IT help for the one‑person IT department.
Practical, tested fixes for the people who keep small counties, police departments, and community banks running, whether you're the only IT person in the courthouse or the MSP tech covering six towns.
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The problems that actually land on a small-shop admin's desk.
Audits & compliance
CJIS, LEADS, and bank exams: what auditors ask for and how to have it ready.
2 articlesActive Directory
Retiring old domain controllers, cleaning up forests, and Entra sync headaches.
1 articlePhones & PBX
Keeping on-prem phone systems patched, locked down, and off the scanners’ radar.
1 articleNetworks
Firewalls, VPNs, and the building systems that quietly share your network.
1 articleField notes
Shorter write-ups, lessons learned, and the odd war story.
1 article
Free: CJIS audit evidence checklist
A one-page list of everything the auditor is likely to ask for, from network diagrams to training records. Print it or save it as a PDF.
Latest articles
All articles- Audits & compliance
Getting ready for a CJIS technical security audit
What the auditor will actually want to see, how to scope it, and how to answer the questionnaire without promising things you can't back up.
- Audits & compliance
Meeting the CJIS MFA requirement on a small-agency budget
The audit question is simple. Answering "yes" honestly takes more than turning on MFA for email. Here's what's in scope and the practical ways small agencies get there.
- Phones & PBX
Locking down an on-prem phone system that's exposed to the internet
Scanners find internet-facing phone systems within minutes. Here's how to cut the exposure, stop toll fraud, and keep the admin interface off the public internet.
- Active Directory
Retiring old domain controllers before Server 2016 support ends
Windows Server 2016 leaves extended support on January 12, 2027. Here's a safe, step-by-step way to replace old domain controllers in a small domain.
- Networks
Getting building automation off your office network
HVAC and building controls often sit on the same network as office PCs, speaking a protocol with no authentication. Here's how to separate them without breaking the heat.
- Field notes
Why this site exists
Small offices run on one IT person or a contractor who drives in. This site is written for them.