Thoughts on technology, leadership, security, infrastructure, automation, and the systems between them.
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Leadership
When our help desk had a vacancy, I had a decision to make. I could immediately redistribute the workload, or I could use it as an opportunity to learn. I chose the second option. For a period of time, every new help desk ticket was assigned to me first. Not because I intended to resolve every issue myself. My goal was...
System
That sounds obvious. But many organizations unknowingly build monitoring solutions that rely on the same power, network, internet, and infrastructure they are supposed to monitor. That creates a dangerous blind spot. If your primary environment fails, your alerting platform may fail with it. No power. No network. No...
Technology
Early in my career in IT, I believed technical skill was everything. The more you knew, the more valuable you were. If you could solve complex problems, troubleshoot systems, and understand the technical details better than others, success would follow. And to a degree, that was true. Technical skill builds...
Technology
One of the unexpected places I find myself thinking about leadership is while playing Fortnite with my son. Even though we are playing the same game and trying to achieve the same overall objective, we often approach it very differently. My approach is fairly direct. I want to land quickly, gather weapons, ammunition...
Infrastructure
One of the easiest traps for leaders, especially in IT, is confusing activity with progress. A day can disappear quickly. Emails need responses. Meetings fill the calendar. Phones ring. Teams messages arrive every few minutes. Unexpected issues demand immediate attention. By the end of the day, you may feel exhausted...
Leadership
I was listening to a leadership discussion recently that used a simple analogy that stuck with me. Imagine you're riding down the highway at 70 mph. If you're the driver, the experience feels very different than if you're the passenger. As the driver, you control the speed. You know when you're about to brake. You know...
Leadership
That line has been sitting with me lately, and it reflects the reality of IT leadership more than people realize. As an IT Director, the day doesn’t stay in one lane. It’s budgets, policies, vendor conversations, onboarding new hires, planning a help desk space, refreshing systems, and keeping the environment stable...
Technology
With ice storms and winter weather impacting power and connectivity across large parts of the country, this is a good reminder that business continuity planning is not just a compliance exercise. It is a real world capability that gets tested when conditions are less than ideal. When power is lost, can your systems and...
Leadership
Lately I have been focused on something that does not get enough attention in higher education information technology: data governance agreements with third party vendors. We invest heavily in cybersecurity tools, multi factor authentication (MFA), endpoint protection, security information and event management (SIEM)...
Technology
This is a touchy topic for me, because I am deeply rooted in customer service and the value of human connection. I do not want students or employees to ever feel like they are being pushed off to a robot instead of being helped by a real person. But I am also realistic about how help desks actually operate. Most of us...
Leadership
One of the most common myths I still see in IT, especially in higher education and K 12 environments, is the belief that leadership only starts once you reach the top of the org chart. It sounds logical on the surface, but in practice, it quietly limits growth, influence, and trust long before anyone realizes it...
Technology
Windows 11 accessibility is one of those areas where quiet innovation is creating real impact, yet it often flies under the radar in higher education and workforce conversations. One feature I keep coming back to is Live Captions. Windows 11 can generate real time captions in the lower third of the screen for any audio...
Leadership
We often describe portals, forms, and workflows as self service. The assumption is that technology makes things faster, easier, and more efficient. In reality, many of these systems simply move the friction from the institution to the person trying to get help. I recently watched a simple request turn into a multi week...
Leadership
One of the most misunderstood parts of modern IT leadership is that every meaningful technology project depends on the people outside of IT just as much as the people inside it. The challenge is that many non technical leaders unintentionally pull back from the early planning because they assume their job title exempts...
Technology
A lot of projects stall because the original vision sounds good in a meeting but never becomes something you can execute. Leaders talk about better student experiences, faster response times, stronger cybersecurity, or more automation. The ideas are solid. The problem is that the teams responsible for delivering them...
Leadership
Have you ever stopped to think about who’s sitting around your table — not in title or rank, but in influence, perspective, and curiosity? Over the years, I’ve learned that growth often happens through the people we spend time with. The phrase “if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room” isn’t...
