I make it work: secure, and built around the people who use it.
Azure · Windows Server · Linux · Cisco · VMware · Hyper-V · Docker · SQL Server · PowerShell · Python · Bash
// 01 how I work
One approach, applied to very different problems.
Twenty-plus years across networking, systems, cloud and automation. The problems change; the core way I work them doesn't.
These five principles are that approach, in the order I apply them, each one shown in real work.
- Know it to the core.I take neglected systems apart until I know them cold, then rebuild them so a fault traces cleanly from the wall jack to the switch port. Untangling the mess is how I come to trust it.see it in the rack rebuilds →
- Secure it by default.I find exactly what a system needs to run, then grant only that and lock the rest down. Least privilege, enforced by policy rather than trust.see it in the Sage lab →
- Deliver it methodically.Diagnose, document, propose, verify, in that order. I work a problem end to end and write it up, so the fix is something anyone can check and repeat.see it in the kindergarten proposal →
- Build it around people.I don't just run technology; I shape it so it works for people without them having to think about it. Nothing beats watching someone get time back every time a solution I rolled out kicks in.see it in the QoS fix →
- Build the tools that build the next ones.Tools exist to move you toward a goal, and getting there usually takes tools working with other tools. I like building the one that makes the next one easier.see it in the account provisioning →
// 02 skills
Cloud & Identity
Network & Security
Platforms & Virtualization
Data & Reporting
Automation & AI
Hardware & IoT
// 03 experience by layer
From the cable to the cloud, and every layer between.
My experience mapped to the OSI model, plus the domains that cut across it. Open any layer to see the proof behind it.
L1Physical- cabling, servers, power, printers, ESP32▸
L2Data Link- switching, VLANs, STP, Wi-Fi▸
L3Network- routing, firewalls, VPN, Azure VNets▸
L4Transport- TCP/UDP, QoS, port knocking▸
L5-6Session / Presentation- TLS, certs, encryption▸
L7Application- DNS, email, web, SQL, ERP▸
L8People- teaching, documentation, the go-to▸
+Identity & Policy- AD, GPO, Entra, Conditional Access▸
+Platforms- VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix, containers▸
+Automation & AI- PowerShell, ARM, local LLMs▸
+Operations & Resilience- backup, recovery, incident response▸
// 04 documents
Written to be acted on.
Identity & Policy
Passwordless logins for a kindergarten class
A teacher logging a class of twenty-one five-year-olds in by hand, every session. I worked it end to end and wrote it up: policy first, then identity, devices, and the people, a proposal they could act on.
read the document →Operations & Resilience
Backup & recovery plan
A ransomware-ready backup and recovery plan for a single work and lab host, built entirely on free tools, with a side-by-side of what changes in a production environment.
read the document →// 05 featured stories
Three times I found a way.
Operations & Resilience
Ransomware, first thing in the morning
A newly onboarded client, a call at 8 a.m. that the files were encrypted. Contained, traced, recovered from the night-before backup, then I closed the holes that let it in.
read the story →Platforms
A zero-downtime server refresh
New ESXi host, RAID 10, fresh VMs, domain-controller cutover by promote/demote, backups test-restored before anything old was retired.
read the story →Identity & Policy
Running Sage without handing out admin
An app that demanded local admin, students who couldn't have it. I monitored exactly what it needed and granted only that by Group Policy.
read the story →// 06 beyond the keyboard
A maker, on and off the clock.
I'm a maker at heart. I like building things that have a real use and purpose, with a design that is both elegant and functional. When I'm away from the keyboard I'm usually in the woods, or out in the shop making something with my hands.
A lot of that happens at the CNC, where I enjoy the design side as much as the carving. I designed my own cribbage board and have sold dozens of them. I also turn and carve bowls, pens, and plenty of other woodworking projects, tons of them over the years. And I love dogs.
It's the same instinct that shapes how I build systems. I want what I make to last, and to actually get used.
// 07 contact
Jason R. McGinn IT Coordinator · Systems & Infrastructure email mcginn@netstatedata.ca web netstatedata.ca linkedin linkedin.com/in/jason-mcginn github github.com/jasonmcginn