The PowerShell Podcast

Andrew sits down with Leo D'Arcy, cloud solutions architect and PSConfEU speaker, to talk certificates, PKI infrastructure, and why so many organizations get it so spectacularly wrong. Leo shares how a decade of consulting work in remote access solutions pulled him into the world of Active Directory Certificate Services whether he liked it or not, and how that hands-on experience turned into conference talks and a genuine specialty. The conversation covers the difference between self-signed certs and proper CA infrastructure, why code signing deserves more attention than it gets, and how integrating signing into a CI/CD pipeline is less painful than it sounds. They also get into the "developer-ization" of IT, the underrated value of consulting experience for career growth, and why communicating across teams is just as important as knowing your PowerShell. Key Takeaways: Code signing through a CI/CD pipeline is a practical, scalable alternative to constrained language mode. By adding a signing step to your build process, you get cryptographic proof that scripts haven't been tampered with, without giving up flexibility in what you can run. Self-signed certificates are essentially the same as having no certificate at all. A proper PKI means having a chain of trust, a policy behind how certs are issued, and infrastructure that your organization actually manages and maintains. Technical depth only gets you so far. The people who advance in IT are the ones who can talk networking with network engineers, infrastructure with server teams, and business outcomes with leadership. Soft skills aren't a bonus, they're a multiplier. Guest Bio:Leo D'Arcy is a UK-based cloud solutions architect with nearly a decade of consulting background in Microsoft technologies, including Azure, remote access solutions, PKI, and Active Directory Certificate Services. He's a repeat speaker at PSConfEU and runs the Remote Access User Group community on Discord. He's currently focused on Azure landing zone architecture and large-scale PowerShell automation at a stakeholder advisory firm. Resource Links: Leo on GitHub: github.com/ld0614 PSConfEU: psconf.eu Leo on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leodarcy.bsky.social Leo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leodarcy/ Connect with Andrew: https://andrewpla.tech/links Microsoft Remote Access User Group Discord: https://discord.aovpndpc.com/ The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BidUaXtwUNM

With PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2026 opening this Monday, April 13th, this episode brings back one of the most respected names in the PowerShell community: Jeff Hicks. Andrew sits down with Jeff to dig into what makes the Summit special, the organic community that grew from those earliest events, and what it actually feels like to watch people go from struggling beginners to confident PowerShell practitioners. They also get into the big question hanging over everyone in IT right now: what does AI actually mean for the future of PowerShell professionals? Jeff shares his take on the "squishy bits" of scripting that AI still can't replicate, why learning the core PowerShell paradigm matters more than ever, and how he personally uses AI as a collaborator rather than a shortcut. It's a conversation about community, craft, and what it means to actually know your tools. Key Takeaways: Learn the foundation first, tools second. Jeff's consistent message over decades of teaching: don't start with Azure commands or specific modules. Start with the PowerShell paradigm — objects, the pipeline, managing at scale — and the rest becomes much easier to pick up over time. AI is a co-pilot, not a replacement. Jeff uses AI to get over specific technical hurdles, not to generate finished code. His concern isn't that AI will write bad scripts — it's that the next generation may skip the foundational learning that lets you recognize when AI gets it wrong. The PowerShell community is genuinely welcoming, and showing up matters. Whether it's Summit, a local user group, or Discord, getting into rooms with other PowerShell people can be a career changer. The hallway conversations are half the value. Guest Bio: Jeff Hicks is a veteran IT professional with 35 years of experience, a long-time Microsoft MVP, and one of the most recognized voices in the PowerShell community. He's the author and co-author of several foundational PowerShell books, a Pluralsight course creator, and the publisher of the premium newsletter Behind the PowerShell Pipeline. He's been teaching and writing about PowerShell since the very beginning and continues to focus on the human side of scripting — the parts that go beyond syntax and into craft. Resource Links: Jeff Hicks' hub (links to everything): https://jdhitsolutions.github.io Behind the PowerShell Pipeline (newsletter & book on Leanpub): https://leanpub.com/behind-the-pspipeline Jeff's Pluralsight courses: https://app.pluralsight.com/profile/author/jeff-hicks Connect with Andrew: https://andrewpla.tech/links PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2026 (April 13-16, Bellevue, WA): https://www.powershellsummit.org PDQ Discord (PowerShell scripting channel): https://discord.gg/pdq PowerShell Wednesday (weekly on PDQ's YouTube/Discord): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vdfFswmREQ&list=PL1mL90yFExsix-L0havb8SbZXoYRPol0B&pp=0gcJCbcEOCosWNin The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ceB-3QGbvBA

