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James Petty

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James Petty

245 articles published

• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast From SharePoint to Security with David Sass

Newly minted Microsoft MVP David Sass joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about PowerShell notebooks, terminal tooling, and making automation approachable for teams that are hesitant to touch the console. David shares how he uses Jupyter/PowerShell notebooks as a practical “click-to-run” interface for colleagues, helping them safely run approved automation while keeping the logic documented, repeatable, and under source control. The conversation also dives into incident response automation, David’s journey from SharePoint engineering into security, and the surprising ways PowerShell can be used across Windows, cloud, and even Raspberry Pi lab clusters—while still staying focused on knowledge-sharing and building systems that don’t depend on one person.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Reliability Through Planning with Matthew Gill

Matthew Gill joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about what it means to be a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) and how SRE thinking changes the way you approach automation, reliability, and problem solving. Matthew and host Andrew Pla break down core concepts like SLAs, SLOs, and SLIs, and why reliability through planning matters more than rushing straight to the keyboard. They also dig into why PSFramework is worth the dependency for enterprise-grade logging and configuration, how community mentorship (including Fred Weinmann’s impact) can fast-track growth, and why books like The Phoenix Project are game-changing for understanding DevOps culture and constraints.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast PowerShell to Distinguished Engineer with Ryan Spletzer

Distinguished Software Engineer Ryan Spletzer joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about building a long-term career in tech through curiosity, continuous learning, and strong community connections. Ryan shares how PowerShell helped shape his path from early work in SharePoint, automation, and identity management to leading AI initiatives at Autodesk, where his team built an internal ChatGPT-style solution using Azure OpenAI before enterprise ChatGPT options existed. They also dig into AI-assisted coding, mentorship, and how foundational software engineering skills still matter more than ever.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Building PowerShell Tools You Wish Existed with Jorge Suarez

Jorge Suarez joins The PowerShell Podcast to share his journey into PowerShell, automation, and community contribution. From attending his first MMS conference to building creative and practical PowerShell projects, Jorge talks about how PowerShell became the primary driver of his career growth. The conversation covers his popular Intune Hydration Kit, creative TUI projects inspired by shows like Severance, and how curiosity and experimentation led him to build tools he wished existed earlier in his career.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Living in PowerShell with Jeff Hicks

PowerShell legend Jeff Hicks joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about what it really means to live in PowerShell every day. From running his entire workflow in the console to building highly polished terminal tools, Jeff shares how PowerShell can be used far beyond infrastructure management—to organize your day, automate personal tasks, and multiply productivity. The conversation also dives deep into learning PowerShell long-term, embracing small wins, investing in your own career growth, and making yourself “available to luck.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Mentorship, Mindset, and Microsoft Ignite with Shannon Eldridge-Kuehn

In this episode of The PowerShell Podcast, Shannon Eldridge-Kuehn returns to discuss her journey since becoming a Microsoft MVP, her experiences at Microsoft Ignite, and her evolving views on technology, communication, and personal growth. Shannon shares stories from Ignite, including Mark Russinovich’s fascinating demo on optical computing, and offers insight into how AI is reshaping IT work, both in efficiency and responsibility.The conversation expands beyond tech, touching on mentorship, emotional intelligence, and the importance of grace, empathy, and connection in professional and personal life.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Cryptography, Cracking Codes, and Breaking CBC with Dr. Al Carlson

In this episode of The PowerShell Podcast, host Andrew Pla welcomes Dr. Al Carlson, a cryptographer, mathematician, and engineer whose career spans more than four decades in military intelligence, embedded systems, and advanced encryption research. Dr. Carlson explains how set theory and mathematical patterns underpin all cryptography, breaking down complex systems like AES into understandable concepts. He discusses his groundbreaking work on isomorphic cipher reduction, polymorphic encryption, and how simplicity, not complexity, is often the key to true security.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Free Security Wins for Sysadmins with Spencer Alessi

Newly minted Microsoft MVP, pentester, and returning guest Spencer Alessi joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about growth, giving back, and building security through PowerShell. Spencer shares lessons from his journey from sysadmin to pen tester, including the importance of learning from mistakes, documenting wins, and advocating for yourself in your career. He also introduces his latest open-source project, AppLocker Inspector, and discusses tools like Locksmith, Pink Castle, and Purple Knight that help IT pros secure their environments and build confidence in automation and defense.

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• 1 min read

The PowerShell Podcast Falling, Learning, and Laughing with PowerShell Friends

Recorded live from SpiceWorld 2025 in Austin, Texas, this special PowerShell Podcast bar session brings together community members Jeffery Hayes, Stephen Engler, Sean Wheeler, and Steven Judd for a fun and insightful celebration of PowerShell and community. Host Andrew Pla reflects on reaching the 200-episode milestone while sharing stories about growth, learning, and the value of connection. From early PowerShell journeys to the power of conferences, mentorship, and even a few bar-side life lessons, this lively session captures the heart of the PowerShell community.

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• 2 min read

The PowerShell Podcast The PSADT Framework Explained and What’s New in Version 4.1 with Dan Cunningham

In this episode, PowerShell Podcast host Andrew Pla chats with Dan Cunningham, Strategic Innovation Leader for PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit (PSADT), about the history, architecture, and evolution of the open-source framework used for enterprise software deployment. Dan explains how PSADT simplifies installs, improves logging, enhances user experience with UI dialogs, and provides consistency across environments. He also discusses the latest release, v4.1, which removes the need for Microsoft’s ServiceUI, boosting both security and usability for Intune and SCCM deployments.

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