If you are virtualizing critical workloads, you want to ensure they do not fail if a host goes offline. All common platforms offer the capability to operate VMs in a high-availability cluster. Proxmox allows you to install a cluster even in the free version.

Proxy server settings can be automatically deployed to clients using the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Protocol (WPAD). This protocol utilizes a Proxy Auto Config file (PAC), which can be provided via IIS. A Group Policy setting instructs web browsers on how to find the PAC file.

If you are using an OPNsense firewall, you can configure WireGuard as a VPN server instead of OpenVPN. There are clients available for all major operating systems. Additionally, it is very fast and lightweight. You can easily install it as an OPNsense extension and configure it through the web console.

Dev Drive is a new feature in Windows 11 23H2, also included in the preview of Windows Server 2025. It is a drive based on ReFS, specifically designed for the requirements of developers and IT professionals. It offers enhanced control over volume settings and file system filters.

Security Onion is an open-source platform for threat hunting, security monitoring, and log management. It aggregates free tools such as Kibana, Elastic Fleet, InfluxDB, CyberChef, and Suricata. The solution provides access to these tools via a web console. I'll demonstrate how it can be used for analyzing Windows logs.

The free Graphical Network Simulator-3 (GNS3) allows for the planning and practical simulation of networks and their topology. Thanks to Dynamips, it also supports integrating images of Cisco IOS. GNS3 can be integrated with physical hardware, enabling, for instance, the testing of monitoring solutions.