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People ask what I actually use day to day, so here it is. Everything on this page is something I use myself, for the day job, for the site, or both. No filler.
Learning and certification
Udemy
I use Udemy Business at work for structured courses alongside Microsoft Learn. For exam prep like MD-102, a decent instructor-led course with practice labs fills the gaps the docs don’t. Wait for one of their sales, as courses drop massively in price.
Microsoft Learn
Free, official, and still the best starting point for any Microsoft exam. Pair it with a lab tenant and actually click through the stuff.
Security
LastPass
My password manager. Admin credentials, lab tenant logins, the lot. Yes, I know about the 2022 breach, and I’ve reviewed my setup since. Whatever you use, use something with MFA and a strong master password, not a spreadsheet.
AI
Claude
My go-to for drafting PowerShell, sanity-checking Intune configs, and turning messy notes into something readable. Always test what it gives you in a lab first.
Screenshots and video
ScreenshotIT
My own free Chrome and Edge extension. Capture, auto-hide sensitive info like tenant names and emails, and tidy it up for docs or blog posts. Built because I was sick of blurring things by hand.
OBS Studio
Free and does everything I need for recording tutorials.
Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Podcast
Premiere for editing the YouTube videos, and Adobe Podcast’s speech enhancement for cleaning up audio. It makes a cheap mic sound miles better.
→ Premiere Pro · Adobe Podcast
Canva
Thumbnails, blog graphics, quick diagrams. If you’re in education, check whether you get it free.
Got a suggestion?
If there’s a tool you think I should try, let me know.