Articles on technology leadership, cyber security, infrastructure, education technology, homelabs and the Townsville technology community.

Testing your defences and preparing to fail safely, AI included

Vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, human factors and a simple framework for pulling it all together — practical readiness steps for schools, charities and small businesses in the age of AI.

The problem with being called Nick in Townsville

What Mayor Nick Dametto is teaching me about Google, names, personal SEO and building a clearer local identity online.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: Storm names Westco Motors Cairns in ransomware claim

The Storm ransomware group has named Westco Motors Cairns on its leak site and published sample documents, but the dealership has not publicly confirmed a breach. What is known, what remains alleged, and what Cairns and Townsville businesses should take from it.

Agentic AI and your attack surface: what to ask before connecting one

Before connecting an AI agent to email, files or business systems, schools, charities and small businesses should ask what it can see, what it can do, and what happens when it gets something wrong.

Free Townsville workshop: AI & Cyber Skills Every Small Business Needs

A free practical AI and cyber security workshop for Townsville businesses is being held at Rydges Southbank on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. Lunch is included.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: Oz Hair & Beauty confirms customer data was accessed

Oz Hair & Beauty has confirmed customer contact and purchase data was accessed in a cyber incident. What Townsville shoppers should know, and why retail data matters.

The digital divide isn't closing on its own: what the 2025 Australian Digital Inclusion Index means for North Queensland

What Australia's latest digital inclusion data says about access, affordability, digital ability and the emerging AI divide in North Queensland.

AI is changing cyber security — but the fundamentals still matter

Artificial intelligence is speeding up both attackers and defenders, and quietly expanding what counts as an organisation's attack surface. Schools, charities and small businesses are not exempt.

Announced, welcomed, then refused: what happened to Townsville's $42.1m affordable housing precinct?

Townsville's proposed 81-home affordable living precinct was celebrated in April and refused in July. What happened between announcement and outcome?

If you work in tech, your own .id.au domain just makes sense

Why Australia's little-known .id.au domain is a cheap, practical home for your professional portfolio, personal email, technical writing and online identity.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: Nick Scali takes systems offline after cyber incident

Nick Scali has disclosed a cyber security incident that disrupted systems and slowed customer service nationally, including around its Townsville, Mackay and Cairns stores.

What cyber security jobs were advertised across North Queensland in 2025–26?

A fact-checked look at cyber security and cyber-adjacent jobs advertised in Townsville, Cairns and Mackay during 2025 and 2026, including salaries and career pathways.

Why I still take on cyber security consulting work in Townsville, outside the day job

I work as a cyber security consultant for small businesses, charities and community organisations around Townsville through Suburban Secure — here's why, and what that actually involves.

Queensland is paying for cyber security and AI training right now — here's what's actually on offer

A $11.5 million Queensland Government program is funding free AI, cyber security and procurement micro-credentials through UniSC, and TAFE Queensland already runs a separate free cyber security course. What's live now, what's coming, and who it's worth registering for.

Secure by design: the principles behind every good cyber security decision

What secure by design means in practice: safer defaults, least privilege, layered defences, supported technology and Australian Government guidance.

Can they email as me? Building a free domain spoofing check

Why I built Can They Email As Me?, a free Australian tool that checks whether a domain has SPF, DKIM and enforcing DMARC protections against email spoofing.

ASD's frontier AI guidance for boards — it's not just for ASX 200 directors

ASD and the AICD published guidance this week on frontier AI cyber threats for boards. The questions it raises apply just as directly to school councils, charity boards and small business owners.

Five cyber security podcasts I keep coming back to

Five cyber security podcasts I recommend for current news, deeper technical discussion and lessons from the incidents that shaped the industry.

Asset security and identity: know what you have, and who can reach it

You can't protect what you haven't accounted for, and you can't control access to something you haven't classified. A practical look at asset security and identity and access management.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: ransomware hits Townsville Christian College

Townsville Christian College has confirmed a criminal ransomware attack breached its network in June 2026, potentially exposing sensitive student and family data — and offers a model for how a school should respond when it happens.

Townsville Computer Man is back — and yes, I started this in Year 12 with Notepad

Townsville Computer Man has relaunched with a repair-focused service. Here's the origin story: a 2009 business registered in my final year of school, and why it's back.

The CIA Triad: the foundation every cyber security decision sits on

A plain-English guide to the CIA Triad — confidentiality, integrity and availability — and how Australian organisations, from schools to banks, balance all three.

Why I built a free cyber security check for businesses and charities

Suburban Secure's new free check gives Australian businesses, charities and not-for-profits an instant, plain-English view of public email, domain and website security signals.

Why SFIA makes technical job advertisements clearer

How SFIA clarifies Queensland ICT jobs, including an NQ Cowboys Group IT Support Officer role in Townsville.

What Aon's 2026 risk report tells independent schools about cyber resilience

Aon's 2026 Independent Schools Risk Report highlights rising cyber incidents and why governance, readiness and third-party assurance matter.

Townsville computer stores — remembering the past and making the case for what comes next

Remembering Townsville's specialist computer stores and making the case for Computer Alliance, Umart or another major retailer to open locally.

Practical cyber security for small organisations

Practical cyber security priorities for small businesses, schools, charities, churches and community organisations in Townsville.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: a quiet auto-forwarding rule becomes a notifiable data breach

Townsville Catholic Education's 2026 data breach notification shows how ordinary email auto-forwarding rules can expose sensitive data — and the Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace controls that prevent it.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: ransomware halts a major Queensland sugar mill

A ransomware attack disrupted crushing at a major North Queensland sugar producer in June 2026 — a reminder that critical agricultural infrastructure is now a live target.

North Queensland Cyber Watch: Townsville schools caught in the global Canvas breach

A global attack on the Canvas learning platform reached Townsville schools in May 2026, exposing student and staff data and underscoring why third-party risk matters for education.

Home Lab Progress

An update on homelab backups, UPS protection, VM monitoring, helpdesk alerts and testing the Mailu Docker mail server.

Automating my Home Lab

Notes on documenting and automating a Linux homelab with Ansible, shell scripts, backups and reproducible server builds.