Cloud & Infrastructure Topics
Cloud platform services, infrastructure architecture, Infrastructure as Code, environment provisioning, and infrastructure operations. Covers cloud service selection, infrastructure provisioning patterns, container orchestration (Kubernetes), multi-cloud and hybrid architectures, infrastructure cost optimization, and cloud platform operations. For CI/CD pipeline and deployment automation, see DevOps & Release Engineering. For cloud security implementation, see Security Engineering & Operations. For data infrastructure design, see Data Engineering & Analytics Infrastructure.
Active Directory and Identity Management
Managing enterprise identity and directory services: Active Directory architecture, domains, forests, group policy, user and group management, and authentication. Covers designing and operating the directory that governs access across an organization, and integrating on-premises identity with cloud providers. The identity backbone of enterprise IT.
Networking Fundamentals and Protocols
The core model of how networks move data: the OSI and TCP/IP layers, the Internet Protocol suite, transport protocols (TCP versus UDP), encapsulation, and TCP behavior including congestion control. Covers the protocol foundations every networking and infrastructure discussion builds on, from link layer through transport. The conceptual bedrock beneath addressing, routing, and switching.
Windows Server Administration
Operating and maintaining Windows Server environments: service and process management, file sharing and NTFS permissions, PowerShell automation, performance monitoring and troubleshooting, and the broader Microsoft server ecosystem. Covers administering, scripting, and diagnosing Windows infrastructure, often in mixed multi-OS estates. The Windows counterpart to Linux administration.
IP Addressing and Subnetting
Working with IP address space: IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, subnetting and CIDR, address planning, NAT's role in address conservation, and static IP configuration. Covers designing an addressing scheme, calculating subnets, and avoiding overlap in interconnected networks. A focused, heavily-tested networking skill.
DNS, DHCP, and Name Resolution
The core network services that make addressing usable: DNS resolution and record types, zone and domain management, DHCP address assignment, and diagnosing name-resolution failures. Covers how names map to addresses, common misconfigurations, and troubleshooting resolution problems that masquerade as broader outages. Foundational infrastructure services.
Server Provisioning and Hardware Lifecycle
Standing up and maintaining physical and virtual servers: installation and configuration, server lifecycle management, hardware troubleshooting and diagnostics, resource allocation, and remote access tooling. Covers the full lifecycle from deployment through diagnosis and decommissioning of server infrastructure. The hands-on hardware and server-buildout layer of IT operations.
Linux System Administration
Operating and maintaining Linux and Unix systems: filesystems and permissions, process and service management, package management and updates, shell and scripting, storage, and network configuration on the host. Covers the day-to-day administration, troubleshooting, and hardening of Linux servers that underpin most infrastructure. The Linux operator's core skill set.
Backup, Recovery, and Disaster Recovery
Protecting data and ensuring recoverability: backup strategies and schedules, restore testing, RPO/RTO objectives, disaster-recovery planning, and failover. Covers designing backup and recovery that actually restores under pressure, and building DR that meets the business's tolerance for data loss and downtime. Resilience against data loss and site failure.
Network Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
Systematically diagnosing network problems: a layered troubleshooting methodology, diagnostic tools and commands (ping, traceroute, tcpdump, packet capture), root-cause analysis, and connectivity and user-access issues. Covers isolating faults across the stack, reading packet-level evidence, and driving from symptom to root cause. The diagnostic discipline that spans all networking layers.