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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
Create a Cloud Storage Local Cache Using Azure File Sync
Last Update: Nov 19, 2024
- Oct 25, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at how Azure File Sync works and how to enable it in the Azure management portal.
Understanding G Suite Licensing
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Oct 25, 2017
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Russell Smith
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains the different licensing options for G Suite and how they compare to Office 365 plans.
Why You Should Use Microsoft’s Active Directory Administrative Tier Model
Last Update: Jun 04, 2025
- Oct 24, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains what Microsoft’s AD tier administrative model is and how it can improve security.
Microsoft Announces SQL Server 2017 for Docker
Last Update: Nov 19, 2024
- Oct 18, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at Microsoft SQL Server 2017 being available for the first time on Windows, Linux, and Docker and what this means for DevOps and database admins.
Windows Server 2016: Understanding Microsoft’s Enhanced Security Administrative Environment
Last Update: May 24, 2025
- Oct 12, 2017
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Russell Smith
In today’s Ask the Admin, I’ll look at Microsoft’s recommendations for securing Active Directory forests using its Enhanced Security Administrative Environment model.
Microsoft Announces Azure Confidential Computing
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Oct 11, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith provides a brief overview of Microsoft’s Azure Confidential Computing technology and looks at how it might help persuade otherwise hesitant organizations to move sensitive data to the cloud.
Windows Store Apps Can Compromise PC Security
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Oct 06, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains why you should use application control to restrict which Windows Store apps users can run.
Windows Defender Exploit Guard Replaces EMET in Fall Creators Update
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Oct 05, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at the technical details of how Windows Defender Exploit Guard will replace the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) in Windows 10.
Windows Server 2016: Short-Lived Active Directory Group Membership
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Oct 04, 2017
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Russell Smith
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how to temporarily add users to Active Directory groups.
Configure DNS to Enable a Trust Between Two Active Directory Forests
Last Update: Jun 05, 2025
- Oct 02, 2017
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Russell Smith
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how to set up DNS in Windows Server so that you can establish a cross-forest trust.
Windows Server 2016: Set Up Privileged Access Management
Last Update: Oct 28, 2025
- Oct 02, 2017
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Russell Smith
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith shows you how to implement Privileged Access Management (PAM) in Windows Server 2016.
Windows 10 Protected Event Logging
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
- Sep 29, 2017
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Russell Smith
In this Ask the Admin, Russell Smith looks at how Protected Event Logging is implemented in Windows 10.