👋 Hey there. I’m Troy. I’m a systems administrator who’s passionate about all-things technology and information security. I’ve been in IT since 2016 and have managed infrastrucutre from the systems, network, and security side. I mostly deal with Active Directory, VMware, PowerShell, Group Policy, Office365, SCCM, SIEM management, and implementing security controls while doing a bit of analyst-type work. I enjoy practicing offensive and defensive methodologies in lab environments and aim at applying those to my professional career to make myself a more well-rounded indivdual.
I started this site to share knowledge about the technologies I work with and some of the methdologies I’ve acquired while studying cybersecurity. Although, I don’t expect this to stay just a repository for projects and regarding IT/infosec. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Github!
How I got started
I attended college to initially study criminal justice; that only lasted one year. I then switched to Computer Networking, and that’s where I began my interest in IT. Prior to that, I was a nerd who loved video games (World of Warcraft, anyone?) and had fun building and messing around with computers at the time. I developed a quick interest with networking from a routing and switching perspective after having taken a few courses that were focused around Cisco CLI. I achieved my first certification - CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Level Networking Technician) while in college and knew at that point I would involve myself in IT.
Fast foward a few months after applying for entry level positions, I started my first job in IT as a support technician for a small municipal government. I mentored to become a jr. sysadmin and then moved on to higher education where I currently reside today as a sysadmin. During this time I became fascinated with the concept of ethical hacking and began watching Heath Adams’ “The Cyber Mentor” 0 to Hero Penetration Testing course on YouTube. I highly recommend others to take a look at TCM Academy, which started from Heath’s Youtube series. He’s a phenomenal educator and is a reason I have the interest in infosec today. As a result, I’ve been able to apply a defensive mindset when dealing with system implementations or configuration setups, while also having an understanding of an adversarial mindset.
Over this time, I developed a strong disciple of continuous learning throughout life. I am always learning. Whether that’s for career development, or learning how to fix something on my bike, it’s a part of what drives me to be achieve more and be a better version of myself. I pride myself in the ability I have to learn new technologies, and I think having an inquisitive mind about how things work attributes to that. I’ve since acquired my CCNA, Security+, CYSA+, and eJPT certifications and enjoy the challenge of planning, studying, and testing myself on the topics I learn.
Everyday Life
At my core, I’m a thrill seeker and a tinkerer. I love the outdoors and enjoy taking the time to understand how things tick. I’m passionate about riding motorcycles, snowboarding on the east (ice) coast, and enjoy playing the guitar or video games in my free time.
I’m also a big advocate for Bitcoin adoption and it’s protocol development. In ways that I can, I would like to contribute towards it’s development. I run a Bitcoin full node and Lightning node and encourage others to do the same.
₿, Troy