Topic: PowerShell’s Importance

Notice: This post is a part of the PowerShell Monday series — a group of quick and easy to read mini lessons that briefly cover beginning and intermediate PowerShell topics. As a PowerShell enthusiast, this seemed like a beneficial way to ensure those around me at work were consistently learning new things about Windows PowerShell. At some point, I decided I would share these posts here, as well. Here’s the PowerShell Monday Table of Contents.

Today is the 26th PowerShell Monday. That means I’ve been writing these for a full half year.

I want to use this morning to point some things out. If you take the time to study each of these emails, then you’re going to be better at your job, where PowerShell can be utilized, in just a year’s time. Take the time to read these whether you already know the content, or not. Now, in conjunction, it’s important to practice what you’re reading, too. Do things in the GUI and then consider how you might complete the same task at the ConsoleHost. Ask questions if you have them, as I’m always willing to help.

I learned early on that PowerShell is going to be a requirement for Windows systems administration. Microsoft keeps proving this, as do other companies that are using it in conjunction with their own products. The inventor of PowerShell is now a Microsoft Technical Fellow — that’s the highest technical title one can receive from Microsoft. He’s the lead architect for the Enterprise Cloud Group and the Microsoft Azure Stack. He presides over Windows Server and the System Center products. Don’t think for a moment that PowerShell won’t continue to play a part at Microsoft. You’re going to need this skill. Keep in mind that we’re not going to need a bunch of click-next admins, as they’re called, in the coming years.

After writing a PSMonday each week for a half of a year, I plan to place the first 26 weeks’ worth of content into a single PDF and distribute that in the coming weeks. If you haven’t read all of them, then this might be a nice way to do that.

On a final note, PowerShell was recently introduced on Linux and Mac. My first thought was, great, soon Windows administrators can support Linux, too. It was after a recent trip to Phoenix for a PowerShell Saturday event, however, where Jason Helmick — a PowerShell MVP — made an interesting point: Linux administrators are going to be able to support Windows, too. It’s time to learn PowerShell, and maybe more about both operating systems. In fact, Jason told a room full of Windows administrators, the same thing.