AWS Certifications — Where to Start
An overview of the AWS certification landscape and guidance on choosing the right path for your career.
The complete archive of technical articles from IT Diversified, covering AWS, VMware, Radware, Microsoft, HashiCorp, and more — published between 2015 and 2017.
The complete archive at IT Diversified represents a practical toolbox for systems administrators who live and breathe infrastructure operations. The collection spans a wide range of platforms and technologies, from AWS cloud architecture and VMware virtualization to Radware load balancing and Microsoft enterprise services. What ties these posts together is a consistent focus on real-world configuration, troubleshooting, and day-to-day operational guidance. Whether you are designing VPC networking, integrating authentication services, or managing DNS resolution, the articles aim to reduce friction and help you move from problem to solution with confidence.
Several themes recur throughout the archive, reflecting the evolving demands of modern IT environments. Cloud management and automation appear frequently, with attention to services like CloudFormation, Route 53, and WorkMail, alongside tooling from HashiCorp including Consul and Vault. On the on-premises side, deep dives into vSphere, vCenter, and vRealize operations help bridge the gap between traditional virtualization and newer cloud-native approaches. The posts also explore load balancing concepts such as GSLB, health checks, and persistence, making the archive useful for anyone working across hybrid or multi-site deployments.
Beyond the technical how-tos, the archive captures a period of rapid change in the industry, with articles published between 2015 and 2017 reflecting the transition many organizations were making toward cloud adoption and infrastructure-as-code practices. The writing style is approachable and direct, favoring clear explanations over marketing language. Readers will find practical walkthroughs, configuration examples, and lessons learned from hands-on lab work, all organized with the working administrator in mind. The content encourages exploration, growth, and the willingness to change how systems are designed and operated.
For those preparing for certifications or advancing their careers, the archive includes study-oriented material covering advanced networking topics and cloud certification paths. The author's background spans both vendor certifications and community involvement, offering a perspective that balances formal training with practical experience. The overall tone is one of shared learning: the posts invite readers to explore, grow, and adapt their skills to meet new challenges. Whether you are just starting your cloud journey or looking to refine existing expertise, the accumulated knowledge in this archive serves as a useful reference companion for the modern systems administrator.
An overview of the AWS certification landscape and guidance on choosing the right path for your career.
Detailed preparation tips and firsthand exam experience for the AWS Solutions Architect Professional certification.
Practical advice for tackling the Solutions Architect Associate exam, from study resources to test-day strategy.
A practitioner's guide to preparing for and passing the SysOps Administrator Associate certification.
In-depth preparation coverage for the AWS Advanced Networking specialty exam, spanning VPC design, VPN, Direct Connect, and Route 53.
Step-by-step walkthroughs for configuring internet access within an Amazon VPC environment.
Guidance on planning VPC and subnet CIDR ranges for scalable AWS deployments.
An introduction to AWS Config and how it helps track resource configuration changes over time.
Strategies for building resilient AWS architectures with both local and geographic failover.
A three-part series on writing efficient, modular AWS CloudFormation templates for infrastructure as code.
A look at different automation tools and frameworks for managing cloud infrastructure at scale.
How to connect HashiCorp Consul service discovery with AWS Route 53 Resolver for hybrid DNS.
Architectural patterns for running HashiCorp Vault with high availability on Amazon Web Services.
Troubleshooting and configuration guidance for vRealize Operations Manager action buttons.
Using vRealize Operations Manager to assess ESXi host compliance with the vSphere hardening guide.
Practical lessons learned from deploying and configuring VMware Site Recovery Manager.
A walkthrough for planning and executing a migration to a new vCenter Server instance.
How to extend vCenter Operations Manager monitoring to multiple vCenter instances.
A quick tip for moving virtual machines across port groups using the vSphere client.
Configuration guide covering the various traffic dispatch methods available in Radware AppDirector.
Step-by-step instructions for resetting a Radware AppDirector appliance to its factory state.
How to configure DNS-based session persistency on Radware AppDirector.
Setting up RADIUS authentication for administrative access to AppDirector.
Procedures for backing up and restoring AppDirector configurations via import and export.
A guide to configuring Global Server Load Balancing on Radware AppDirector.
How to set up and customize health checks for backend servers in AppDirector.
Foundational steps for defining and configuring applications within Radware AppDirector.
An introduction to PowerShell DSC for declarative configuration management on Windows.
Using PowerShell to audit and manage Windows systems efficiently from the command line.
Troubleshooting and recovering from corrupt DFS Replication databases on Windows Server.
An overview of Shavlik patch management and its role in keeping Windows environments up to date.
Coverage and takeaways from AWS re:Invent 2017 in Las Vegas.
A recap of Cloud Field Day 2, including first-time attendee impressions and session highlights.
Recap of the Louisville VMUG meeting, including the introduction of lightning rounds.
Recognition of the site author as a VMware vExpert for 2016.
A lighthearted post about the 2017 vExpert sticker design and community recognition.
Announcement and coverage of the Top vBlog 2015 voting period.
Reflections on embracing change as a core reality of working in information technology.
A perspective on building a long-term IT career rather than just holding a series of jobs.
Thoughts on setting professional goals and pursuing speaking opportunities in the IT community.
Why every IT professional should consider building a home lab for hands-on learning and experimentation.
Coverage of Rubrik's Cloud Cluster offering for cloud-native data protection.
A look at Thycotic's tool for discovering and managing privileged accounts across an environment.
An introductory article covering the basics of Fibre Channel storage networking.