What’s the coolest thing you are working on these days? For me, it’s this site. For pay…sales and marketing, which is considerably low-tech. And bike riding (not a e-bike, so still low tech)

been a DBA for quite a while now - grew up along with SQL Server from v4.21 up until 2022 ( no call for 2025 yet ) - I cut my teeth with Unix Sybase/Oracle and IBM mainframe IMS & DB2 before Microsoft - not quite ready to quit since I am good at what I do and I like what I do ...

I went from Financial Analyst (7 years) for Whirlpool Financial Corp. to IT Budget person for Frito-Lay, to Access developer to SQL Server DBA.

I wasn’t qualified for any of those jobs when I started. I worked hard to get there (just like the rest of us I imagine).

I’ve always had the entrepreneurial “itch” and ran 3NF consulting from 2001 to 2008, then started Dallas’s DBAs in 2017 ( almost exactly 9 years).

This venture has been everything I mapped out before we started, except for that COVID thing and every election (regardless of candidates, IT budgets dry up until the decision is known).

I’m not client facing anymore. I made a couple of non-critical mistakes in 2025/6 that I shouldn’t have so I handed to keys over to my ops manager.

And I ride bikes a lot ;)

At the top of the page is a note that says, "Get Practiced Tech on your phone for quick access from your mobile home screen." I'm curious to know if this is an app, or if it's a web URL shortcut?

A few years ago I read a post by a penetration tester who said, “These are the first steps I take on every new engagement.” When he listed the steps, one of the first things he always did after gaining a network foothold was identify the printers and try to authenticate on one or more of them. I thought it was interesting, but wasn’t sure I saw the value in it. But then, my specialty isn’t pen testing.

Well, later I found out why he viewed printers as such a goldmine.

I got a new client in 2023. They wanted me to remove every trace of their former support person and make sure he couldn’t gain access to the system. Naturally, I changed the Domain Admin password.

The next morning I got a call: “None of us can scan documents!” When a user scanned a document, it was stored in a folder called “Scans” on the file server. It was a sub-folder of each username folder. Their last tech support person had made his life simple by creating all of the accounts on the printer/scanner with the Domain Admin password, which was stored in the printer settings in cleartext. BTW, the printer’s control panel was accessible from the manufacturer’s default password.

Okay, now I see why hacking a printer can be useful!

I re-configured all the user accounts on the printer/scanner using their individual login credentials, and  put a strong password on the printer’s control panel.

So... check your printers, both access authentication and user scan paths, and make sure they’re secure.

I’m ancient, and have no interest in retiring. My “big” clients are a few public utilities across the USA, from Southern California Edison to Georgia Power. I provide assistance to their network engineers, both OT and IT, on design, troubleshooting, and cybersecurity. It’s short-term project stuff, solving a problem.

But... most of my work these days is tech support for small business and residential clients. It turns out there’s a global niche market for English-speaking tech support. I’m the Help Desk.

Most of my clients are in the USA. Many of them are retired, but not the majority.

I taught various college courses for 17 years: the CompTIA courses, Wi-Fi and VoIP courses, and cybersecurity courses.

That last thing is the reason I’m in this community. I love to teach. I love to share my knowledge and experience, and I love staying current. I hope to keep learning here, as well as contributing information of value to your work and life.

Cybersecurity - Networks - Wireless – Telecom - VoIP

Anything from the tech you are responsible for and the people running it.

HR issues? Maybe not so much in case the person you are about to PIP is a member here :)

I bounce from phone to laptop to iPad all day long…is there a good password manager that can keep up with me?

I have been having to tell people for well over 20 years that SQL server does not automagically backup system or user databases.

Ick.

MS asks for a backup path in the installation, which kinda sorta implies it will use it ;)

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