Field notes

Straight talk on IT, security and staying online

Short, practical notes for New Jersey businesses. No jargon, no fear-selling. Just what to do and why.

Moving your NJ business to the cloud without nasty surprises

March 18, 2026

Moving your NJ business to the cloud without nasty surprises

Cloud migration goes wrong in predictable ways: surprise costs, a security gap, unplanned downtime. Here is what I plan for so a move for a New Jersey business stays boring, in the best way.

The Real Cost of Downtime

March 2, 2026

The Real Cost of Downtime

Downtime is rarely a disaster. It is usually a coffee spill or a failed update. The real cost is how long you take to recover, and that part you can fix.

AI-powered scams are hitting NJ businesses. Here is what to watch for

February 17, 2026

AI-powered scams are hitting NJ businesses. Here is what to watch for

AI has made phishing, deepfakes, and ransomware cheap and convincing. Here is what is hitting NJ businesses, and five things you can do this week to cut the risk.

Decommissioning old servers without leaving data behind

October 3, 2025

Decommissioning old servers without leaving data behind

Retiring an old server is easy to get wrong. Here is how I decommission servers cleanly: dependencies, a verified backup, proper drive wipes, and the compliance paperwork.

Windows 10 is past end of life. Here is what to do if you are still on it

September 11, 2025

Windows 10 is past end of life. Here is what to do if you are still on it

Windows 10 hit end of life on October 14, 2025. The machines still run, but the security patches stopped. Here is what that means and your three real options.

Cyber resilience: planning for the breach you cannot prevent

April 17, 2025

Cyber resilience: planning for the breach you cannot prevent

Prevention is only half of security. Some attack eventually gets through. Cyber resilience is making sure that when it does, your business bends instead of breaks. Here is how.

Your backups are not real until you have restored them

February 14, 2025

Your backups are not real until you have restored them

Most businesses have backups. Far fewer have backups they have actually restored. That gap is where disasters happen. Here is how to test backups so they work when you need them.

What a network penetration test actually finds (and why small businesses need one)

January 28, 2025

What a network penetration test actually finds (and why small businesses need one)

A penetration test is a controlled attack on your own network, to find the holes before a real attacker does. Here is what it is, what it turns up, and why small businesses need one.

How I run a Windows 11 rollout without losing a day of work

January 22, 2025

How I run a Windows 11 rollout without losing a day of work

With Windows 10 past end of life, moving to Windows 11 is no longer optional. The upgrade is easy. Rushing it is what breaks things. Here is how I run a migration so it stays boring.

How ransomware works now, and how to not become a statistic

December 24, 2024

How ransomware works now, and how to not become a statistic

Ransomware changed. The crews now steal your data before they lock it, so a clean backup is not enough on its own. Here is how it works today and how to keep your business off the list.

Cyber hygiene: simple habits that keep your business safe online

December 11, 2024

Cyber hygiene: simple habits that keep your business safe online

Most online security is not expensive tools. It is a handful of habits, the digital version of locking your front door. Here is the short list that shuts down the common attacks.

SPF records: how to stop scammers from spoofing your business email

December 8, 2024

SPF records: how to stop scammers from spoofing your business email

If someone can send email that looks like it came from your domain, they can phish people using your name. An SPF record is the simple fix. Here is how it works and how to set it up.

Practical cybersecurity for small businesses on a budget

December 7, 2024

Practical cybersecurity for small businesses on a budget

Real cybersecurity does not need an enterprise budget. A handful of the right basics, done consistently, stops most attacks that hit small businesses. Here is where to spend first.

Two layers every small business should have: endpoint and email security

November 26, 2024

Two layers every small business should have: endpoint and email security

Most small business breaches come through an infected device or a phishing email. Here is why I put endpoint protection and email filtering in place first, and how they cover each other.

What managing Microsoft 365 actually involves (and what it saves you)

November 19, 2024

What managing Microsoft 365 actually involves (and what it saves you)

Setting up Microsoft 365 is easy. Managing it well is where small businesses overpay or leave gaps. Here is what real Microsoft 365 management covers: access, security, licenses, migrations.

Migrating a client off the Meraki vMX100 before it ages out

November 18, 2024

Migrating a client off the Meraki vMX100 before it ages out

I moved a client from the Meraki vMX100 to vMX-M. Here are the end-of-life dates, the exact dashboard steps, and the site-to-site VPN gotcha to plan around.

Microsoft's November 2024 Patch Tuesday: four zero-days worth patching now

November 15, 2024

Microsoft's November 2024 Patch Tuesday: four zero-days worth patching now

Microsoft's November 2024 Patch Tuesday fixed 91 bugs, including four zero-days, two already exploited. Here is what mattered, the four to know, and what to actually do.

Getting off Classic Teams: remove the old client, install the new one

November 2, 2024

Getting off Classic Teams: remove the old client, install the new one

Classic Teams is end of support. Here is the clean way to remove the old client, by hand or in bulk with PowerShell, and install the new Teams on one machine or across the org.

Citrix Workspace for Windows: CVE-2024-7889 and CVE-2024-7890

November 2, 2024

Citrix Workspace for Windows: CVE-2024-7889 and CVE-2024-7890

Two serious bugs hit Citrix Workspace for Windows: CVE-2024-7889 (credential exposure) and CVE-2024-7890 (remote code execution). Update now. Here is what they are and what to do.

How to find a lost Android phone

November 2, 2024

How to find a lost Android phone

Lost an Android phone? Here is how to find it: Google Find My Device, Family Link for kids, Maps location sharing, and what to do when the phone is offline.

What an IT advisor actually does for a small business

November 1, 2024

What an IT advisor actually does for a small business

IT consulting sounds vague. For a small business it is simple: someone senior who owns your technology decisions. Here is what an IT advisor actually does, beyond a help desk.