From Screws to Systems: My Journey in Tech

I started in tech the traditional way: break-fix, bare hands, a precision screwdriver set, and some dusty old PCs.

Headshot of Jordan Albaladejo

I was just a teenager working at a computer repair store, upgrading desktops from Windows 7 to Windows 10, removing viruses, swapping drives, and fixing laptops for everyday people.

Those early years taught me more than just tech. They taught critical thinking, troubleshooting, and iterative approaches to complex technical problems, one size does not fit all.

At the time, I was also studying IT Essentials through Cisco at Chisholm. I still remember one class vividly: the lecturer asked us to remove and re-install the RAM and hard drive on a laptop. I instinctively tore the whole thing down, because that’s what I knew, only to be challenged to put it all back together and make it boot. I did! I remember the confused look on the lecturer’s face, he didn’t expect that.

It revealed something deeper: I wasn’t just following instructions, I was thinking critically and in entire systems.

Not Quite the Typical IT Mold

I never quite fit the typical IT mold. I was too methodical, too idealistic, yet somehow still socially equipped. Not technical enough to relate to the hardcore tech crowd, but too technically aware about integrated systems to be casual about things. I cared too much. Yet didn’t have the raw knowledge to speak in binary either. Back then, the stakes were low. It was a hobby. Essentially, I loved the puzzle and the satisfaction of figuring it out and how it could be upgraded or fixed.

Everything changed when I started going to church. My faith reshaped how I saw the world and people. It deepened my ethical foundations and gave me a bigger reason to serve others, not just solve technical problems, but to look deeper into the lives and people interacting with these systems.

Early Career: Ethics Meets Sales

After my time at computer repair store, I took a job in retail, selling consumer tech. With a new understanding of ethics and people, my approach to ethical sales wasn’t always aligned with typical retail KPIs, but it was the only way I could justify the work with integrity. Too honest for my own good.

Building Coastal Computers, Becoming Ingest services

A few years later, I launched my first business under the NEIS scheme after completing a Certificate IV in New Small Business. The shop was called Coastal Computers, and it later became Ingest services when I transitioned from break-fix to full MSP and MSSP offerings for SMBs in Eden and Merimbula, NSW.

But building an MSSP in a small coastal town wasn’t easy. Selling cybersecurity services to businesses that had never experienced a breach, nor heard much about them, was like selling flood insurance in a drought. They didn’t see the need. Budgets were tight. I was ahead of the curve; the timing was wrong.

A Lifelong Learner

Still, I didn’t stop learning. I immersed myself in training:

• I studied for the CCNA but abandoned the test—because the syntax felt irrelevant in a world rapidly moving toward UI-driven platforms like UniFi and pfSense.

• I redirected that energy into the eLearnSecurity Network Defense Professional, cramming the course into a week and submitting a 75-page report over Easter weekend. I passed, but had no clients ready for that level of security maturity.

• I completed countless free Cisco Networking Academy certifications, sometimes knocking one out every few days.

• I trained across vendors: ESET, 3CX, Dropbox, and more.

• I became a Gold Acronis Cyber Protect provider, with multiple certifications.

• I hit the Top 1% on TryHackMe (now scaled to Top 3%) in just over a month.

Hitting a Ceiling and Stepping Out

Eventually, I hit a ceiling. Not a technical one, the local market wasn’t ready for what I offered.

So, I stepped out, thinking I’d put my skills to use in a larger, ethically aligned organisation.

Building a SIEM Solution from the Ground Up

During this period, I had the opportunity to work at a national media organisation with a broad technical footprint across Australia.

While there, I was trusted to develop a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution from the ground up. I architected the VM, designed custom decoders, built multiple dashboards, and tuned rules and settings to suit the organisation’s needs.

It was a deep, iterative process. The system had its teething moments - failing and crashing at times, but those moments taught me the most. I refined, rebuilt, and stabilised the environment over time.

By the end of my tenure, the platform was ingesting logs across multiple vectors and presenting them through detailed visualisations, including CIS controls maturity, vulnerabilities and exposure mapping, and more. It became a living, breathing system that I monitored daily and continually improved.

I became intimately familiar with the underlying workings of the SIEM - not just how it operated, but why. At one point, I even considered writing a thesis on the approach, out of sheer passion for how far it had come

Sharpening Technical and People Skills

From there, I moved through roles that sharpened both my technical edge and my people-first approach:

• I provided endpoint and identity support for a defence-adjacent organisation, helping lift their Microsoft Secure Score and align with CIS Benchmarks.

• IT Technical Support at a national MSP, allowing me to stay hands-on with Microsoft 365 environments and day-to-day systems management, while observing how different MSPs operate and deliver value.

“The truth hurts at first—but good truth, effectual truth—transforms people, systems, and outcomes.”

The Persistent Resistance to Truth-Driven Change

One thing I’ve consistently observed, whether working within an organisation or engaging with the wider IT industry, is a deep resistance to effective, truth-driven change. What do I mean by that?

Too often, IT professionals approach systems from two extremes: either with a highly technical, data-driven mindset that overlooks human context, or an overly sales-focused approach that pushes products without considering long-term cohesion. In both cases, what gets ignored is the truth: technology doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It’s part of a living system, connected to people, processes, outcomes and the ever evolving landscape of technology.

What worked yesterday may become today's stronghold that holds us back. We must continually iterate, be willing to take a hard look at technology and systems and find TODAY's best solution, within the context of it's interconnected people and process - always striving for excellence—preparing proactively rather than reacting to failure.

Seeing the Whole System

As I went along in my professional journey, I found myself able to see the relationships between technology, people, and processes, but often felt that this was misaligned with environments that were not ready to face the harder reality checks.

I wasn’t trying to be difficult—I just cared too much about whether the solution would actually work, not just technically, but humanly.

If you have not figured out by now, I care deeply about ethics, this is grounded in my Christian faith. I can deeply about doing good work and always striving to do the best work possible. This isn't helped with my INFJ personality type—the Advocate—known for thoughtfulness, empathy, and a drive to help others in meaningful ways.

Too often, I was told I was asking too much - that the client wasn’t “ready” for that level of quality or integration. That I was neglecting the good for perfect.

But when it comes to systems and cybersecurity, “just enough” often isn’t enough!

The truth is: we can achieve a lot with very little -if it’s done well, done proactively, and done with care.

Filling the Gap: Ethically Grounded Support for MSPs

That tension led me to recognise a critical gap in the market: support for MSPs and their clients, full stack approach, by being indirectly involved.

Not to compete with MSPs, but to support them. To work with those willing to implement Microsoft 365 and cybersecurity systems that truly serve the long-term needs of small-to-mid-sized businesses.

Being an advocate for better interconnected systems, cybersecurity posture and processes for the client and while supporting the already stretched-thin MSPs teams doing their best with limited time and resources, in a proactive approach without competing, now working alongside them from the outside, as a coach, a cheerleader, a trusted advisor and a hand-on's engineer.

Tools and Projects That Serve Others

Following with this ethos, I also contribute to the community and industry with open projects and learning initiatives, here to be had and to help:

• 🛡️ BlueFolder.ZIP:

  • A central hub for curated cybersecurity tools, organised for clarity. Think “defensive insights in a compressed format.”

• 🎙️ Tuesday Tech (Podcast):

  • A podcast I co-host with my wife. She’s the non-techy. I’m the nerd. Together we make cybersecurity human and approachable.

• 🧰 REG-SEC-GPO (PowerShell Tool):

  • Created for MSPs and sysadmins who need to baseline and audit registry, GPO, and security settings- fast and clean.

Let’s Work Together

If you’re an MSP struggling to deliver a project, streamline a tenant, or secure a client environment, Ingest services is here.

I’ll bring:

• Depth of experience

• Strategic empathy

• Systems thinking

• Silent delivery under your brand

Because truth cuts - but effectual truth transforms.

Let’s build systems and partnerships that last.

👋 Reach Out: Link here

Co-authored by Jordan Albaladejo, Owner-Operator of Ingest services

Written with support from ChatGPT to refine and organise thoughts into a clear, publishable format.

The views and opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any current or former employers, clients, or partners.

This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice.

This post was updated shortly after initial publication for clarity and to protect privacy.