In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, featuring guest Sam Erde, we delve into a myriad of topics starting with Andrew's successful acceptance of his talk at PowerShell Summit. The episode unfolds with a spotlight on community resources. Sam Erde, our esteemed guest, shares insights into his blogging journey and his contributions to open-source projects, with a particular focus on the Locksmith module designed to uncover misconfigurations in ADCS Certificate Services. Sam also provides his unique perspective on leveraging PowerShell for various tasks. The hosts engage in a discussion about the community ethos, underscoring the importance of creating more value than capturing, and Sam shares personal experiences that have shaped his approach to community involvement. Tune in for an episode packed with valuable insights, community highlights, and the power of PowerShell in action. Guest bio and Links:  Sam Erde is a senior yak shaver and semi-professional squirrel hunter with 20+ years of experience in IT. His preferred species of yak speaks PowerShell and the squirrels are most often found huddled around Microsoft bird feeders. Much of his career has had a strong focus on Active Directory, GPOs, Exchange Server, and Microsoft 365; however, it would not be complete without an equally strong focus on coffee, puns, Oxford commas, and cybersecurity. Sam's mission is to help IT teams grow towards operational maturity around these platforms. This includes a focus on culture, technical growth, and identifying not just as systems administrators, engineers, or analysts--but as infosec professionals who may happen to work in operations. He is incredibly grateful for everything the community has taught him and hopes to contribute back at least as much as he has learned from this amazing group of people.   Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HEhXQE3GNw https://github.com/DanGough/PoshCVE https://powershellisfun.com/2023/11/23/using-a-specific-powershell-profile-for-a-console-session-windows-terminal-powershell-ise-or-visual-studio-code/ https://discord.gg/pdq https://day3bits.com/ https://github.com/SamErde/PowerShell-Pre-Workout https://github.com/trimarcJake/Locksmith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yt_oIEq1wA https://github.com/PoshCode/PowerShellPracticeAndStyle https://github.com/cunninghamp https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/ORCA/2.8.0 https://github.com/EvotecIT/GPOZaurr https://github.com/TrimarcJake/BlueTuxedo https://github.com/techspence/ScriptSentry https://twitter.com/SamErde https://linktr.ee/SamErde  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, guest Jeff Hicks leads a dynamic discussion on the power of hands-on learning with PowerShell and the numerous benefits of learning by doing. Jeff challenges the community with a scripting challenge, encouraging active participation. The episode also features a showcase of some outstanding community blogs, including topics like PowerShell performance testing, web scraping, and module development. Jeff shares insights into his own remarkable modules, and the hosts delve into noteworthy community projects. Don't miss Jeff's scripting challenge and be sure to check out the community blogs and links discussed in this episode! Guest Bio and links: Jeffery Hicks is an IT veteran with more than 30 years of experience, much of it as an IT infrastructure consultant specializing in Microsoft server technologies with an emphasis on automation and efficiency. He is a multi-year recipient of the Microsoft MVP Award. He works today as an independent author, teacher, and consultant. Jeff has taught and presented on PowerShell and the benefits of automation to IT Pros worldwide. He has authored, co-authored, and edited several books, writes for numerous online sites and print publications, is a Pluralsight author, and is a frequent speaker at technology conferences and user groups.  Links: Watch the PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV5RXZPiM_0 https://powershell.org/2023/11/earlybirdnowopen/  https://jeffhicks.substack.com/p/ask-jeff-ab8  https://devdojo.com/hcritter/powershell-perfomance-test-get-the-maximum https://blog.griff.systems/published/2023/getting_download_links_from_webpages/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-save-our-hone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JTnEydEPnM https://jdhitsolutions.github.io/ https://leanpub.com/psprimer  https://github.com/PowerShell/GraphicalTools/  https://github.com/mgajda83/PSWindowsUpdate  https://github.com/jdhitsolutions/PSGalleryReport https://github.com/jdhitsolutions/PSWorkItem https://discord.gg/pdq https://gist.github.com/jdhitsolutions/36f16e9b2d89353cfa93edc8e4b5b3c3  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we engage in a dynamic discussion with Kevin Cefalu. Kevin shares managerial insights, valuable lessons from the Summit, and the workings of Azure Durable Functions. The conversation shifts to the power of Pair Programming and Call for Presentations (CFP) and how this involved Andrew. We explore the usage of the .vscode folder and Plaster for workspace customization and conclude with Kevin's intriguing thoughts on AI applications. A powerful blend of knowledge, experience, and technology.   