Our Blog

StormWind Studios uses proprietary technologies to provide live, interactive IT training courses online in technologies such as Cisco, VMware, Microsoft, CompTIA, ITIL, AWS, cybersecurity, project management, and more. Our blog aims to share the goings-on at StormWind Studios, as well as industry news, blog posts, and some fun stuff, too.

10 August 2026

What Is the Nominal Group Technique? A Step-by-Step Guide

Nathaniel Miller

Every team has sat in the meeting where one loud voice dominates, quieter experts stay silent, and the “decision” is really the highest-paid person’s opinion. The nominal group technique (NGT) was built to fix that. It is a structured decision-making method that gives every participant equal weight, surfaces more ideas than open brainstorming, and ends […] Read More: What Is the Nominal Group Technique? A Step-by-Step Guide

7 August 2026

chmod: How to Change File Permissions in Linux

Nathaniel Miller

Linux file permissions control who can read, write, and execute files, and knowing how to change them with chmod is a core skill for anyone working on Linux systems. This guide explains how permissions work and walks through changing them, both the numeric and symbolic way. Read the permission string first. Then decide what chmod […] Read More: chmod: How to Change File Permissions in Linux

5 August 2026

Common Firewall Rules: A Rule-by-Rule Configuration Guide

Nathaniel Miller

A firewall only protects you if the rules are right. This guide covers the common firewall rules most networks need: the specific allow and deny rules, the order to put them in, and the ones that quietly leave you exposed. Start with the table, then read the reasoning underneath it. The firewall is not the […] Read More: Common Firewall Rules: A Rule-by-Rule Configuration Guide

4 August 2026

Keep Sensitive Data Out of Public AI Tools (and Watch Copilot Prompts)

Nathaniel Miller

An HR analyst exports a spreadsheet with employee names, IDs, and salaries. They upload it to a public chatbot and ask it to “group this for a leadership slide.” They finish the task in minutes. Your personally identifiable information may now live in a third-party model you do not control. That scenario is how sensitive […] Read More: Keep Sensitive Data Out of Public AI Tools (and Watch Copilot Prompts)

3 August 2026

Excel Pivot Tables: 5 Steps, With Screenshots

Nathaniel Miller

Pivot tables are Excel’s most powerful tool for summarizing data. They turn thousands of rows into a clear summary in seconds, no formulas required. This guide shows you exactly how to create one, step by step, plus the key features that make them so useful. Keep the detail in the source sheet. The pivot table […] Read More: Excel Pivot Tables: 5 Steps, With Screenshots

31 July 2026

VLOOKUP in Excel: Syntax, Examples & Common Errors

Nathaniel Miller

VLOOKUP is one of Excel’s most useful functions: it finds a value in one column and returns related information from another. This guide walks through exactly how to use it, with examples, common mistakes, and when to use its modern replacement, XLOOKUP. You have an ID. VLOOKUP returns the matching value from another column in […] Read More: VLOOKUP in Excel: Syntax, Examples & Common Errors

29 July 2026

What Is SQL? A Beginner’s Guide with Examples

Nathaniel Miller

SQL is the language used to talk to databases: to store, retrieve, and analyze data. If you work with data in any capacity, understanding SQL is one of the highest-leverage skills you can build. This guide explains what SQL is, what it is used for, and the core commands, in plain English. SQL sits between […] Read More: What Is SQL? A Beginner’s Guide with Examples

27 July 2026

AZ-800 & AZ-801 in 2026: Retirement, AZ-802 & What’s Next

Nathaniel Miller

What the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate covers, how AZ-800 and AZ-801 split the work, exam cost and difficulty, retirement timing, AZ-802 status, and how to prepare for hybrid Windows Server roles. Windows Server still runs a large share of business infrastructure, but the job is no longer “on-prem only.” The current Windows Server 2022 […] Read More: AZ-800 & AZ-801 in 2026: Retirement, AZ-802 & What’s Next

26 July 2026

AI Governance with Microsoft Purview: Where Teams Should Start

Nathaniel Miller

Your team is adopting Copilot, Foundry-hosted models, and local RAG pipelines faster than most compliance programs can keep up. AI governance with Microsoft Purview starts in a different place than another AI portal: it starts with knowing where your data lives, who owns it, and which AI workloads can touch it. That is the core […] Read More: AI Governance with Microsoft Purview: Where Teams Should Start

24 July 2026

CISM Cost in 2026: $575 Member / $760 Non-Member Fees

Nathaniel Miller

Domains, cost, experience requirements, salary context, CISM vs CISSP, and how to prep before or after ISACA’s November 3, 2026 exam content update. If your career is moving from hands-on security into program leadership, CISM certification is one of the clearest signals you can send. ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager proves you can govern risk, […] Read More: CISM Cost in 2026: $575 Member / $760 Non-Member Fees