the things that is the most fun about computers is making them do things for you automatically, so you can focus your time and effort on more important things in your life. We will talk about how to use tools like Automator, and AppleScript, and even shell scripting to help you to make your computer or your customers computers, do the types of things people expect computers to do.

Session Title:
How to Make Remote Consulting Work for You

Time: 35 minutes including Q&A

You have setup the perfect small office for your customer. Every best practice followed, no expense spared, everything is right. Still, customers love to call with questions, and when they do, you need to deal with their needs in a way that meets their expectations, is fair to you and the loved ones who have to deal with you answering your phone at all hours of the day and night. We will give you solid guidance on how to handle support calls from your customers so you can keep them happy, and keep your sanity all at the same time.

If you can't fix it over the phone, you'll probably have to actually work on the customers’ computers to fix the problem. But how wonderful would it be to do so without driving across town? If you plan ahead, and setup the proper systems like ARD, VNC, VPN and a host of other possible technologies, you can solve many support problems for your customers remotely. We show you the currently available options, talk about proper configuration, and costs to you and the customer, and ways you can track your remote support to be sure you make money for your efforts.

Session Title:
You Can't Know Everything: Getting the Support You Need

Time: 35 minutes including Q&A

Your job is off to a fantastic start. You are fantastically prepared, yet as so frequently happens, you run into a snag right in the middle of the job. Something you've never seen before and have no idea how to solve. You feel that knot in your throat that sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach. Where do you turn for help? Where can you find answers to those last minute, on site, make or break questions that can be the difference between success or failure? We show you our favorite places to find those answers, and how to express your searches in the most search engine efficient language.

Note: All information is approximate. All sessions, speakers and descriptions are subject to change at any time without notice.