IT Professional & Technical Support Specialist
20+ Years of Technology, Web Infrastructure & Online Community Experience
I'm Brandon Sheley, a seasoned IT professional specializing in helpdesk support, Windows systems administration, and cloud infrastructure. With over two decades of experience, I help businesses navigate complex technical challenges with reliable, innovative solutions.
This site is a resource for businesses seeking technical expertise, IT professionals looking for insights, and a record of the web infrastructure, SEO, and community projects I've built along the way.
About Me
I'm currently an Information Technology Specialist at Kansas Legal Services in Topeka, Kansas, supporting staff across the organization. We're a Google Workspace shop — I handle day-to-day administration through GAM (Google Apps Manager) via the command line — alongside broader systems work spanning Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Alongside professional work, I maintain complex HomeLab environments where I explore virtualization and containers. I regularly build and manage services on Proxmox, ESXi, Hyper-V, and VMware. This hands-on approach strengthens my cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and system optimization expertise.
I also bring two decades of experience with websites and online communities — from forum administration and SEO to WordPress and self-hosted infrastructure — which you can read more about throughout this site.
Core IT & Infrastructure
- • Hardware and software troubleshooting across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Apple Server environments.
- • Windows Server administration, IIS, and Microsoft SQL Server.
- • Ticketing & tracking systems (ServiceNow, ConnectWise, Kaseya BMS, Ninja RMM, ServiceDesk).
- • Backup, disaster recovery (BDR), and cybersecurity principles.
- • Google Workspace administration, including GAM (Google Apps Manager) for command-line user and group management.
- • Virtualization and hypervisors (ESXi, Hyper-V, Proxmox, VMware).
- • Networking fundamentals — LAN, VPN, and CCNA-level coursework.
Web, SEO & Community
- • Technical SEO — site architecture, robots.txt, XML sitemaps, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics.
- • Forum software administration (vBulletin, XenForo, Invision Power Board, phpBB, SMF).
- • WordPress development, theming, and content management.
- • Web development — PHP, MySQL, Apache, and .NET/Visual Studio.
- • Online community building and management.
- • Self-hosted media and archival stacks (Docker, Jellyfin, PhotoPrism, NAS).
Experience & Impact
Real-world solutions demonstrating how my expertise solves organizational challenges.
Enterprise Azure Migration & Infrastructure Management
The Challenge
Migrate from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based solutions while maintaining business continuity.
My Role
Led Azure AD implementation, user/group migrations, hybrid identity, and ongoing support.
The Outcome
Completed the migration with minimal disruption to users, and moved ongoing identity management into a single cloud-based system.
IT Support & Helpdesk Optimization
The Challenge
Organizations struggled with slow ticket resolutions, inconsistent support, and lack of processes.
My Role
Provided tier 1-3 support, implemented ticketing best practices, and established clear workflows.
The Outcome
Faster ticket turnaround, more issues resolved on first contact, and a smoother onboarding process for new staff.
Disaster Recovery & Cybersecurity
The Challenge
Lack of robust backup and disaster recovery left organizations vulnerable to data loss and downtime.
My Role
Designed and implemented BDR strategies, automated backups, and enhanced cybersecurity.
The Outcome
Reliable, monitored backups with a tested restore process and a clear recovery plan in place.
Virtualization & Server Management
The Challenge
Companies needed to consolidate servers, improve resource utilization, and reduce hardware costs.
My Role
Architected virtualization using ESXi, Hyper-V, and Proxmox, optimizing resources and management.
The Outcome
Consolidated physical hardware onto fewer hosts, improving resource utilization and reducing maintenance overhead.
Additional Resources
Deep dives into specific technical topics, side projects, and personal history.
IT Tools
A collection of utilities and resources for IT professionals.
API Finder
Find APIs for your projects easily.
AI Prompt Engineering
Techniques and best practices for interacting with large language models.
Power Cost Calculator
Find out what it actually costs to run a server, NAS, or mini PC 24/7.
Media Lab
An overview of my home media server, archival, and content processing setup.
Data Hoarding
A deep dive into my data collection, archival practices, and storage philosophy.
OpenClaw AI Homelab
Running a self-hosted AI agent on Proxmox VE 9.2, and how to size the hardware for it.
Proxmox Updates
What's new in Proxmox VE, Backup Server, and Mail Gateway -- kept current with a live feed.
SFF Proxmox Nodes
Live pricing on Dell, HP, Lenovo, and NUC small form factor machines for homelab nodes.
RAM Price Tracker
Live $/GB pricing on laptop, desktop, and server memory during the 2026 price surge.
Disk Price Tracker
Live-updating $/TB prices for HDDs and SSDs, sorted to find the best deal.
AI GPU Price Tracker
Live $/GB VRAM pricing on consumer, prosumer, and datacenter GPUs for local LLMs.
NAS Enclosure Tracker
Live $/bay pricing on bare Synology, QNAP, TerraMaster, and ASUSTOR enclosures.
Enterprise Server Tracker
Live pricing on used Dell, HPE, and Supermicro rack servers.
Network Switch Tracker
Live $/port pricing on Mikrotik, Ubiquiti, Cisco, and TP-Link switches.
E-Waste Recycling
Responsible electronic waste management initiatives and resources.
vBulletin History
A look back at vBulletinSetup, Admin-Talk.com, and years of forum admin & SEO work.
.NET / State of Kansas
A decade as a .NET Application Developer for KDOT and the Kansas Dept. of Education.
Testimonials
Client reviews from years of vBulletin installs, upgrades, and forum support work.
WordPress Services
Builds, fixes, migrations, and cleanup for Topeka-area businesses.
WordPress Themes
The story of wpstyle.sheley.org, where I gave away free WordPress themes back in 2008.
Think Big Topeka
The story behind Topeka's 2010 bid to become "Google, Kansas" and Google's reply.
TopekaTweetUp
Twitter meetups I ran across Topeka from 2009–2013, including a WIBW-TV partnership.
