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Russell Smith
Editorial DirectorRussell Smith, the Editorial Director at Petri IT Knowledgebase, has over two decades of hands-on experience in IT, in both small business settings and government IT infrastructure projects.
Russell started writing for Windows IT Pro Magazine in the early 2000s. Since then, he has contributed insights to various IT publications, including Petri and CDW. His authoritative voice has resonated across industry blogs, where he dissects complex topics into an ‘easy read’.
Russell has authored over a thousand articles, each a testament to his depth of knowledge. His expertise doesn’t stop there: he wrote a book on Privilege Management and co-authored another for Microsoft’s MOAC series. Moreover, Russell’s commitment to education shines through in the courses he crafted for Pluralsight.
He is also presenter on his own YouTube channel, This Week in IT, and the current presenter of Petri Dish.
LATEST
Disable Remote Desktop Network Level Authentication using PowerShell
Last Update: Jun 05, 2025
- Apr 30, 2015
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Russell Smith
Learn how to programmatically disable Remote Desktop Network Level Authentication (NLA) using PowerShell
Automate Domain Member Server Deployment in Microsoft Azure
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 27, 2015
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Russell Smith
Russell Smith walks us through improvements to a PowerShell script to automate domain member server deployment in Microsoft Azure.
What is Windows 10 Device Guard?
- Apr 23, 2015
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Russell Smith
Curious about what the newly-named Windows 10 Device Guard is all about? Russell explains how Windows 10 Device Guard differs from AppLocker.
Microsoft Lumia 640 Review
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 23, 2015
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Russell Smith
Will Microsoft’s Lumia 640 be able to boost Windows Phone sales in 2015?
How to Query the Windows Search Index using SQL and PowerShell
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 20, 2015
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Russell Smith
Russell Smith walks us through on how to search the file system in PowerShell and provides steps on how to query the Windows Search index using SQL.
How to Force an Azure VM Shutdown
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 16, 2015
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Russell Smith
Have a non-responsive VM locked solid in Microsoft Azure? Russell Smith shows you how to leverage PowerShell to unstuck a stuck VM in this helpful tutorial.
Applying Security Policies with the Windows Server Security Configuration Wizard
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 15, 2015
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Russell Smith
Learn how to apply and rollback security policies for Windows Server using the Security Configuration Wizard.
Create Custom Security Policies with the Windows Server Security Configuration Wizard
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 13, 2015
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Russell Smith
Russell Smith shows us how to easily create custom security policies for Windows Server using the Security Configuration Wizard to suit your organization’s business needs.
Thoughts on Windows Nano Server
- Apr 09, 2015
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Russell Smith
Microsoft has officially unveiled Windows Nano Server, but what does the news mean for system administrators? Russell Smith provides his thoughts in his latest commentary.
Troubleshooting Microsoft Azure VM Remote Desktop Connections
Last Update: Nov 19, 2024
- Apr 07, 2015
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Russell Smith
Learn how to use the VM Agent to repair Remote Desktop connection settings in an Azure VM running Windows Server
Optimizing Azure Storage for Windows Server Virtual Machines
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 07, 2015
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Russell Smith
Learn how to configure Azure Storage and Storage Spaces in Windows Server 2012 R2 to optimize disk IOPS.
Manage Documents with Windows Explorer using Tags and File Properties
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Apr 06, 2015
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Russell Smith
Learn how to perform simple document management functions using tags, file properties, and search in Windows Explorer.