If you stopped by here from my YouTube channel first I must apologize, I'm sorry for not doing more videos, work has kept me pretty busy. I am however planning on doing more videos and writing more here on IT related topics. If there is a topic you would like me to cover and I have the skill in me bag-O-tricks I'll do my best to cover it. I plan to cover a number of topics going forward which go beyond the textbooks for people new to the field of information technology. I don't teach as a profession anymore but I did for 6 years part (and full) time so I still often think of what it was like for me when I was trying to get a grasp on being a system administrator. There are a number of expensive toys you simply can’t play with unless you land a job letting you into the server room. Unfortunately many things in the server room never get taught and too often your peers assume you know or should know these things out of the box.

My background started in networking from representing 3Com I the mid-90’s, onto the .com’s as a system engineer in a mostly Microsoft environment and I have since moved into systems security with a growing focus on Linux. My goal is to cover a number of topics with real world examples to help bridge the gap you won’t and really can’t get from a class room or a book. My approach will be to cover areas in a way that will make it easier for anyone who has little IT experience. A few of the topics off the top of my head I plan to cover in pieces (as time permits) are:

• Learn how to shell script, use the command line in a Windows domain setting and make your code really work for you. This will help you be worth more in the field.
• Designing an n-tier DMZ zone architecture that will pass the DoD DISA STIGs. In other words how plan a network security model from the perimeter to the server.
• How to pass a compliance audit, SAS70, ISO, SOX, or even a government audit. These can be daunting and down right scary if you have never been through one. The knowledge is invaluable to have on your resume.
  • What to cover in a disaster recovery plan
  • Change control documentation
  • EnterpriseVulnerability Management (EVM)
  • IT and physical controls
  • IT best practices auditors look for.
• Storage Area Network – The basics on setting up and EMC SAN, RAID groups, Storage Groups, LUN’s, Meta-LUN’, physical setup, configurations etc.
• Cryptography in the network – SSL, SSH, Whole Disk Encryption, PGP Universal Server and more…

If you have any topics you would like to see covered please drop me a lineΩ