Today, we bring you a list of the 20 best blogs for systems administrators in 2019. We analyse the number of visits and followers, type of content and more so that you know just where to go for useful and interesting information.
An important part of the job of a systems administrator is keeping up to date with the latest technological trends and developments. However, this isn’t an easy task. There is so much information available online, and we all know that time is not something that sysadmin have in abundance. So, to make life a little easier for you, we have carefully looked at a total of 50 blogs and selected what we believe are the best 20 in 2019, based on the number of visits, social media following, how often they are updated, type of content and references from other specialist blogs.
To make this article easier to use, we have separated them by area of specialisation:
- General information for systems administrators
- Linux
- Microsoft
- Networking
- Security
Top 20 Blogs for Systems Administrators (2019)
Blogs for Systems Administrators (General):
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 466,000
- Followers on: Facebook (61,397) / Twitter (14,900)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Networking, Virtualisation, Databases, Security, Tools.
- Type of Content: General, Specialised.
- Associated company: Solar Winds
Geek Speak is a blog covering topics related to sysadmin such as containers, hybrid IT, security, databases, migrations and the cloud. The topics are varied but are not too technical. They tend to be more general or simply be opinion pieces. It’s an interesting blog, but it’s probably not the ideal site if you’re looking for solutions to problems or technical details about a specific issue.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 1,160,000
- Followers on: Linkedin (197) / Facebook (1,410) / Twitter (3,372)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Virtualisation, Security, Monitoring, Backups.
- Type of Content: General, Specialist
- Associate company: None (Founded by Michael Pietroforte and contributors)
4sysops is a blog specifically aimed at IT professionals. Contributors to the blog are industry professionals who create content related to the latest technology for systems administration, cloud computing and DevOps. Its posts contain technical content, solutions and tutorials about problems and experiences relating to deployment, desktop management, virtualisation, security, monitoring, backups and much more. It’s a very interesting specialist blog that covers many subjects. Definitely, a place to check out to keep up with the latest trends and developments.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 383,580
- Followers on Linkedin (12,829) / Facebook (51,308) / Twitter (35,267)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update frequency: Monthly
- Topics covered: Security, Cloud Computing, Communications.
- Type of Content: General, Specialist
- Associated company: GFI Software
TechTalk is a blog focusing on opinion articles, tools and how-to guides for systems administrators. It’s a little less technical than the ones mentioned so far, but it still covers topics like cloud computing, security and communications, written for a more general or less advanced audience.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 64,850
- Followers on Facebook (226) / Twitter (5,716)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Virtualisation, Storage and Cloud Computing
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None: Founded by Andrea Mauro)
vInfraestruture is a blog specialising in virtualisation, storage and cloud computing that is updated daily with technical articles and advice.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 43,320
- Followers on Facebook (172,563) / Twitter (55,400)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Linux, Office, Security, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android…
- Type of Content: General, Specialist
- Associated company: None (Chris Hoffman, Walter Glenn and contributors)
How-To Geek is made up of a team of experts who aim to cover all manner of technical solutions, news and the latest gadgets. Although its aimed at a slightly more general audience than other blogs in this section, How-To Geek offers technical solutions, reviews, reports, comparisons and processes to deal with subjects like security or operating systems like Linux, Windows or Mac.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): Unknown
- Followers on social media: Unknown
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Virtualisation, Storage, Security and Cloud Computing
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None
r/SysAdminBlogs is more than just a blog. It is a source of articles, videos and information covering topics like technology and systems administration. The community publishes daily articles on virtualisation, storage, security and cloud computing with technical articles and tips related to each topic.
Linux Blogs:
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 7,380,000
- Followers on Facebook (348,575) / Twitter (28,900)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Linux Systems
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Founded by Ravi Saive and contributors)
TecMint is a blog focused on Linux that publishes rather practical articles for industry professionals. First started in 2012, the team aims to offer useful advice, guides, tutorials and technical resources to help other IT professionals (we particularly recommend it for DevOps).
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 1,700,000
- Followers on: Facebook (17,400) / Twitter (4,485)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Weekly
- Topics covered: Linux systems and other occasional topics
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Founded by Ramesh Natarajan)
The Geek Stuff is a blog that posts guides, how-tos, tips and tricks for resolving problems on Linux and other open-source technology. As well as Linux topics, it also covers subjects related to databases (Oracle, MySQL, etc.), storage, development, web design, hardware and much more. If you’re all about open source, this is the blog for you.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 603,180
- Followers on: Twitter (12,635)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Fortnightly/Monthly
- Topics covered: Linux systems
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Founded by M.EL Khamlichi and contributors)
Unixmen could probably best be described as a blog dedicated to tutorials/technical posts on the installation, configuration, monitoring and replication of different applications on Linux systems. It is basically a collection of how-to guides, tutorials, tricks and tips on the most popular Linux distros (Ubuntu, LinuxMint, Fedora, Centos).