Guest Bio and links:  In the heart of southern Louisiana, a DevOps Engineering Manager masters the arts of C#.NET and PowerShell, wielding over a decade of experience with a Microsoft Azure wizard's touch. Away from the techno-tangle, he's a 3D printing enthusiast, gamer, and project tinkerer, often joined by his wife Linsay, daughter Olivia, and their pups Ajax and Callie. His world is a vibrant mix of tech mastery, playful hobbies, and joyful family moments. Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CrUWrUKtCw https://discord.gg/pdq Podcast Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/dJXs31pAd3 https://blog.ironmansoftware.com/powershell-universal-apis-cve/ https://devblogs.microsoft.com/powershell/powershell-7-4-general-availability/ https://sid-500.com/2023/11/14/powershell-search-for-empty-folders-and-delete-them/ https://mdgrs.hashnode.dev/speeding-up-powershell-module-development-with-restartablesession https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/VSTeam/7.2.0  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we were joined by Microsoft MVP and PowerShell.org CEO James Petty. We dove into the core of what PowerShell.org brings to the community and James' instrumental role in driving this platform forward. James shared insightful details about the future of the eagerly awaited PowerShell Summit, highlighting the significant and welcome changes in store for next year. The conversation also hailed his latest literary creation, 'Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches,' as we explored the evolution in content and approach compared to its predecessor. Adding to this rich mix were James' anecdotes from his time as a professor teaching PowerShell at a college, providing a truly riveting podcast that celebrates the wide-reaching influence of PowerShell. Guest Bio and links:  James currently holds the position of Director of Information Technology at TextRequest. He is a four-time awardee of the Microsoft MVP award. In a dedicated capacity, he also assumes the role of volunteer CEO at DevOps Collective INC, a non-profit organization operating within technology education. The organization's primary focus revolves around PowerShell, automation, and DevOps. It has garnered recognition for providing an array of free online resources, notably PowerShell.org. In the literary domain, James is the lead author of two published works: "Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches," now in its fourth edition, and "Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches," in its second edition. Manning proudly publishes both of these insightful publications. At the core of James's passion lies automation, where he adeptly wields tools like PowerShell, Azure, and all facets of Windows Server environments. His prowess in this domain has been honed over more than a decade of service as an infrastructure administrator, catering to businesses spanning a diverse range of sizes. James has woven his life in the tranquil environs outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he resides with his cherished wife, daughters, two dogs, and two cats. Links: Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv1OFjC62EU Podcast Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/dJXs31pAd3 State of SysAdmin Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZSFVZ22 https://twitter.com/ManningMEAP/status/1719007617622679622? https://www.powershellsummit.org/ https://powershell.org/free-resources/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-petty-m-s-75672b42/ https://twitter.com/PSJamesP https://www.manning.com/books/learn-powershell-in-a-month-of-lunches https://www.manning.com/books/learn-powershell-scripting-in-a-month-of-lunches-second-edition  

In this special gratitude-filled episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we take time to appreciate the wonderful world of PowerShell - where tech and community coalesce. We highlight some splendid community projects, highlighting their large impacts and innovative approaches. As we recall our podcast journey, we revel in a nostalgic look back while also envisioning a powerful future. From personal anecdotes revealing how PowerShell has shaped our tech lives to a thought-provoking expose on error handling, the episode is a wholesome tableau of learning, reflection, and connection. It's a delightful mix of the cerebral and the personal - with plenty to be thankful for! Guest Bio and links:  Meet Andrew, aka 'The Script Specter', and Jordan, known to his fans as 'The Command Crusader'. Together, they form the dynamic duo of PowerShell, turning ordinary coding scenarios into extraordinary feats of tech heroism. Andrew, with his uncanny ability to manipulate the spectral realm of scripts, can create code so clean, so robust, and so failsafe that it's almost an epic poem in PowerShell language. He has singlehandedly bested numerous system complications with just a flick of his fingers and a well-phrased one-liner. When he's not saving the day with his scripting prowess, he's often found rescuing kittens from elaborate 'syntax trees'. Jordan, the Command Crusader, harnesses the sheer power of PowerShell commands, turning them into tools for justice, efficiency, and good 'runtime.' He could solve a server crisis before his morning coffee gets cold. His uncanny knack for error handling is legendary, often ultimately resulting in error villains voluntarily turning themselves in. In his downtime, Jordan is known to command dance-offs with undeniable grooves that could only be defined as 'syntax error-free'. These superheroes of the scripting realm are not just hosts of the PowerShell Podcast but also beacons of code-based justice, humor, prowess, and a whole lot of fun. With Andrew and Jordan on duty, the thriving PowerShell city can sleep safely, knowing it's protected by the best programmatic superheroes on this side of the compiler!   Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX_OxcNESKg  Podcast Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/dJXs31pAd3 State of SysAdmin Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZSFVZ22 https://discord.gg/pdq https://psframework.org/documentation/documents/psframework/runspace-workflows.html https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/PSFramework https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/MailPolicyExplainer/1.3.0 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_try_catch_finally?view=powershell-7.3  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we had Emil Larsson join us! We had a healthy amount of community blogs in this episode, with lots of great conversation all throughout. We discussed how helpful contributing to PowerShell docs can be. We learned about Emil's evolution with PowerShell and how the industry has changed in his 10+ years of experience. Emil and Andrew revisited their early IT days of grappling with upgrades from Windows XP to Windows 7, making all of us a bit nostalgic. We also had a fair bit of discussion around what the PowerShell community is all about.   Guest Bio and links:  Emil is an IAM specialist who loves PowerShell. He has 10 years of experience in IAM solutions with strong focus on AD and PowerShell. He shares his IAM and automation insights through his blog. See the PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr4vOOrH-mI https://directaccess.richardhicks.com/2023/11/02/10-powershell-commands-always-on-vpn-administrators-should-know/ https://www.ehmiiz.se/blog/ps_msgraph_mail/ https://www.ehmiiz.se/blog/ps_docs_contributions/ https://github.com/michaeltlombardi/getting-github https://github.com/vexx32/PSKoans https://www.ehmiiz.se/blog/ps_adcs_certinstall/ https://pipe.how/new-hashtable/ https://bjompen.com/#/posts/certifications https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/DSACL/0.2.0 https://www.ehmiiz.se/blog/ps_fast_password_retrieving/ https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/z/1.1.9 https://www.ehmiiz.se/blog/ps_z_mod/ https://www.sapien.com/books_training/Self-Paced-Training https://twitter.com/ehmiiz https://github.com/ehmiiz/PSHangMan https://infosec.exchange/@ehmiiz  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we had an enlightening conversation with Merill Fernando, a Principal Product Manager on Microsoft's Entra team. Our discussion unveiled an in-depth look at Microsoft Entra, providing listeners with tips and tricks. Merill generously shared his journey in becoming a PM, emphasizing the pivotal role of learning and sharing knowledge within our tech community. We also delved into the emerging importance of transitioning from the AzureAD module towards a more streamlined approach using Graph. Not to miss, Merill spotlighted his widely acclaimed tools such as [akasearch.net](http://akasearch.net), idPowerToys, and entra. news, and more, opening up an array of exciting possibilities for our listeners. Join us as we explore these topics and a whole lot more in yet another riveting session of the PowerShell Podcast. Guest Bio and links:  Merill Fernando is a Principal Product Manager in the Microsoft Entra product group at Microsoft Security. In his role he helps some of Microsoft's biggest customers define their identity strategy and deploy Microsoft Entra. He is passionate about Microsoft Graph, PowerShell, DevOps and you can usually find him on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube talking about these topics. In his spare time, he works on some popular open-source app including http://cmd.ms, idPowerToys, and Graph X-Ray plus he also runs a weekly newsletter on all things Microsoft Entra at http://entra.news. Watch the PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKRd-ocbH0 State of SysAdmin 2024:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZSFVZ22 https://discord.gg/pdq https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases/tag/v7.3.9 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/whats-new/what-s-new-in-powershell-74?view=powershell-7.3 https://idpowertoys.com https://aadinternals.com/ https://github.com/orgs/msgraph/discussions https://aka.ms/graphsamples https://graphpowershell.merill.net/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4QdFdALlA0&pp=ygUcbXJlaWxsIGdyYXBoIHRpcHMgYW5kIHRyaWNrcw%3D%3D https://aka.ms/graphpowershell https://akasearch.net/ https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/MSAL.PS/4.37.0.0  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we were joined by Michael Greene, a prominent figure from the PowerShell team at Microsoft. Our enlightening discussion revolved around his instrumental role in the progression from DSC 2.0 to 3.0, largely influenced by invaluable customer feedback. Greene's key involvement in co-authoring the Infrastructure Release Pipeline whitepaper with Steven Murawksi was another topic of conversation. Catapulting to being a Product Manager, he shared his journey, highlighting the importance of being accessible, empathetic, and staying focused on the community. Furthermore, the conversation took an intriguing turn toward the future, debating the possibilities of AI and