The Business; An independent consulting firm.

NetBlock Systems provides people and their businesses, personable and down to earth network and system consulting. We've been in the trenches of I.T. for many years and know our craft well. Additionally, we're currently in the process of expanding services to include live and on-demand training and will announce it as soon as it's available.

Lastly, Homelabing and its continued advocacy is a core value for us. For me specifically (The Founder), building a homelab is directly responsible for my current path working in Technology. I'm asked quite frequently by those trying to get into I.T. how to get a job if applications almost always say to have a certification or a degree and X years of experience. Well I did end up finding a solution.

I do remember those days being in the same position and it took me a long time to realize the incredible value a homelab provides. Just like a mechanic can work and learn on their own vehicles, a homelabber, now more than ever, can setup almost identical implementations of enterprise/business environments at home with little monetary investment but time, hardware, dedication and access to youtube.

I have obtained many certifications throughout my career, but like many, would frequently have fits of imposter syndrome. I memorized the protocols, learned the history, practiced in the CLI. But when I finally got my break and was in the field, it was difficult to know when to apply the information and skills learned. My imposter syndrome isn't completely gone and I don't think it really ever goes away, but it's a healthy amount that keeps one learning and from being complacent.

Until I implemented, broke, re-deployed, broke again, spent all nighters troubleshooting and maintained my infrastructure over time; did the majority of this ailment subside. The nature of running and maintaining a homelab and knowing the purpose behind the entire infrastructure stack you deploy cements the knowledge in a practical way. It helps you anticipate real-world scenarios you may encounter since you're literally running real I.T. infrastructure.

When in a work environment, you are there to solve their I.T. problems, and I.T. as an industry entirely revolves around solving these problems with technology.

Now days, if I'm interviewing a potential I.T. staffer and they bust out a blog, documenting their homelab operation, the infrastructure, the systems, the network, the maintenance of it, the troubleshooting they've had to perform and the spark in their eyes as they narrate. They move to the top spot in consideration.

The Founder

I decided after 9 years in I.T. to give a go at monetizing the experience I've accumulated as it is rather unique. I learned the most while being part of a small I.T. team in a remote part of the U.S.A. We had to be self-reliant and perform incredible heroics to keep infrastructure operational with little to no help. Deep, effective, practical learning and research was a daily routine.