How-To guides that prove the work, not just describe it
Step-by-step technology guides with prerequisites, ordered actions, expected results and verification checks.
This is the practical section of isageek: guides for configuring, testing, validating, troubleshooting and recovering technology. Each guide is built around a clear outcome, with the context and checks needed to understand what you are changing and confirm that it worked.
Last reviewed: 5 September 2026. New practical guides are added as they are published.
Start with the right kind of guide
Microsoft & Azure
Identity, Microsoft 365, Azure, AVD and operational tasks across the Microsoft stack.
Infrastructure
Virtualisation, storage, backup, monitoring and the checks that keep platforms supportable.
Troubleshooting
Focused diagnostic guides for finding the fault without changing ten things at once.
Home lab
Practical experiments and repeatable procedures that are still useful outside enterprise IT.
Latest How-To guides
More relevant guides will appear here as this part of the site grows.
Microsoft, Azure and identity procedures
Related analysis
- Microsoft Entra ID: The Security Controls I Would Enable First
If you are tightening up Microsoft Entra ID security, the first wins are usually not exotic: they are the controls that reduce password abuse, shrink admin exposure, and stop… - Entra ID’s move from SMS/voice MFA to passkeys: what breaks
Microsoft is steering Entra ID away from SMS and voice MFA and towards passkeys. The shift is security-led, but it’s operationally risky: recovery, Conditional Access… - SharePoint ransomware exploits make public-facing farms harder to justify
Ransomware exploitation of SharePoint flaws has sharpened the case for removing public access to on-premises farms. With SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 unsupported,… - Entra ID passkeys become default as SMS/voice MFA retires
Microsoft will make passkeys the default sign-in method in Entra ID from 1 September 2026 and retire Microsoft-provided SMS and voice delivery on 1 February 2027. The key risk… - Hyper-V for Windows Server and Microsoft tooling; Proxmox for Linux-first stacks and a cleaner licensing story
In 2026 the choice is less about which hypervisor is “best” and more about which operating model matches your licensing, management, storage and exit strategy. Hyper-V suits…
Infrastructure, backup and networking procedures
Related analysis
- Hyper-V for Windows Server and Microsoft tooling; Proxmox for Linux-first stacks and a cleaner licensing story
In 2026 the choice is less about which hypervisor is “best” and more about which operating model matches your licensing, management, storage and exit strategy. Hyper-V suits… - How Much Does Azure Disaster Recovery Really Cost?
Azure Site Recovery is not a single line item you can read off a pricing page and forget about. The licence is only part of the bill. Storage, transactions, outbound data… - HPE Alletra MP vs Dell PowerStore: How I Would Choose
A practical comparison of HPE Alletra MP and Dell PowerStore for enterprise storage buyers who care about protocol fit, operational model, resilience and long-term platform… - Proxmox VE 9 in the Enterprise: What I Would Check Before Migrating
Proxmox VE 9 is a meaningful release for enterprise virtualisation, but it is not a free lunch. Before you migrate, check storage behaviour, cluster compatibility, backup… - Dedicated Hardened Repositories vs Veeam Software Appliance: Veeam’s 2026 Design Choice
A hardened repository is a Linux backup target with immutability controls, not a ransomware shield. This guide covers what Veeam supports, why dedicated repositories are often…
Troubleshooting guides
More relevant guides will appear here as this part of the site grows.
About these guides
These guides are written for practical use rather than blind copy-and-paste. Where a task can affect security, identity, storage, backup or connectivity, look for prerequisites, validation checks and recovery guidance before applying it to a live environment.
Related technology maps
For broader context, use the Technology pillar. Microsoft-specific decisions sit under Microsoft Technology, while platform architecture sits under Enterprise Infrastructure and Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure.