About

Hi, I'm Dayden.

I’m a systems administrator in Salt Lake City. My days are spent in Microsoft 365 administration, security and compliance, and the networks that hold it all together. Admin Basics is where I write that work down, and the home of my consulting practice, Admin Basics LLC.

Dayden Renwick
Why this exists

Notes from real environments.

Most IT documentation is written after everything works, by someone who’s forgotten how confusing it was at the start. I write while it’s still confusing. Every note here starts as a real problem in a real environment, whether that’s a security policy that wasn’t applying, a network change that didn’t behave, or a Microsoft 365 setting that didn’t do what the docs said, and ends with what actually fixed it.

If you spot a mistake, tell me and I’ll fix the note and credit you.
Read the notes
Built with AI

Yes, AI helps build this site.

I’d rather say it than have you wonder. I use AI tools (Claude, mostly) to help design and build this site, to tidy up my drafts, and to sanity-check scripts before they touch a tenant. The problems, the testing, the screenshots, the mistakes and the opinions are mine. Every note is something I’ve actually done, and I edit everything before it goes live.

I think that’s where IT work is heading: admins who know their environment, working faster with AI alongside. This site is me practising that in the open.
Work with me

Need this done in your environment?

I work with organizations of any size, in Salt Lake City and remotely, on Microsoft 365 administration, security and compliance, and networking. It’s the same work I write about here, done in your environment.

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