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Russell Smith

Editorial Director

Russell 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

Patch Tuesday – March 2022

Microsoft released 71 fixes this month, 3 of which are rated Critical and 68 Important. While three are publicly known at the time they were released, none are believed to be in active use by hackers. Windows and Windows Server Microsoft released an update for CVE-2022-21990, which is a Remote Desktop Client (RDP) remote code…

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Windows 11 Surges Forward and ARM Gets Pluton

Last Update: Mar 26, 2022

This week in IT, Windows 11 increases its market share, Microsoft releases Defender for Business and it pledges to help protect businesses against cyberattacks during the war in Ukraine, and Lenovo releases the first ARM PCs based on Microsoft’s Pluton security platform, and much more! This Week in IT – Windows 11 Surges Forward and…

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What’s New with Windows – February 2022

Last Update: Jul 29, 2025

This month, Lenovo releases new Windows devices on ARM, Windows 11 gets a ‘major’ update, and resetting your PC might not delete all your files. Lenovo announces new Windows devices built on ARM and the Pluton security architecture Lenovo announced at the Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona this month new devices running Qualcomm Snapdragon…

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This Week in IT – Microsoft Wants to Secure Google Cloud but John Malkovich Isn’t Impressed

Last Update: Mar 26, 2022

This week in IT, Microsoft adds Google Cloud Platform support to Microsoft Defender for Cloud, CloudKnox helps organizations gain visibility and better management into multi-cloud identities and permissions, and .NET 7 preview launches to help developers build cloud-native apps more easily. Plus, Windows Update gets a cameo in Netflix’s Space Force. This Week in IT…

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Cloud Conversations – Sara Lagerquist on Power Automate

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

 Cloud Conversations is a weekly podcast that we’ll be featuring here on Petri. It’s about everything connected to cloud computing, including technologies like Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM), Microsoft Defender, Windows, Intune, and much more! Cloud Conversations – Sara Lagerquist on Power Automate In this episode, Kat and Ru catch…

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This Week in IT – Windows 11 New Features and Google Flexes its Muscles

Last Update: Mar 26, 2022

This week in IT, Microsoft releases an optional preview of new experiences for Windows 11 due to reach GA in March, including support for Android apps. There’s a big update for Insiders on the Dev Channel with tons of new features, like taskbar drag and drop support and Start menu app folders. And Google takes…

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This Week in IT – Could Microsoft Win the Cloud with Cybersecurity Expertise?

Last Update: Mar 26, 2022

This week in IT it’s all about security. Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy Mandiant, potentially making Microsoft unrivalled in the cybersecurity space. Windows AD gets an OOB fix, and learn what you need to do to protect your organization against a new Azure AD multi-phase phishing attack. This Week in IT – Could…

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Patch Tuesday February 2022 – Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Windows Get Important Updates

Last Update: Nov 19, 2024

Microsoft releases 51 patches, fixing 48 bugs, including 1 zero-day flaw. There’s also an update for all Teams clients and Outlook on Mac on February, 2022 Patch Tuesday. Windows and Windows Server Patch Tuesday February 2022 updates This month Microsoft patched a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2022-21984) in Microsoft DNS server. The bug can only…

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Live AMA with Paul Thurrott and Russell Smith

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

If you are a Premium member over at Thurrott.com, our sister site, Paul Thurrott and I are doing a live AMA (Ask me Anything) tomorrow on YouTube. Similar to Paul’s weekly ‘Ask Paul’ forum AMA, but in video form, Paul (and Russell) will be answering any questions you have related to technology, Thurrott.com and the…

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Azure AD SC-300 Exam – Are Microsoft Exams Worth It?

Last Update: Jun 30, 2025

Cloud Conversations is a weekly podcast that we’ll be featuring here on Petri. It’s about everything connected to cloud computing, including technologies like Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM), Microsoft Defender, Windows, Intune, and much more! Cloud Conversations – Azure AD SC-300 Exam – Are Microsoft Exams Worth It? In this week’s…

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This Week in IT – Microsoft Lists is Coming to Everyone But Who Knows What It Is For?

Last Update: Mar 26, 2022

This Week in IT – Microsoft Lists is Coming to Everyone But Who Knows What It Is For? This week in IT is a weekly podcast hosted by Petri’s Editorial Director Russell Smith. Each week, Russell rounds up the most important stories for IT pros in a short 5-minute video.

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Cloud Conversations – Securing Microsoft 365 in SMBs and Defender for Business

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Cloud Conversations is a weekly podcast that we’ll be featuring here on Petri. It’s about everything connected to cloud computing, including technologies like Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM), Microsoft Defender, Windows, Intune, and much more! Cloud Conversations – Securing Microsoft 365 in SMBs and Defender for Business In this week’s episode,…

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