Top 20 SysAdmin Blogs You Should Be Following

One of our biggest challenges as IT professionals is keeping up-to-date with the wide range of trends and technological changes in our industry. This is complicated not by a lack of available information, but by a glut. To help separate the quantity from the quality, here is my submission of 20 top IT blog sites that will help SysAdmins keep on top of their ever-evolving industry.

I’ve picked a variety of areas and categorized these IT blogs along the lines of the technologies they deal with. Most of these IT technology blogs have been around awhile and over the years, some have grown from simple blog sites into full blown communities. Others are the best IT blogs written by individuals documenting their experiences. All are worth reading. So get ready to learn and enjoy.

General SysAdmin Blogs

• 10 Things 
  10 Things is my favorite blog on the TechRepublic^® website. It breaks down important issues into easily understandable 10-item lists. It’s good for getting an overview of need-to-know info.
• 4sysops
  As the name implies, 4sysops is an online community for IT professionals. The blog features a variety of experienced IT pros that cover the latest topics in system administration. The site includes a wiki and a forum, where members can ask IT administration questions.
• Geek Speak 
  Geek Speak^™ is also a community for IT professionals, hosted by SolarWinds. So along with the blog topics, you can comment, discuss, and ask questions regarding the subjects dealt with. This has helped me out of more than one sticky situation.
• How-To Geek
  The How-To Geek^® site deals with a broad array of technologies—hardware, software, desktops, smartphones, etc. It has an especially nice search feature to look up topics you’re interested in.
• Wahl Network 
  Written by Chris Wahl, this blog bills itself as, “Technical Solutions for Technical People,” and covers a wide range of technologies SysAdmins have to deal with. Chris is a networking guru with years of insights and experience, and he maintains a “Deep Dives” section on his site.
• Tech Bunny 
  This one is a different kind of animal (bad pun, I know). Jennelle Crothers is the person behind Tech Bunny, and her blog is a refreshing mix of anecdotes along with good technical tips and advice.

Microsoft Technologies

• Adam the Automator 
  Another excellent scripting blog, by Adam Bertram. If you want to strengthen your scripting skills, it helps to follow experts who have already blazed that trail.
• All About Microsoft 
  A good blog from ZDNet. Well-known tech author Mary Jo Foley's blog covers the Microsoft^® products and strategies that will keep you up-to-date with this giant in the IT sector.
• ANOOP 
  Anoop Nair is a Microsoft MVP who writes “a blog about infrastructure management” for other IT professionals who are just starting out with SCCM or looking to learn more.
• MSFT Scripting Guys
  A great blog from Microsoft TechNet for system administrators using scripting tools like PowerShell^®.

LINUX Technologies

• nixCraft
  Started by Vivek Gite as a blog in 2002, nixCraft has grown into a community of Linux^® SysAdmins “who want to make the most of SysAdmin-hood.” nixCraft has a vast collection of articles, tips, best practices, and step-by-step guides on installing and configuring all things Linux.
• Tecmint
  Tecmint has a similar story. Started as a blog by Ravi Saive, it has grown into a vast collection of articles, tips, best practices, and step-by-step guides. You will also find downloadable eBooks to prepare for Red Hat^® certification courses.
• The Geek Stuff
  Ramesh Natrajan is an enthusiast of Open Source Technologies and the director of IT infrastructure at a healthcare IT company in Los Angeles. There’s so much good stuff here, don’t pass it up.

Internetworking

• Cisco Blogs
  As the worldwide leader in internetworking, it is impossible not to include the Cisco^® blogs in this list. They’re a great collection of insights, tips, and resources spanning a variety of technologies from data centers to enterprise networking and everything in between.
• IPSpace
  Ivan Pepelnjak has been doing internetworking since the late 80s. He was there in the beginning and he’s still at the forefront today. His blog is a vendor-independent forum for advice and news on this technology. For anyone interested in internetworking, IPSpace is a must-read.

Security

• Krebs on Security 
  Brian Krebs has more than two decades of experience writing about security. His blog has become one of the most widely read and regarded sites dealing with information security.
• Zero Day
  Another good blog from ZDNet. The tagline is “Staying on top of the latest in software/hardware security research, vulnerabilities, threats and computer attacks.” Today we can’t afford not to.

Health Information Systems (HIS)

• AmericanEHR
  Few areas in IT are growing faster than healthcare IT (HIT). This is the official blog of AmericanEHR Partners, “an online community of clinicians who use information technology to deliver care to Americans.” It has everything you need to know about electronic health records (EHRs) and health tech from nationally recognized contributors.
• HIStalk
  HIStalk is a blog that started in 2003 by an anonymous hospital IT director. As a safe place to share frank opinions and industry news, it quickly grew to be a trusted source of information.

Humor

• DevOps Reactions 
  I’ll just close by leaving you with this wonderful site. “Say it with pictures. Describe your feelings about your everyday SysAdmin interactions.” No, it never helped me solve a technical problem, but it has helped me survive many a problem day.

Dan Toth is an information systems specialist with a proven background in the development and management of systems, projects, and personnel. Dan’s particular areas of strength include Network Management, Healthcare-Related Computer Systems, Technical Training, and Information and Physical Security.

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