Don Poulton

Don Poulton (A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA, MCSE) is an independent consultant who has been involved with computers since the days of 80-column punch cards. After a career of more than 20 years in environmental science, Don switched careers and trained as a Windows NT 4.0 MCSE. He has been involved in consulting with a couple of small training providers as a technical writer, during which time he wrote training and exam prep materials for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Don has written or contributed to several titles, including Security+ Lab Manual (Que, 2004); MCSA/MCSE 70-299 Exam Cram 2: Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows 2003 Network (Exam Cram 2) (Que, 2004); MCSE 70-294 Exam Prep: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure (Que, 2006); MCTS 70-620 Exam Prep: Microsoft Windows Vista, Configuring (Que, 2008); MCTS 70-680 Cert Guide: Microsoft Windows 7, Configuring (Que, 2011); MCTS 70-640 Cert Guide: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring (Que, 2011); MCTS 70-642 Cert Guide: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring (Que, 2012); and MCSA 70-687 Cert Guide Configuring Microsoft Windows 8.1 (Que, 2015).

In addition, he has worked on programming projects, both in his days as an environmental scientist and more recently with Visual Basic to update an older statistical package used for multivariate analysis of sediment contaminants.

When not working on computers, Don is an avid amateur photographer who has had his photos displayed in international competitions and published in magazines such as Michigan Natural Resources Magazine and National Geographic Traveler. Don also enjoys traveling and keeping fit.

Don lives in Burlington, Ontario, with his wife, Terry.

Harry Holt started his technology career in the early 1980s while working in trust accounting, where he discovered the advantages of Lotus 1-2-3 over paper spreadsheets, and how much better D:Base was at tracking transactions than a cabinet full of 3×5 index cards. That prompted a career change, and Harry took advantage of the burgeoning IT program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s prestigious School of Business to hone his knowledge.

Harry gained experience over the years in most technical roles in the industry–from computer operator, programmer, and LAN administrator, to network engineer, DBA, and project manager, among others. He has used his skills to improve efficiencies in a range of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, government agencies, and even small partnerships and sole proprietorships.

Exploring aspects of the computer industry and evolution of technology both professionally, as a hobby, and as a volunteer for various nonprofit organizations, Harry gained a working knowledge of many types of systems from large IBM z/OS mainframes, VAX systems, and UNIX platforms, to Windows, Macintosh, and Linux systems. He can program in a variety of development languages and platforms and enjoys collaborating in open source projects.

Harry has a bachelor’s degree in IT and PMP certification and is currently working as a cyber applications manager in Richmond, Virginia. He lives with his wife, Donna, and enjoys going for meals prepared by his son and Master Chef, Alex, at fine dining restaurants in Richmond, Virginia.

Randy Bellet: After establishing himself as a retailer in Richmond, Virginia, curiosity about the fledgling small computer industry brought Randy Bellet into the IT field in 1981. Beginning with the TRS-DOS operating system on a Radio Shack Model III and “sneaker-net,” he automated his own and other businesses, initially programming spreadsheets using one of the original versions of VisiCalc. Hardware consisted of 32 K of RAM, monochrome monitors, and no hard drives. Data was stored on floppy disks that really flopped. After the PC-XT and its clones arrived, he followed the market and extended his skills into the networking of PCs and XENIX servers and wrote applications for the retail and pager industries.

As PCs became commonplace and their connectivity a necessity, Randy configured Windows client/server networks for small- and medium-sized businesses, and wrote n-tier applications on various Windows platforms ranging from Windows 3.1 through Windows Server 2008 for the medical, insurance, food, and leisure industries. As organizations expanded and scaled their uses of PCs, extracting data from mainframes for use in Windows applications became a specialty.

Since 1999, Mr. Bellet has been on the faculty of ECPI University, delivering and developing curriculum in Network Security and Software Development and writing ancillary instructor materials. Certifications include CompTIA Network +, MCSE, MCSD, and MCDBA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing from New York University and a master’s degree in IT from Virginia Tech.