SysAdmin Weekly #5
Yes, You Still Have to Learn Stuff. No, It’s Not Optional....
Welcome to your weekly dose of IT sanity, served piping hot! New here? All newsletter and podcast links are live and tracked at www.sysadminweekly.com
🧠 This Week’s Insight(s)
From learning to code as a SysAdmin, to managing identity securely in Azure, this week is all about leveling up, both technically and personally. Whether you’re pivoting roles, embracing modern cloud tools, or just trying to stay sane amidst industry chaos, there’s something in here to keep you sharp.
When I think about what it takes to level up in tech, there’s one truth that always hits home:
If you don’t like learning, this might not be the field for you.
IT moves fast (painfully fast sometimes) and staying relevant means constantly evolving your skillset. There’s no “coasting” here. What worked yesterday might be deprecated tomorrow, and the tool you just mastered might be replaced by something with a new UI, a new CLI, and none of the same flags.
This isn’t said to gatekeep or sound dramatic, it’s just the reality. Comfort is great, but curiosity is critical. And the moment you stop learning? That’s the moment you start falling behind. As cliche as it sounds, learning makes you a better SysAdmin and more able to tackle the struggles of the profession!
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
🎙️ Latest on the SysAdmin Weekly Podcast
🎧 Episode 009 – What Makes a Great SysAdmin?
This week we tackle a deceptively simple question, what really makes someone a great SysAdmin? It’s more than scripts, ticket counts, or uptime percentages. We cover soft skills, curiosity, and how the role is evolving.
Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more! Find links to all supported platforms at www.sysadminweekly.com.
🎙️ In Case You Missed It on SysAdmin Weekly
🎧 Episode 001 – What is Azure Local?
Azure Local isn’t just branding, it represents a shift in how Microsoft delivers cloud services closer to your data and compliance zones. If you manage hybrid infrastructure or need low-latency workloads, this episode is worth your time.
🔍 From AndyOnTech and Project Runspace
🧠 Getting Out of the Anxious Techie Rut
This one’s a little different. It’s not technical, but it’s personal. Andy shares thoughts on breaking out of the mental loop that burnout, overwork, and tech stress can create. It’s also a preview of things to come from a future publication project.
💻 Should Server Administrators Learn to Code?
Following last week’s GitHub Copilot podcast, this article explores the reasons why modern sysadmins should develop scripting and automation skills. A great read for anyone rethinking their tech toolkit.
🧵 Helpful Community Content
🔐 Entra.News by Merill Fernando
A Substack worth your time if you live in Microsoft Entra (the artist formerly known as Azure AD), or anything identity-related. Merill Fernando delivers weekly updates, how-tos, and identity ecosystem news.
🧠 AI & Hiring: What Candidates Should Know
In this episode of CollabTalk, Christian Buckley talks with Vol Goloshuk about how AI is changing the hiring process. With so many in the job market, this one’s timely and practical.
🌐 How to Pivot into Networking in 2025
Ivan Pepelnjak offers actionable advice for sysadmins looking to expand into networking roles. If you’re considering a career pivot or just want to sharpen your network chops, this one’s worth your time.
🎟️ SysAdmin Content from Official Sources
📺 Azure MCP Server Overview by Rohit Ganguly
A great visual overview of Microsoft’s new Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server offering via Rohit Ganguly. In case you’re wondering what MCP is, don’t worry, it’s fairly new. Microsoft describes the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as an open standard that enables makers using Copilot Studio to directly connect AI apps and agents to existing knowledge servers and APIs, seamlessly integrating actions and data into their agents with minimal setup. Worth watching if you touch Copilot Studio and are looking to step up you’re AI game.
✍️ Visual Studio Code 1.101 Release Notes
This deemed a shout out given the MCP link above. VSCode gets a huge boost in native MCP support, along with several quality-of-life updates for extensions, JSON handling, and GitHub Copilot integrations.
📰 Security Headlines for SysAdmins
🕵️♂️ Russian Hackers Bypass Gmail MFA via App Passwords
App passwords are still a thing and they’re still a risk. Attackers are using stolen app passwords to gain unauthorized access, bypassing MFA protections. Lock them down like any other password.
⚠️ CVE-2025-5777 – CVSS 9.3 - NetScaler ADC & Gateway Memory Overread
This one comes from Citrix: a vulnerability in NetScaler ADC and Gateway caused by insufficient input validation on the management interface. It leads to a memory overread (CWE-125), which could expose sensitive data. Patch this if you manage NetScaler in your environment. Official info from Citrix can be found here
🛠️ Tool of the Week
Azure Managed Identity Permission Manager
Created by Microsoft MVP Michael Sonne, this tool makes it way easier to assign and audit permissions for Managed Identities in Azure. No more guessing what rights a service principal has. See it, fix it, and move on.
🧠 Fun Retro SysAdmin Fact
In the early 1990s, Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, its first fully 32-bit operating system. It supported preemptive multitasking and multiple processor architectures (x86, MIPS, Alpha). But it shipped without a Start Menu or Plug and Play support. Hardware setup was... a vibe.
☕ Wrap-Up
As you saw in this week’s links, this job continues to be one part tech, one part psychology, and one part survival. We should throw one dose of existential humor onto the pile as well. =D
If you found something useful, pass this on to another SysAdmin who deserves a sanity break. And if you’re reading this while rebooting a Hyper-V cluster that should’ve been decommissioned in 2019, we see you. We are you.
Until next week, keep patching and stay curious!
-A