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My experiences in IT has led me to many parts of the world. I have restored the email…
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Career Essentials in System Administration by Microsoft and LinkedIn5h 5m
Career Essentials in System Administration by Microsoft and LinkedIn
By: Robert McMillen
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Learning Network Troubleshooting: Practical Network Diagnostics and Solutions1h 59m
Learning Network Troubleshooting: Practical Network Diagnostics and Solutions
By: Robert McMillen
Articles by Professor Robert
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisRevolts Against Data Centers Hits Fever Pitch Last year, I wrote a post about data center sprawl. It is raising our water and electricity bills, and there's no good economic reason for encouraging them in large clusters where it puts a huge strain on local community resources. Since that time, our water and electricity have gone up again in Intel country, aka Hillsboro Oregon. Intel was already using more water than everyone combined, and now we have dozens of new and upcoming data centers being built with huge tax breaks for the next couple of decades for each one built. Here's what I found out since then: There is no employment boom after the construction is complete. It only takes 25 staff to manage a data center. Laws are being passed to hold the data centers accountable for their electricity and water usage so the people don't have the pay any more than we used to. However, our rates have doubled, and will double again in the next 2 years. Why? Because we have to pay for the infrastructure to be upgraded so these data centers will have enough water and electricity. They may stop raising our rates due to their usage, but we have to pay for their infrastructure upgrade. Communities like Hillsboro, OR. are now fighting back. https://lnkd.in/gaP3kyre The local mayor refuses to meet with people to even discuss it with 10 more data centers still on the horizon. Due to the pollution of these and other industries, global warming has caused our rainfall to drop significantly this year, so we don't have enough water as it is. One community is handing over all the electricity to the data centers and removing it from the houses surrounding it. https://lnkd.in/g-VR_j7u That is the problem of having private electricity companies. When Enron was closing down California's electricity companies in the early 2000's so they could charge more for outside state electricity, the only utilities still operating and charging normal rates were municipal ones. I'm an entrepreneur, but unchecked capitalism or socialism will bring us into poverty, and add more fuel to this nation's enemies. I also love how Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank just got humiliated by two young women after he said on Fox that they were Chinese agents trying to stop the building of data centers. He literally can't think of any other reason why people should stop building them. https://lnkd.in/gewEwBNJ Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT This is IT: https://lnkd.in/gpCrM9pX https://lnkd.in/gWjAnmRtNuclear Power Plants Far More Popular Than AI Data Centers For Local AreasNuclear Power Plants Far More Popular Than AI Data Centers For Local Areas
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisShinyHunters just got Canvas! For those of you who are in school, or have children in school, this is important information for you. The hacking group ShinyHunters, which is an international group of thieves, have infiltrated the Canvas Learning Management System. If your school uses Canvas for grading and assignments, then your data has been compromised. This is the second time ShinyHunters has gotten through Canvas, as they previously accessed their SalesForce data. Once hackers access that data, they had everything they needed to infiltrate Canvas itself. Canvas knew they had been hacked in SalesForce, yet they did not, or could not, protect against further attack. As I have experienced with previous clients, there's never enough money for IT and security until your entire organization is basically shutdown or has all their data stolen. It then becomes apparent that there's all kinds of money available to get back up and running. If they just put the money in on the front end, then they might not have become victims. I have taught using Canvas in college for many years, and the thing I'm most concerned about are the many private conversations with students that are now going to be public knowledge. This is a tragedy for those students who will now have private information spread first across the dark web, and then sold and resold to public sites where they can be used for blackmail and other nefarious purposes. Its especially worse for minor children. Be sure to watch for phishing links in emails and consider freezing credit with the 3 major bureaus. Check out the attached link for how to protect you and your family from cyber threats. When will we hold institutions accountable for their lack of cybersecurity with such sensitive information? If we pass laws that contain major corporate fines with money going to victims, then I think it will make a big difference. Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT LinkedIn Learning Community Ascend Education https://lnkd.in/gDPHsQwc
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisCalm down. There are no projected massive job losses in IT! We've all heard about big layoffs at places like Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, and others, but there are some facts that the headlines don't tell. Most of those layoffs were for programmers. Programming continues to lose jobs to AI due to greedy employers who don't understand you can make more money with AI and employees than you can by firing staff, as Forbes reported. These staff are also not getting fired just for AI replacement. It's because these companies spent too much money on technology that wasn't ready, and now they have buyer's remorse. Rather than take a hit to profit, they'll just fire people. IT is a different story. The bureau of Labor and Statistics (I have linked here) says that jobs in IT such as systems admins are going strong and there's only a slight decrease expected in the next 10 years. We're still looking at employment well over 95% now and still over 92% in 10 years. Other sites like Dice and CompTIA say there will be job growth, and not job loss in the IT field. Plus, we make an average of $100k per year in the US (sorry Canada). If you slide over to cybersecurity and network security (cloud vs. on-prem), the numbers look even better. There is one caveat to make yourself more employable. You have to keep learning new things. This industry changes quickly. Finish your degree. Keep your certifications up to date and find new ones to earn. Here's the breakdown: Learn AI skills that can make your job be more efficient. Azure has some great tools with AI built in such as Defender XDR, Sentinel, and others. On-prem admins need to also learn cloud products like Email, VMs, and containers. Look at passing security certifications such as the CISSP and ITIL 4 among others. Learn Linux if you're a Windows admin. Linux is big in the cloud while Windows is bigger on-prem. Make sure you understand networking using TCPIP v4 and v6. This is heavily used when communicating with cloud resources from on-prem environments. Learn advanced wireless networking. Wired communication is mainly for servers and not for endpoints. https://lnkd.in/gesnup_5 Many colleges will have classes that teach to passing these certs, and also earn college credit. If you feel unsure whether you should get your degree in IT, this new world says you certainly won't get a great new job without it. Up to date certs says to me as an employer that you are a life long learner, and are not behind the times. Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT Robert McMillen LinkedIn Learning Community Ascend Education https://lnkd.in/gii9EaV6
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisDid you know there's a free AI in Amazon's app and website? I used it to create a program, find an IT solution, ask really hard questions that required critical thinking, and find out the best cleaning solution. And no, I am not sponsored by Amazon. I just thought it was wild. https://lnkd.in/gyxjGHhVHow to Use Amazon com's Free AI Rufus to Program and MoreHow to Use Amazon com's Free AI Rufus to Program and More
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisDo we have a plan ready to retrain all these displaced workers? In years past, our governments would create programs for retraining workers displaced by changes in the economy and the skills needed to keep employment high. With the impending loss of millions of jobs due to AI, there doesn't seem to be that same effort to retrain the workforce, and it will have devastating consequences if a new plan is not in place very soon. https://lnkd.in/gjXMxxNNWhy aren't we being retrained for new jobs due to AI job losses?Why aren't we being retrained for new jobs due to AI job losses?
