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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

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How to Manage Windows Update Using PowerShell

Last Update: Jun 07, 2025

In this article, I will look at both Microsoft’s Windows Update provider for PowerShell in Windows Server 2019. And I’ll show you how to use the third-party PSWindowsUpdate PowerShell module that most system administrators still prefer to use. Microsoft’s Windows Update PowerShell provider Microsoft’s Windows Update PowerShell provider (WindowsUpdateProvider) comes preinstalled in Windows Server 2019…

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How to Use Known Issue Rollback to Fix Problems Caused by Windows Updates

Last Update: Feb 25, 2025

The technology that underpins Known Issue Rollback first appeared in Windows 10 version 2004. Known Issue Rollback, or KIR for short, lets Microsoft and IT administrators quickly roll back non-security fixes that are causing functionality issues in Windows. Known Issue Rollback is designed to help Microsoft and organizations keep Windows devices secure but make sure…

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How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows Server 2019 Installation

Last Update: Jun 05, 2025

Before you can install Windows Server 2019 on physical hardware, you’ll need boot media that contains all the files necessary to install Windows Server. Boot media generally comes in two forms: as a DVD or USB drive. As most modern server hardware comes without a DVD drive, in this article, I’ll show you how to…

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Patch Tuesday – June 2021

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

This month Microsoft patches 7 zero-day flaws in Windows, 6 of which are being exploited in the wild. And there are also important updates for SharePoint Server, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Acrobat and Reader. Windows and Windows Server If you haven’t already started testing and deploying June’s updates for Windows and Windows Server, then it’s…

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Five Important Differences Between Windows 10 Home and Pro

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

If you are in the market for a new notebook or PC, there are two choices consumers have in Windows 10 SKU: Home and Pro. You might be purchasing a device for your own business or buying one to use with your company’s “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) program. In the case of the latter,…

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Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Now Secures Unmanaged Devices and Linux Gets EDR

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Microsoft recently announced that its Defender for Endpoint solution can now detect when unmanaged network devices may pose a threat. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is an enterprise antimalware solution that builds upon the free Microsoft Defender software that’s built into Windows 10 and Windows Server. Defender for Endpoint helps enterprises prevent, detect, investigate, and respond…

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Everything You Need to Know About Windows – May 2021 Edition

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Satya Nadella announces there will be significant changes coming to Windows, Microsoft starts rolling out the Windows 10 May 2021 Update, and Edge 91 makes it to the Stable channel. And there’s a whole load more this month, so let’s get started. Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) is now generally available Microsoft made the…

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Guide: Getting Started with Windows Package Manager (Winget) v1.0

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Microsoft announced at Build that Windows Package Manager (WPM) v1.0 is now generally available. First announced in May 2020, WPM has been in development for over a year. But now it’s finally ready for you to use. In this Winget Guide, I’ll show you how to get it and how it works. How to get…

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Microsoft Azure Sentinel gets SAP Support, Plus UEBA and Entity Pages Reach GA

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Last week Microsoft announced improvements to its cloud-native SIEM product, Azure Sentinel. In an effort to make Sentinel more efficient for Security Operations (SecOps) teams, Microsoft has improved the quality of rules and includes more innate intelligence out-of-the-box. There’s also built-in support for SAP in preview. Plus, other features like UEBA and entity pages, which…

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Microsoft Search Now Available in Windows 10

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Microsoft Search is now integrated with Windows Search in Windows 10. Microsoft had been talking about this capability since 2018 but recently went quiet on the subject. So, I did a little digging and found that according to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, which you can find here, Microsoft Search for Windows 10 launched April 2021…

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Guide: How to Install Active Directory in Windows Server 2019 Using PowerShell

Last Update: May 24, 2025

Looking to install Active Directory in Windows Server 2019? Here’s how to accomplish that task with PowerShell.

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Microsoft’s Approach to Securing Hybrid Work with Zero Trust

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

12th May 2021, ahead of RSA 2021, Microsoft announces improvements to its security products for better-protecting organizations in a post-pandemic world. The future of work is hybrid Hybrid work refers to a post-pandemic work pattern where employees spend more time working from home but some time working in the office. Employees will move between home…

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