Articles

Longer pieces on ERP, AI in operations, infrastructure and running an IT function. Written from work I have actually done.

Why I extended one ERP instead of buying a second system for manufacturing

A second manufacturing system means a second set of records and an interface to maintain forever; extending one Odoo instance kept six sites on one set.

2026-09-08 · 1,380 words

Replacing local passwords with single sign-on in a mid-sized group

Identity first, then the application's own access model, then monitoring. That order moved a six-site group onto Google Workspace SSO with two factor.

2026-09-08 · 1,373 words

Five AI systems in production: what breaks when nobody is watching

Connections drop, inputs drift and confident wrong answers get through. Running five AI systems in daily production taught me the rules that keep them safe.

2026-09-08 · 1,415 words

Bringing a new factory online: the order of operations

Cabling and circuits first, then security, ERP, identity, telephony and site devices. The sequence that puts a new factory on group systems from opening day.

2026-09-08 · 1,421 words

A PostgreSQL upgrade nobody was allowed to notice

Rehearse on a copy of production, keep a rollback inside the window, move one site at a time. PostgreSQL 9.5 to 16 with no unplanned downtime at any site.

2026-09-08 · 1,330 words