I Need Coffee - Episode 172 - Weekly BC Review!

1. Personal and Professional Travel:

  - Steve traveled 700 miles from California to Utah to visit the Park City office, stopping in Vegas en route. The trip was spread over two days due to its demanding nature.

  - Activities in Utah included a team dinner with colleagues (Roger, Zandra, Tanya, David, and daughter Sarah) and working from the Park City office for two days.

2. Home Improvement Challenges:

  - Tackled multiple home projects in Utah, including:

  - Replacing chandelier bulbs 13 feet high and a wired smoke detector at 16 feet, both requiring ladder work.

  - Fixing a failed air conditioner by replacing a fried capacitor, burnt wires, solenoid, and contactors.

  - Installing an outside vent for a range hood, which involved rewiring an outlet and cutting a hole through stucco with a carbide hole saw.

  - Highlighted the cascading dependencies in home repairs, referencing a *Malcolm in the Middle* scene where one task leads to multiple unforeseen issues.

3. Cybersecurity Developments:

  - Discussed a Sonic Wall graphic visualizing cyber attack attempts, likening it to a "war games" display.

  - Explored Sonic Wall’s Cloud Secure Edge (VPN as a service) and Capture Client (Sentinel One-based endpoint protection). Praised their intuitive interface compared to Microsoft’s Intune and Defender, which were deemed overly complex for mid-market SMBs.

  - Plans to install a Sonic Wall TZ firewall in the Park City office to streamline VPN access for US-based Business Central clients.

  - Daughter Sarah, a cybersecurity intern, received the 2025 Tony Savage Business and Technology Scholarship, celebrated at Ferraro’s Restaurante in Vegas.

4. Business Central and ERP Updates:

  - Ongoing customer training for Business Central, led by Tanya, with Joselyn and David participating to learn implementation processes.

  - Ronald completed Continia document capture training and is working on field detection for invoices.

  - Franklin finalized a customer PTE, but faced immediate change requests and challenges with DevOps pipelines. Efforts are underway to automate pipeline setup.

  - Exploring McCorma Payment Hub for Business Central, particularly for overflow remittance in accounts payable. Training sessions are scheduled for July 23rd (partner sales) and July 28th (product configuration).

5. AI and Local LLM Exploration:

  - Interest in hosting a private local LLM to test its capabilities, inspired by a Mac Mini setup running Claude (“Claude Pewtor”) with full computer control.

6. Community and Office Initiatives in Berlin (El Salvador):

  - Installed a 2500L water tank, pump, and new piping for the Berlin office, improving water pressure reliability (except during power outages).

  - Added a video doorbell for the office gate to manage deliveries and visitors.

  - Sponsored 28 sets of soccer jerseys for FCL Coyola, a local team.

  - Launched the Berlin English Academy, led by Ronald, offering advanced English and job training (e.g., call center prep) to help locals secure remote seasonal jobs.

7. Upcoming Events and Recommendations:

  - Anti-Siphon Summer Camp (cybersecurity training) recommended, though the host couldn’t attend due to travel costs. An on-demand course ($250) is considered for self-paced learning.

  - Summit NA conference scheduled for October 20–23 in Orlando (summitna.com).

  - Dynamics Con regional meetups: Accra (July 19), Nairobi (July 24–25), Denver (August 21), Dublin, Ohio (August 22, 26–27), Dallas (September 17).

  - Summit NA roadshows: Seattle (July 22), Madison (August 12), Nashville (August