Andrew welcomes back Morten Mynster for a follow-up conversation that's essentially a highlight reel of one Morten's public journey over the past year. Morten shares updates on three PowerShell modules he's released, including his standout LeastPrivilegedMSGraph module, and walks through a security issue he discovered and responsibly reported to Microsoft. Along the way, Andrew and Morten reflect on how putting your work out publicly can lead to unexpected career wins, how AI is reshaping the way people learn and write code, and why getting hands-on is still the best way to actually understand anything. Morten is also two weeks into a new job as a cybersecurity consultant, which came directly from his open-source work.Key Takeaways: Publishing your work publicly, even to a small audience, creates opportunities that a resume never could. Morten landed a job offer without ever applying, simply because someone found his module on LinkedIn. The best way to learn something technical is still to get hands-on with it. Reading about it is rarely enough, whether that's PowerShell, APIs, or anything else in IT. AI is a powerful accelerator, but over-relying on it without a foundational understanding means you won't be able to fix things when they break, and you risk introducing security vulnerabilities you don't even recognize. Guest Bio: Morten Mynster is a cybersecurity consultant and an active member of the PowerShell and security community. Over the past year, he's published three PowerShell modules focused on Microsoft Graph permissions and actionable messages in Outlook, discovered and reported a security vulnerability to Microsoft, and begun public speaking. He blogs at mynster9361.github.io and is active on LinkedIn and Discord.Resource Links: Andrew's Links: https://andrewpla.tech/links PDQ Discord: discord.gg/PDQ Morten's Blog: mynster9361.github.io Morten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenmynster/ Least Privileged MS Graph Module (GitHub): github.com/Mynster9361/Least_Privileged_MSGraph Actionable Messages Module (GitHub): github.com/Mynster9361/ActionableMessages Actionable Messages Module blog post: mynster9361.github.io/posts/ActionableMessagesModule PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit: powershellsummit.org PowerShell Conference Europe (PSConfEU): psconf.eu The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VIEbain7IIg

Security professional Mason Moser joins The PowerShell Podcast to share his journey from discovering PowerShell through Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches to building real-world automation tools in a security environment. Mason talks about how starting slowly, returning to PowerShell after a break, and consistently building small tools helped him gain confidence and deepen his skills. The conversation also explores the value of community involvement, overcoming imposter syndrome, presenting technical topics publicly, and practical workflows for security and scripting. Mason discusses using Git with AI-assisted coding, building internal PowerShell tools for teams, and how small daily automation tasks can steadily build long-term PowerShell expertise.Key Takeaways:• Start small and stay consistent — even simple scripts like cleaning up files or automating routine tasks build real PowerShell confidence over time.• Community involvement accelerates learning — asking thoughtful questions, sharing tools, and participating in discussions can dramatically improve your growth.• Git is essential when working with AI-generated code — committing changes frequently makes it easier to review, rollback, and understand modifications AI tools produce.Guest Bio:Mason Moser is a security professional based in Oklahoma who focuses on automation, governance, and risk within the electric utility industry. With a background in programming and security operations, Mason uses PowerShell to build internal tooling, streamline security workflows, and improve operational efficiency. He is an active participant in the PowerShell community and recently presented a PowerShell Wednesday session on Vim and keyboard-driven development workflows.Resource Links:Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches – https://www.manning.com/books/learn-powershell-in-a-month-of-lunchesPDQ Discord – https://discord.gg/PDQConnect with Andrew - https://andrewpla.tech/linksPowerShell Wednesdays – https://www.youtube.com/@PDQVim Editor – https://www.vim.org The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7EtWrrblKMw

Long-time Microsoft MVP and consultant Richard Hicks joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about ADCS security, PKI misconfigurations, and why PowerShell is a consultant’s ultimate force multiplier. Richard shares real-world stories from auditing enterprise certificate environments, explains how simple template mistakes can lead to full domain compromise, and walks through tools like Locksmith that help administrators quickly identify dangerous configurations. The conversation also explores Richard’s open-source PowerShell work, including his widely downloaded Get-UEFICertificate script for Secure Boot certificate expiration issues and his new ADPrincipalCertificate module for cleaning up unnecessary certificates published in Active Directory. Along the way, Richard reflects on career growth, publishing, consulting, and why sharing knowledge openly has been one of the biggest drivers of his long-term success.Key Takeaways:• ADCS is easy to deploy but difficult to secure — Misconfigured certificate templates, especially ESC1 scenarios, can allow instant privilege escalation and domain compromise.• PowerShell turns repetitive work into reusable tools — From UEFI certificate auditing to Active Directory cleanup, scripting creates consistency and prevents human error.• Sharing expertise compounds over time — Blogging, publishing modules, and speaking at conferences builds credibility, community, and long-term career momentum.Guest Bio:Richard Hicks is the founder and principal consultant of Richard M. Hicks Consulting, Inc. A Microsoft MVP with over 30 years of experience, he specializes in secure remote access and PKI, helping organizations deliver secure, high-performing access for today’s mobile workforce.Resource Links: Richard Hicks Website – https://richardhicks.com Connect with Richard – https://richardhicks.com/connect Connect with Andrew: https://andrewpla.tech/links Get-UEFICertificate Script – https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/Get-UEFICertificate ADPrincipalCertificate Module – https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/ADPrincipalCertificate Locksmith ADCS Audit Tool – https://github.com/jakehildreth/Locksmith PDQ Discord – https://discord.gg/PDQ PowerShell Wednesdays – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa0GYX9_vj8&list=PL1mL90yFExsix-L0havb8SbZXoYRPol0B&pp=sAgC The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4HYCAjQS2W8

