Get to Know Your Instructors: Howard Pincham

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Fun Facts About Howard

• What course are you teaching? Installing and Configuring Windows 10
• What's your favorite food? Tater Tots (don’t tell my wife)
• An interesting fact about you: I used to drive trucks during my college years. I kept my commercial driver's license after graduation just in case this “computer thing” did not work out. I still have it and hope to take a spin in a big rig again one day. There is nothing like driving an 80 foot-long 80,000 pound vehicle down an expressway at 70 miles an hour!
• Social media handles?https://twitter.com/howardpinchamhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/howardpincham

Tell us about yourself:

I am an IT professional who is driven to learn and relearn the fundamentals of computer and information technology. I grew up in the 1970s when few products integrated multiple functions, accepted modular add-ons or were user-configurable. When you purchased technology back then, it performed a single function and that is all that it would ever do… a phone was a phone, a radio was a radio and a refrigerator was a refrigerator.

In college in the 1980s, I discovered that computers were different. They could be programmed to perform one function and then reprogrammed to perform another function. Experience in the IT industry has taught me that successful IT professionals respect this capability and master it by grasping computing fundamentals and the principles of operation of each technology. I want to share this knowledge with others.

My decades-long career has covered many IT disciplines: computer programming, computer operations, storage management, project management, desktop computer support, supplier management, database administration, network management, cloud service management, security operations, systems administration, and technical training.

I hold expert certifications on information security and Microsoft database, desktop and cloud computing platforms.

Studying the fundamentals and the principles of operations of my technologies has served me well. They rarely change even though their version numbers and capabilities do. I am currently focused upon the IT disciplines surrounding computer and network infrastructure, the security of that infrastructure and the data that flows within it. Services, switches, and security are my passion, but I’ll write an occasional script or more when I must.

When I am not working, I find comfort at home with my wife and daughter. They put up with my experiments on the home network as long as I continue to provide free technical support for their issues. I serve regularly at my local church and I even get outside on occasion for hiking, bike riding, and golf.

What brought you to teaching on Cybrary:

I discovered Cybrary while researching online training providers. I was particularly attracted to its focus on IT security. The instructors on Cybrary are all seasoned professionals, and their content focuses on the fundamentals. I saw that there were opportunities available for new Cybrary instructors, so I applied. I want to share what I have learned with the rest of the IT community. We all need Cybrary because technology changes faster than any individual can keep up. Sadly, Google has become the place where some regularly go to cut and paste keystrokes and commands when there is a failure. This habit makes us less effective in our jobs and puts our technologies at risk for loss. We grow by learning the lessons in the safety of Cybrary classrooms and labs. We don’t want to learn these lessons after losing user data or other valuable assets. I am proud to be a part of this Cybrary effort. The effort to make more IT professionals.

Learn how you can contribute on Cybrary >>

Tell us a little bit about your course:

Performing a Microsoft Windows 10 Installation will cover the most common install scenarios and observe methods to preserve user files on the computer and the activation of key security features. You need to take this course and understand its content because millions of Windows 7 and 8 computers will need to be upgraded to Windows 10 in the next year. This course will benefit individuals who have little Windows administration experience. It is perfect for the person who is starting an IT career or needs a primer on how to properly install Windows 10.

Your Experience in Cyber Security:

Because security is everyone’s job, my experience in this discipline started the day that I touched my first keyboard. I took on formal information security responsibilities when an employer outsourced the IT function and I became responsible for monitoring and reporting compliance to best practices and security controls. I performed similar work later in my career when I served as a compliance manager for a popular Software as a Service product. My database administration work spans years and multiple employers whose proprietary data required extensive security, data classification, and data privacy controls. In my current responsibility as a solution architect, I am required to assess and monitor the threats and vulnerabilities facing the information technology that my organization relies on.

Interests in Cyber Security:

I am fascinated with the methods used to protect computer networks and devices from attack. Attackers typically have malicious intentions, but their attacks demonstrate interesting creativity and skill. Anticipating new attacks and learning clues from existing ones is challenging and rewarding work.

A Preview to Installing and Configuring Windows 10