terminal experiences in the future. Guest Bio:  Michael Greene currently serves as a Principal PM Manager at Microsoft, leading the team focused on developing PowerShell, CloudShell, Win32 OpenSSH, DSC, and other projects for Windows and Azure. Michael has diverse experience, from configuration management strategy for Azure Governance, to Windows Server CAT, and service operations in Office 365. Resource links: Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOZutvGgV2s https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/dsc/further-reading/whitepapers?view=dsc-1.1 https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/469 https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell-RFC/tree/master/CommunityCall https://www.amazon.com/Small-Team-Leadership-Ideas-after-ebook/dp/B0BL6BL24V https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/?view=powershell-7.3 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.secretmanagement/?view=ps-modules https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine https://discord.gg/pdq  

In the latest episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we dove deep into the world of guest Clayton Tyger, a rising figure in the PowerShell community. Clayton shared his intriguing journey into the world of PowerShell, shedding light on his first steps and his continuous involvement in the community. Of particular significance was our discussion about his experience developing the impactful 365AutomatedLab module. Also, Clayton's "Getting Started with 365AutomatedLab module" blog received special attention, serving as a fantastic resource for fellow developers. The episode provided remarkable insights, demonstrating Clayton's expertise and his dedication to sharing knowledge with the community. BIO: Clayton Tyger is an IT professional with over 15 years of experience spanning various roles from Help Desk to IT Project Manager. He is currently an IT Engineer, maintaining a broad skill set in the industry. Always open to learning and discussing IT, Tyger encourages dialogue with others in the field. His passion for technology continues to fuel his career, and he always welcomes networking opportunities. Resource Links: See The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqhlgCM7mfE https://github.com/DevClate/365AutomatedLab https://mikefrobbins.com/2023/10/12/securing-api-keys-with-powershell-secrets-management-in-azure-key-vault/ https://office365itpros.com/2023/09/27/monitor-new-teams-members/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=monitor-new-teams-members https://github.com/alagoutte https://github.com/SamErde https://github.com/potatoqualitee/kbupdate https://www.asbuiltreport.com/ PDQ Discord https://discord.gg/pdq  

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we were thrilled to sit virtually with none other than Joe Houghes, engaging him in an insightful discussion about his dynamic journey and participation in community activity. Woven throughout with humor and knowledge, our ponderings with Joe centered around the significance of building relationships within the community. We ventured further into the dialogue surrounding the emphasis on soft skills and their interaction with professional growth. The conversation pivoted towards effective communication as an investment into one's self, bringing about palpable value in the workplace. Walk away with a newfound reflective insight and tangible advice for involvement in the community, all courtesy of Joe's enlightening experiences.   Bio: Joe Houghes is a co-leader of the Denver PowerShell & VMware User Groups and he is a Sr. Solutions Architect with Pure Storage. He focuses on automating us out of our IT operations while freeing us to perform higher-level tasks. Joe has been the #1 speaker internationally for VMUG in 2021 and 2022 for virtual and in-person events, and is always working to help & encourage the next community speaker(s) to take his place, while helping to get them started. Joe also works to evangelize the message that automation should be a focus for admins & engineers, even though it requires more in-depth thinking and focus beyond performing a task once. He knows that even though it is not always someone's default method, the result is then repeatable and consistent. Joe tries to help others understand why we should do the easy tasks better, and he challenges everyone to push themselves outside of their comfort zone and learn more about any topic of interest. Joe is a collector of communities as a leader for 2 User Groups, and a member of many evangelist groups including Microsoft MVP, Veeam Vanguard, VMware vExpert, Cisco Champion, Tanzu Vanguard, plus he helps out to host events as part of the vBrownBag crew. He tells people not to let fear keep them from sharing their knowledge with others and teaching from their unique perspective. He's also easy to spot by the colored hat, big grin, and the loud "Howdy Y'all."   Watch The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vQb21FFcwo Resource links: https://github.com/HCRitter/PSModuleAnalyzer https://twitter.com/AndrewPlaTech/status/1709594063370928639 https://mikefrobbins.com/2023/09/27/create-calculated-properties-in-powershell/ https://clatent.com/2023/09/getting-started-with-365automatedlab-part-1/ https://psconf.eu/ https://fullstackgeek.net/ https://twitter.com/jhoughes @jhoughes@vmst.io https://github.com/jhoughes https://www.youtube.com/@joehoughes PDQ Discord https://discord.gg/pdq