In this episode of The PowerShell Podcast, Andrew Pla is joined by Tara, a longtime IT professional who has officially started her PowerShell learning journey. Tara shares her honest experience transitioning from a GUI-first mindset to learning PowerShell fundamentals, including objects, verb-noun commands, variables, pipelines, and error messages. The conversation captures the real emotions of learning something new later in a career—confusion, frustration, breakthroughs, and growing confidence. The episode also explores learning strategies like daily practice, flashcards, typing commands instead of copying, and asking “beginner” questions without fear. Andrew and Tara emphasize the importance of community, mentorship, growth mindset, and psychological safety, encouraging listeners that learning PowerShell doesn’t require perfection—just consistency, curiosity, and support.Key Takeaways: Learning PowerShell deepens your understanding of IT as a whole, not just scripting, especially through concepts like objects, properties, and methods. Consistency beats intensity — small daily practice, repetition, and typing commands manually build real confidence over time. Community changes everything — asking questions, sharing struggles, and learning publicly makes progress faster and far more enjoyable. Guest Bio:Tara Sinquefield is an experienced IT professional and PDQ team member who is publicly documenting her PowerShell learning journey. Known for her honesty, curiosity, and willingness to ask the questions others may be afraid to ask, Tara represents the many IT pros who are discovering PowerShell later in their careers. Her journey highlights how learning fundamentals can unlock deeper technical understanding, confidence, and new opportunities. She is also a host of PDQ Live every weekResource Links:PDQ Discord – https://discord.gg/PDQTara's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-sinquefield-894a1a215/Connect with Andrew - https://andrewpla.tech/linksTara Writes Her First Script: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa0GYX9_vj8PowerShell Conference Europe – https://psconf.euPowerShell + DevOps Global Summit – https://powershellsummit.org The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZaPoS4mGW7s

Recently retired PowerShell icon Don Jones joins The PowerShell Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on career ownership, community leadership, and building a life that aligns with what you actually value. Don reflects on the difference between your job and your career, why investing in yourself pays off, and how asking better questions can change the way you influence decisions at work. The episode also dives into Don’s journey as a fiction author, his role in shaping the PowerShell community and Summit culture, and why real success comes from clarity, kindness, and helping others win. Key Takeaways:• Your employer owns your job, but you own your career—define your destination and build the skills to get there.• Strong careers are built on outcomes, not tools—focus on saving time, reducing errors, and delivering measurable business value.• Community scales when you empower others—create space for people to contribute, own wins, and multiply the impact beyond yourself. Guest Bio:Don Jones is a foundational figure in the PowerShell community, known for his decades of teaching, writing, and advocacy for automation and professional growth. A former Microsoft MVP, Don co-authored the widely influential Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches series and helped shape community culture through conferences, mentorship, and leadership. Now retired from full-time work, Don continues writing and publishing fiction, bringing the same clarity and craft to storytelling that made his technical teaching so impactful. Resource Links:• Don Jones Website and Books – https://donjones.com Andrew's links: https://andrewpla.tech/links • PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit – https://powershellsummit.org• Tech Impact (nonprofit mentioned) – https://techimpact.org• PowerShell.org – https://powershell.org• PDQ Discord – https://discord.gg/PDQ• PowerShell Wednesdays – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PowerShell+Wednesdays The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xKh8rqCqMQg

Newly minted Microsoft MVP David Sass joins The PowerShell Podcast to talk about PowerShell notebooks, terminal tooling, and making automation approachable for teams that are hesitant to touch the console. David shares how he uses Jupyter/PowerShell notebooks as a practical “click-to-run” interface for colleagues, helping them safely run approved automation while keeping the logic documented, repeatable, and under source control. The conversation also dives into incident response automation, David’s journey from SharePoint engineering into security, and the surprising ways PowerShell can be used across Windows, cloud, and even Raspberry Pi lab clusters—while still staying focused on knowledge-sharing and building systems that don’t depend on one person. Key Takeaways:• Notebooks can remove friction for teams — combining documentation, code, and saved output creates a safer way for others to run automation without needing deep PowerShell confidence.• PowerShell scales incident response workflows — David explains how notebooks can log in, pull incidents, enrich data, and even auto-close noise, reducing UI-click fatigue for analysts.• Teaching makes you promotable — sharing knowledge reduces dependency on you, strengthens the team, and makes it easier for a business to grow your role without risk. Guest Bio:David is a Microsoft MVP and highly skilled SharePoint Guy who is focusing on Automation, Compliance, Security, Operational Excellence, Quality Assurance and hacking the unexpected out from the technology stack. Resource Links: David’s link hub – https://davidsass.io/ Andrew's links - https://andrewpla.tech/links PowerShell Spectre Console – https://pwshspectreconsole.com/ PowerShell Wednesdays – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PowerShell+Wednesdays PDQ Discord – https://discord.gg/PDQ ClockworkPi (the handheld device shown/discussed) – https://clockworkpi.com The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y03EJYpZczo