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 489,130
- Followers on: Facebook (8,191) / Twitter (1,592)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Weekly/Monthly
- Topics covered: Linux systems
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Author: Dan Nanni)
Xmodulo is a blog specialising in Linux systems, created by Dan Nanni and other contributors who try to respond to frequently asked questions about Linux. They share technical posts, tips and tutorials about Linux that have been tested beforehand, where they describe problems and solutions in a clear and detailed manner.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 403,870
- Followers on: Twitter (1,054)
- References from other specialist blogs: 3
- Update Frequency: Daily/Weekly
- Topics covered: Linux systems
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None
Hatydenjames.io is a specialist blog that covers all manner of topics related to Linux system administration, particularly focusing on the performance of Linux machines, security, MySQL and php.
Microsoft Blogs:
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 557,820
- Followers on social media: Not available
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Weekly
- Topics covered: Microsoft (Outlook, Office 365 and Exchange)
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: Slipstick Systems (independent from Microsoft Corporation)
Slipstick.com is a top blog for matters relating to Outlook, Office 365 and Exchange. Posts mainly consist of tutorials or technical posts that aim to respond to frequently asked questions, problems or procedures related to Microsoft tools. It’s a great source of useful information (video tutorials, forums, archives, etc.) if you’re trying to keep up to date with the latest Microsoft developments.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 97,700
- Followers on: Linkedin (N/A) / Facebook (1,965) / Twitter (4,225)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Variable
- Topics covered: Microsoft (Exchange)
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: Not known (Author: Ratish Nair)
MSExchangeGuru.com is a great blog for subjects related to Exchange and all its possible interactions. An interesting, complete blog that will keep you fully up to date with everything happening with MS Exchange.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 73,740
- Followers on: Twitter (5,847)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Weekly/Monthly
- Topics covered: Microsoft (Windows PowerShell)
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Founded by Mike F Robbins)
Mike F Robbins’ blog is a top reference point for matters related to Windows PowerShell. He has created a blog focused on automation, efficiency and scripting using PowerShell which you’re bound to find highly useful.
Blogs de Networking:
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 452,000
- Followers on: Facebook (1,658,932) / Twitter (666,000)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Networking and Connectivity
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: CISCO
Although it’s classified as a networking and communications blog, the Cisco blog doesn’t just cover these two areas. It also has plenty of content on cloud computing, security, digital transformation, infrastructure, mobility, IoT and much more. A great source of information if you work with these systems.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 57,440
- Followers on: Twitter (13,452)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Networking
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: ipSpace.net AG (Author: Ivan Pepelnjak)
ipSpace is a blog dedicated to helping network engineers with informative and technical articles about emerging network technologies. Every day, they publish new posts on various subjects, such as data cantres, automation, security or virtualisation, but always focused on networks and connectivity.
Security Blogs:
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 2,050,000
- Followers on: Facebook (36,789) / Twitter (252,000)
- References from other specialist blogs: 2
- Update Frequency: Weekly
- Topics covered: Security
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Author: Brian Krebs)
Krebs on Security is 100% focused on security. Interviews, malware, IoT, hacking, vulnerabilities of different technologies, tips and news…. everything related to IT security is covered by this blog, with more than 1,000 weekly articles published since it first began in 2009.
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): 56,600
- Followers on: Facebook (10,938) / Twitter (63,492)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Security
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None (Paul Asadoorian and contributors)
Security Weekly is a blog run by various security professionals who aim to publish free content related to vulnerabilities, hacking and the latest news and research in the IT security industry. Security Weekly has also won the RSA Social Security Awards Best Security Podcast award 5 times!
- Number of visits (approx. measured by similarweb): Not available
- Followers on: Facebook (6,888) / Twitter (335)
- References from other specialist blogs: 1
- Update Frequency: Daily
- Topics covered: Security
- Type of Content: Specialist
- Associated company: None
Security Now boasts a wide range of articles including industry news and analysis, interviews, expert contributions, videos, webinars and infographics on topics like attacks, threats and security. It covers a range of systems, from the cloud, networks and applications to operating systems and IoT. Posts are published daily, and it is an excellent source of information if security is one of your main focus areas.
We hope that this list turns out to be useful for you. Happy reading!