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisThere are Lots of People Concerned about Speed Diplomas. Here's the Truth: I've seen multiple articles with concern over some students finishing diplomas in a matter of weeks from sites like the Washington Post and others. Having been a part of online and on-campus colleges for many years, the numbers don't support what I'm reading. What are they saying? College students of all ages are graduating in weeks by taking online classes and not completely understanding the material and still graduating with a bachelors or masters degree. They are hacking the system. Is this actually happening? Although it is true that some universities do allow for degree acceleration, there is a very narrow group of people where this works. More than 50% of online college students fail to obtain their degree according to Inside Higher Ed. Many take more than 6 years to complete their degree without a classroom. There is no massive collusion of millions of students faking their way to a diploma. A tiny percentage of students finish in weeks and a slightly higher amount finish in under a year. Online only universities also can be generous for credits from previous college, but it still takes an average of 2.5 years to complete a degree if successful. What is happening and should you do it to get a faster degree? If you've been working in your field for many years, then an online only degree may be for you, You probably have a family and many other commitments. You don't need to be in a classroom since you've been performing this job for years. You may be saving up for your children's college or a house etc., and don't have $100k plus for school, or the time to do it in a traditional way. You may need a degree box checked to achieve a future promotion. Passing a test in a subject where you have been an expert is not a hack. Who should not take the online only route? If you just graduated high school, have no experience or little understating in the field you're wanting to work, need a hands-on degree like medical or engineering, then don't. The statistics say that its not likely you'll be successful, and not all degrees can be fast tracked. What have universities done wrong? I think its more what technology has done right. Advancements in tech have allowed us to work from home, go to college from our bedroom, find a life partner, and trade stocks among others. Colleges and universities are just too expensive and too slow for certain types of students. Every higher learning institution is also an online school, and many offer ways to accelerate your degree, but you have to be disciplined and have experience to really grasp this way of learning. Many of my on-campus students say online takes more discipline than they are capable of handling. Others find online a great option, but acceleration is not offered everywhere. What are your thoughts? Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT LinkedIn Learning Community Ascend Education
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisI have a new course on the Cengage platform at the Infosec Institute called Securing Windows Server 2025. This course covers everything related to Windows Server security including all the ways you can locally protect your server with built-in utilities and best practices, but also how you can incorporate Azure to use AI for monitoring, reporting, and alerting you to any threats. Check it out and get your free 7 day trial if you're not already a subscriber: https://lnkd.in/gFfyAjU3
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisI have taken over Oracle and turned it into a moral company with full honesty and integrity. You can see this reflected in the new company name and logo. All 30,000 employees have been rehired. All money taken from states for bungling the ACA have been returned. Larry Ellison has been retained as chief sweeper of the halls and emptier of the bins. Congratulations to Larry on his new position. Larry says he expects AI to be a big part of his new career. /s
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Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT shared thisCurious about how Certificates Work in Active Directory? I made this course for you on Pluralsight. If you don't yet have an account, you can sign up for a trial to check it out! Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT https://lnkd.in/gdqG24mj
Professor Robert McMillen, MBA, MCT commented on a post
2d
Wow, this is so inaccurate. There was no free house giveaway. I just read the proposed bill.
Experience & Education
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Volunteer Experience
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Oregon Coordinator
Stevens Johnson Syndrome Support Group
Health
SJS is a severe drug reaction with many causes. It is a rare disease that I personally went through as a child. To learn more or to support SJS projects please visit http://sjsupport.org .
Publications
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Securing Windows Server 2022
Tech Publishing
See publicationSecuring Windows Server 2022 provides a practical guide to securing your Windows Server 2022 environment. It covers a wide range of topics, including basic security concepts, configuring Windows Server 2022 security, securing remote access, protecting your data, and detecting and responding to security threats.
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You Tube Channel
You Tube
See publicationThis is a channel I created for my students and customers to learn how to solve IT problems in a few minutes or less. It is rated in the top 5% of all You Tube channels by hit count according to figures obtained by SocialBlade.
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