2021

Summary
After my 2nd year in IT, I have improved some skills below while also gaining some new skills due to other interests.

The company I work for, supports only Windows systems. Most Linux skills are developped at home, but some are also useable at work to save time to focus on other challenges.
 

Somewhat resultdriven, but I not too much focus on amount of tickets closed. I rather focus on efficiency, speed and quality of the solution to close a ticket. Also trying to provide a temporary workaround if I am not able to fix it right away. Always trying to be as transparant as possible to let the user know where they're at and helping them work as user-friendly as possible.

 

I also encountered a new interest, security. More drawn into the blue-side, system hardening, monitoring, SIEM-tools. Would love to progress further to a threat hunter role.

 

This year I also needed a break (april) to recover from stress, this had multiple reasons which made it very difficult to work. Still recovering, but trying to do my job as good as I can. It gives a great motivation boost to learn that the endusers are over the moon that I am back. Some explained that the person who replaced me was not that great, technically and socially.

 

These next pages are a summary of some tasks done spread over a month, to give you an idea what my job entails. Most days start by messaging the IT manager, checking the mailbox and teams messages, prioritizing my tasks that day with room for distractions/questions/requests.

 

Skillset overview
Skills I knew:

  • Picking up the phone
  • Troubleshooting + problem solving
  • Communicating with people
  • Being able to ask for assistance
  • AD administration
  • DNS/DHCP config
  • Refurbishing old hardware
  • Keeping inventory
  • Batch/Powershell scripting
  • Windows shortcuts
  • Use ticketing and monitoring software + documentation
  • Veeam backup
  • Windows server management
  • Exchange administration
  • Working with Azure
  • Linux (Ubuntu)
  • Teamviewer, VNC
  • Firefox, Google Chrome, MS Edge, internet explorer
  • MFA
  • Sharepoint, Onedrive
  • Terminating RJ45
  • AV Defender
  • Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Onenote)
  • Trustwave
  • Azure
  • Macrium reflect
  • Ventoy

 

Skills I picked up:

  • Reporting to management
  • Working with other departments
  • Configuring remote mailbox to use scan2mail (hybrid environment)
  • Releasing a locked file (pc mgmt, connect to fileserver, system tools, shared folders -> Open files)
  • Patching network ports on switch
  • Rearranging UTP-spaghetti in servercabinet
  • Configuring Android and Windows CE handscanners
  • Using a new format on ticket creation (User - Subject - short description)
  • Using FileZilla for file transfer
  • Configured mail flow rules on mailserver
  • Investigating missing printer toner
  • Swapped mobo of device
  • Cloning HDD to SSD with Macriumreflect
  • Configuring Call forward in Avaya (VOIP)
  • Reset memo style on e-mail print to fix blanc pages print
  • Excluding folders from AV scan
  • Project management: Software upgrade, server + clients, planning + communication + execution
  • Teamviewer also provides server ID and password, available even when not logged on.
  • Configuring SMTP to send mails from app
  • Login without trust relationship with domain is possible with cached credentials and no network connection
  • Recovering soft-deleted mails with powershell
    Get-RecoverableItems -Identity user@company.be -FilterStartTime "date + time" -FilterEndTime "date + time"
    Restore-RecoverableItems -Identity user@company.be -FilterStartTime "date + time" -FilterEndTime "date + time"
  • Cleaning the serverroom
  • Fixed an issue with some function keys not working by removing HP support assistant
  • Explaining IT-subjects to CEO: why new iphone12 is faster than 5yo laptop/in taskmanager several sessions which are not separate programs/where to put the ethernet cable in the right hole of the phone.
  • Project: Enabling MFA
  • Updating outdated information in our KB
  • Limit versioning of onedrive, not possible in GUI below 100
    Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://companyO365tenant-admin.sharepoint.com/ -PnPManagementShell
    Get-PnPUserProfileProperty -Account user@company.be | select PersonalUrl
    set-PnPList -identity "documents" -enableversioning $True -MajorVersions 5
  • Remote powershell using enter-pssession <devicename>

 

Technologies encountered:

  • VPN (Forticlient, Watchguard, Wireguard)
  • Exchange
  • Salto (Access badges)
  • HP Aruba (switches)
  • Windows CE + windows mobile device center
  • Android
  • Chromebooks
  • FileZilla
  • AV Defender, Windows Defender, Symantec
  • Macriumreflect
  • Solidworks
  • Remote Desktop App
  • Avaya Call reporting
  • Dashlane, Lastpass
  • Powershell
  • VNC
  • HP support assistant
  • NUC's
  • ITGlue
  • Vsphere
  • Zebra printers, Canon printers
  • Adobe, licensing + folder access on fileserver
  • Visual studio licensing
  • Synology NAS
  • APC UPS
  • Polycom, Barco Clickshare
  • Wetransfer
  • Exclaimer
  • Openfile
  • Zoom, 3CX
  • Dynamics 365
  • Datawedge
  • Azure Fileshares
  • Robocopy

 

Goals
My goal didn't change much in the beginning, still aiming for sysadmin. After a few months this changed a bit, encountered some youtubers talking about security.

My mind is being pulled to the blue side, defending infrastructure, hardening systems, protecting valuable information. Started on TryHackMe and got to the 1% within a month and a half, I was impressed by people who put this on Linkedin so now I could too. I'm more drawn to the hardware/networking/OS side of security, not so much about webapp pentesting.

Next goal: Threat hunter, because it sounds and looks cool.