Find the cause
A restart that clears a symptom is not an answer. The useful question is always what changed, and why the system allowed it.
About UpCliff
The work is
The work is
a climb
I'm Mike, and UpCliff is my personal technology portfolio, a place to document what I know, what I am learning, and the systems I have taken apart in order to understand them. It centers on Microsoft 365, DNS, UniFi, networking and the Windows systems behind all of it.
I enjoy understanding how systems connect: how a domain's DNS records decide where mail and traffic actually go, how a UniFi network is structured into segments that behave predictably, and how Microsoft 365's identity and licensing pieces fit together.
This portfolio documents that process — the labs I build, the configurations I test, the problems I trace back to their actual cause, and the documentation I write so the next fix is faster than the last one.
That is the whole approach. Understand the system, write down what I learn, and keep moving up.
Elevation gained one problem at a time
Brand & Domains
Before UpCliff was a portfolio, it was a domain
UpCliff started as a domain name, not a plan. I found UpCliff.com while browsing listings on Sedo and saw a name that could carry an actual identity instead of sitting on a parking page.
From there I built the identity myself: the mountain concept, the Built for the Climb theme, the charcoal and rust-orange palette, and the logo direction that carries it. UpCliff is as much a record of that process as it is a technology portfolio.
Domains have interested me since 2013, when I picked up TechSweep.com. Over time that turned into an instinct for names that actually fit the idea behind them, and for the difference between a domain that is just available and one that is worth building something around.
01
Name & Concept
Recognizing UpCliff.com as a name worth building an identity around, not just acquiring it.
02
Mountain Identity
The ridge and elevation language that carries the climb theme through every page.
03
Charcoal & Rust
A dark, precise palette built for a technology portfolio, not a hiking brand.
04
Built for the Climb
The idea that technical growth is a climb, chosen as the thread that ties the whole site together.
Experience
Route log
Progression from frontline support into escalations, systems work and process improvement — each camp built on the one below it.
-
Camp 01
Endpoint & Account Support
Windows endpoints and Microsoft 365 accounts, day to day. Where I learned that the fastest resolution usually starts with a clear question, not a faster click.
- Windows 10 / 11
- Microsoft 365
- Troubleshooting
-
Camp 02
Microsoft 365 & Identity
Exchange Online, Entra ID, licensing, users and mail flow. Tracing authentication and mail-flow problems back to the configuration actually causing them.
- Microsoft 365
- Exchange Online
- Entra ID
-
Camp 03
Systems & UniFi Networking
Windows Server roles alongside UniFi gateways, switches and access points. VLANs, DHCP and the routing questions that decide whether a problem lives on the client, the network or the service.
- Windows Server
- UniFi
- VLANs
-
Camp 04
Visibility & DNS Filtering
UniFi Protect for recording and device visibility, DNS filtering for domain-level policy. Different tools, same goal: knowing what is actually happening across a network.
- UniFi Protect
- DNS Filtering
- Device Visibility
-
Camp 05
Technical Building
PowerShell scripts that turn a problem I already solved into something repeatable, and a monitoring tool I built from scratch to think through what an administrator actually needs to see.
- PowerShell
- Automation
- RMM Development
-
Summit Push
Documentation
Runbooks and notes written so the next fix starts from what I already learned instead of from zero.
- Documentation
- Runbooks
Professional Experience
Netrio
Netrio is my employer. This is where my professional IT experience comes from. UpCliff is where I document the broader picture of what I know, build, and continue learning.
2023 to Present
Nov 2023 to Present
Service Desk Analyst II
Senior Technical Resource, Weekend Coverage
Advanced troubleshooting across Windows environments, Microsoft 365, networking, DNS, VPN connectivity, user and identity administration, enterprise applications, and infrastructure. I trace problems back to the underlying system behavior, document what I learn, and look for ways to make recurring processes easier to manage. During weekend coverage I also help provide technical guidance and keep communication clear across the support team.
Weekend Operations Optimization
I designed and implemented a more structured weekend workflow to improve visibility, prioritization, communication, and workload distribution across the weekend team.
- Organizing work by priority and ownership
- Improving visibility around critical alerts and escalated issues
- Building automation that synchronized real-time messaging between support channels
- Developing a GPT-assisted workflow for application uninstall requests and MOP-related email prompts
- Testing automation in a controlled environment before broader use
- Improving how a five-person weekend team identified and prioritized urgent work
Aug 2022 to Dec 2023
Service Delivery Tier 1
Foundation of my professional IT experience
I started at Netrio supporting users across Windows environments, Microsoft 365, Active Directory, networking, hardware, software, and connectivity. The role gave me hands-on experience with user lifecycle administration, account provisioning, permissions, troubleshooting, documentation, and escalation paths across a wide range of enterprise environments. I also contributed to internal documentation, writing resolution paths and technical notes that made recurring issues easier for the team to understand.
Microsoft 365
Administration, users, groups, licensing, Exchange Online, identity, mail-related configuration, and troubleshooting.
Networking & DNS
TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPN, LAN/WAN concepts, connectivity troubleshooting, and network diagnostics.
Windows & Identity
Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server, Active Directory, Microsoft 365 identity, user lifecycle operations, and permissions.
Automation
PowerShell where appropriate, GPT-assisted workflows, process automation, queue organization, and controlled testing.
Documentation
Technical documentation, knowledge articles, troubleshooting paths, and internal reference material.
How I Work
Four rules that hold on any route
Watch for patterns
The same DNS issue or connectivity problem showing up twice is not a coincidence. It is one unaddressed cause wearing a different name.
Write it down
If a fix only exists in my head, I have not actually learned it. Documentation is part of understanding the problem, not an afterthought.
Remove the repetition
Manual work that happens every week is a script waiting to be written. Automation buys back attention for the problems that actually need it.
Next Ascent
Want the detail behind a camp?
Happy to walk through any stage of the route: the Microsoft 365 and identity work, the networking, or the documentation that came out of it.