IT Pro Tuesday #198
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Welcome back to IT Pro Tuesday!
Many IT Pros charge headfirst into cloud networking with the same assumptions and fundamentals in mind from traditional on-prem networking. This isn’t the best route to take when it comes to connecting workloads in the cloud. In this SysAdmin DOJO podcast we look at how Azure vWan can help with some of the challenges. Watch/listen on the DOJO or on your favorite podcast player.
We're looking for cool tips and tools we can share with the community... those that help you do your job better and more easily. Please reply with your latest finds, so we can help others benefit from your experience.
As always, we’re updating the full list on our website here. Enjoy.
But on with this week's tools...! Here are the most-interesting items that have come across our desks, laptops and phones this week. Hornetsecurity has no known affiliation with any of these unless we explicitly state otherwise.
A Free Tool
Technitium DNS is an open-source, self-hosted DNS server focused on privacy and security. Offers ad and malware blocking at the DNS level for the entire network, with little to no configuration and a user-friendly, browser-based GUI. tupcakes says, "It’s amazing. Full featured dns server with adblocking."
An eBook
Microsoft 365 Security Checklist is a practical guide for the time-strapped admin from Altaro/Hornetsecurity that shows you all the security settings and configurations you need to know to properly secure M365 tools like email, Teams, SharePoint etc. The eBook also comes with a checklist template to download and start working through.
Another Free Tool
OCRmyPDF adds an OCR text layer to scanned PDF files, so you can create searchable, copyable files that retain embedded images with no disruption of content. Optimizes images to reduce file size without affecting quality. bsnipes uses it to "batch OCR PDFs many thousands of pages in size and have it attempt to detect and correct page orientation and skew. It is my favorite PDF tool."
Yet Another Free Tool
Files App is an open-source file manager offering tabs, tags, columns, dual-panes, context menu extensions, file previews, cloud drive detection and more. ducky_re adds, "loving the multi-tab features and the general cleanliness of the GUI, definitely worth checking out."
A Podcast
The Ask Noah Show is a solution-focused weekly show featuring Q&A discussions on Linux and Open Source technology. GroundbreakingCost94 appreciates that it "gives networking and Linux advice and solutions… to people who call in… [it] is great."
P.S. Bonus Free Tools
Input Director provides a shared clipboard and enables control of multiple Windows computers from a single keyboard and mouse. You can switch between systems with a hotkey or by moving the cursor to the edge of the screen on one computer and it automatically pulls up the next. TheSmJ says, "I've been using it since the WFH mandate started and it's rock solid."
Tuntox allows you to forward TCP connections over the Tox protocol for low-latency access to remote machines that are hidden behind a NAT you don't control or that have a dynamic IP address. Our thanks for the suggestion go to SLZUZPEKQKLNCAQF.
Have a fantastic week and as usual, let us know any comments.