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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

Deploy Active Directory and Certificate Services in Azure Using Infrastructure-as-Code — Part 2

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In part two of this series on deploying Active Directory and a member server running certificate services in Microsoft Azure, Russell Smith shows you how to add a PowerShell Desired State Configuration resource to the project.

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What Is Hyper-Convergence in Windows Server 2016?

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains what hyper-convergence is and how it can help simplify your IT systems.

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Improve Office 365 Security Using Secure Score

Last Update: Nov 19, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you what Office 365 Secure Score can do for the online security of your business.

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Microsoft Releases Compliance Manager Preview

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at how Microsoft’s new service can help organizations meet compliance requirements.

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Adding a Subscription to an External Office 365 User

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith walks you through what happened when he converted an external Office 365 user to a paid subscriber and how to avoid the problems encountered.

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Managing File Associations in Windows 10

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains the changes to how default app file associations are managed in Windows 10.

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G Suite for Office 365 Admins: Calendar Structured Resource Data

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how to create additional calendars for people and resources with structured resource data.

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What Is Windows Defender System Guard in the Fall Creators Update?

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains how Windows Defender System Guard reorganizes existing security defenses.

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Windows Server: Protected Privileged Accounts

Last Update: Jun 04, 2025

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith outlines some of the security features in Windows Server that can be used to help keep sensitive accounts safe.

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Validate the Integrity of Installation Media

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how to be sure the source media you use to install software in your business hasn’t been tampered with.

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Controlled Folder Access in Windows 10 FCU

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains how Controlled Folder Access can help protect users against ransomware.

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Managing OneDrive Files On Demand in The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how you can manage the new OneDrive Files On-Demand feature in the Fall Creators Update.

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