What NetWare Taught Me That Still Applies to Ransomware Today

Back in 1995, the worst call you could get was a corrupted NetWare bindery. No backup, no recovery, and a business that couldn't print invoices until it was fixed.

The technology has changed completely since then. The fundamentals haven't:

• Backups are not optional. They weren't optional in 1996 and they aren't optional now that ransomware is the threat instead of hardware failure.
• Nobody reads the manual until something breaks. Documentation matters more than it gets credit for.
• The fix is never just technical. It's also about calming down a business owner who's watching their day fall apart.

Thirty years of this job taught me that the tools change every few years. The judgment doesn't.