Gary’s Blog

a post created by AI using my notes for my course in operating systems as source 1. Introduction: The OS as the “Beautiful” Interface To the contemporary systems architect, a computer is a staggeringly complex assembly of processors, main memory, disks, network interfaces, and diverse I/O devices. From an application programmer’s perspective, the raw hardware Read More

A post prepared for students in my network security course The internet is a complex construction of devices and connections that spans the globe. It can be difficult to conceptualize every aspect of the internet to use it securely. By understanding how black hats find targets and how they create attacks against those targets, the cybersecurity defenses we build are improved. Read More

The decisions that past technology teams made and the hardware, software, and network infrastructure they installed affect the decisions that can be made in the future. Especially in schools, the IT system tends to be a kluge; new features and functions were added piecemeal, and each was made to operate with extant systems. In many cases those integrations depended on custom programming and configurations.  School budgets rarely allow for wholesale replacement of technology. The total cost of replacing technology infrastructure includes the cost Read More

In most aspects of school function, school leaders have experience and preparation. A leader probably started their career as a faculty member, then studied school administration and progressed through positions that gave them more experience and in which they gained increasing knowledge of school operations.  Most school leaders freely admit they are not “technology people.” While they use technology Read More

Schols are organizations that have similar organizational and business needs as other organizations of similar size. People need to be hired, bills need to be paid, forms need to be completed to ensure business activities proceed as efficiently and effectively as possible.  

Standards are collections of actions that are undertaken by organizations to ensure they are aligned with the actions that should be taken by similar organizations. Many who work in information technology in the United Stated are familiar with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which defines the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risks. In education, there Read More