A road trip with Siri

How the Apple ecosystem allows Jamf’s CEO to lead a blended life

A fast start
Three women empower me to manage my life: my wife, Jenny, my executive assistant, Paula, and Siri. Together, we make a great team. Recently, I relied on Siri to help navigate a successful day out of the office — a necessity as I journeyed to Milwaukee to see my oldest daughter.

My day started as it often does, with a run. As I stretched, I used the Apple TV remote to ask Siri to play some relaxing music by Dionne Warwick. What a way to start the day! I'm a strong believer in starting and ending each day with an empty email inbox, so I used my time stretching to delete or respond to any messages I received while sleeping. Once my email was empty and my legs were loose, I grabbed my Beats™ headphones and Apple Watch, and asked Siri to turn on what is arguably the best workout song of all time — Metallica's Enter Sandman.

A slight chill in the air and chirping birds (although I couldn't hear them) created the perfect backdrop for fresh ideas. As I ran, I thought about the previous week and what I needed to do in the coming days. I think every good idea I've ever had has come on a run. So, not wanting to lose any thoughts while jogging, I record ideas the moment I have them. “Hey Siri…Set a reminder about the great thought I just had.” After noting ideas, setting appointments, and even sending and receiving a message or two through my Apple Watch, my pace quickened as the 1980s heavy metal music resumed.

The 70 mph office
I then headed home for a quick shower, dictating more notes on my waterproof watch, before jumping in the car to begin my drive to Milwaukee. My daughter was moving to Chicago and needed my help. I learned long ago to accept every invitation from my kids, even for moving. As I pulled from the driveway, I used CarPlay to ask Siri for directions and then asked her to text my daughter with my ETA. I began the five-hour drive. My Apple driving music may or may not have included Harry Styles’ new album (seriously, it's really good).

As the time approached 9 a.m., a meeting reminder popped up on my CarPlay dashboard. Perfect. I asked Siri to make the call. Nothing makes time fly faster while driving than doing a little problem solving with a coworker. It's the only time I enjoy meetings. When I hung up, I decided to check my email. But Siri told me she couldn't read email because my phone had automatically locked, a security requirement set by our IT team using Jamf. No worries. While keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the road, I moved my thumb only a few inches to the right and used Touch ID to unlock my iPhone. "Siri, please read my email." This time, she agreed.

For the next few hours, I enjoyed my perfectly productive mobile office. Using Siri and CarPlay, I conducted business through email, phone calls, text messages and notes. I even managed to reschedule my daughter’s basketball training, and reserved time on my calendar so no one at Jamf could schedule a meeting that would prevent me from giving her a ride. This scored me a few brownie points from the youngest Hager girl. Amazingly, without the normal distractions of the office, I think I was more productive with both my work and dad tasks. The day was shaping up well!

The GPS indicated an arrival time in Milwaukee at 3:45 p.m. Earlier, I set a reminder to call our head of sales for a quick end-of-week status update at 3:30, figuring it would take less than 15 minutes. Of course, the call went long. No problem. As I turned the car off, the conversation seamlessly transitioned from CarPlay to my AirPods as I walked the final two blocks to my daughter's apartment. By the time I reached her doorstep, my call was over, my email was empty, and my notes, reminders and to-dos were all recorded. It was time to focus on what was most important. I slipped my AirPods out of my ears and into my pocket just in time to catch a huge running hug from my daughter. Looking forward to putting me to work and enjoying a free meal, she screamed, "Dad, I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for taking the day off!"

The payoff
In my earlier life, my mind likely would have wandered a bit while carrying my daughter's furniture and taking her to dinner. I would have wondered what emergencies were awaiting me once I was again connected. But thanks to the Apple ecosystem, I was free. While I may not have enjoyed the process of moving my daughter's belongings down three flights of stairs, I most certainly enjoyed her company. Undistracted, I was fully engaged in the moment, and yet, I still ended the evening with no text messages, zero voicemails and an empty inbox. This is not an anomaly. It’s routine. Siri not only helps me address my work responsibilities wherever I am, she provides me the freedom to fully focus on the real women, my wife and three daughters, who are most important in my life.

To some, Siri is just an alternative method to search on their iPhone. To me, she's more. She has changed my world. Everything in my Apple ecosystem understands the same voice commands, whether I'm running, driving, watching TV, at work or at home. Siri is my constant companion. And because Jamf is used to manage all my Apple devices and native Apple apps, I have equal and secure access to both my personal and work resources at every turn. One voice, one Apple ecosystem and one Jamf have created an optimal automation experience where I can use the same device to monitor and respond to urgent work activities and receive notifications whenever my kids accidentally leave our garage door open.

Simply put, the Apple ecosystem provides one digital relationship, with one voice, for my one life. The technology that Apple and Jamf offer together allow me to blend my work and personal lives, which is imperative to my success as a business person, husband and father.

I can't imagine how my life will change in the coming years. But, I will soon find out. With Apple WWDC just days away, I'll soon discover how new Apple innovations will further empower me and help me manage this blended life.