Book of the Week: Mastering PowerShell - Windows Automation Guide

Every week, we spotlight one book from the Dargslan catalog that deserves special attention. This week, we are featuring Mastering PowerShell — a comprehensive guide that transforms Windows administrators from manual task runners into automation experts.

If you manage Windows servers, Active Directory environments, or Microsoft 365 infrastructure, this book belongs on your desk. Here is why.

Why PowerShell Matters More Than Ever in 2026

PowerShell is no longer just a nice-to-have skill for Windows administrators — it is a requirement. Modern IT environments demand automation, and PowerShell is the primary automation tool for the Windows ecosystem. With PowerShell 7.x now cross-platform (running on Linux and macOS alongside Windows), its relevance extends beyond traditional Windows administration.

Organizations are increasingly requiring PowerShell proficiency for system administration roles. Job listings for Windows administrators, DevOps engineers, and cloud architects consistently list PowerShell as a required or strongly preferred skill.

What This Book Covers

Mastering PowerShell is structured as a progressive learning journey, taking you from PowerShell basics to advanced automation scenarios. Here is a chapter-by-chapter overview of what you will learn:

Part 1: Foundation

PowerShell Console and ISE — Setting up your development environment, understanding the pipeline, and navigating the help system
Cmdlets and Objects — Understanding PowerShell's object-oriented approach and how it differs from traditional shell scripting
Variables, Data Types, and Operators — Working with strings, arrays, hashtables, and custom objects
Control Flow — If/else, switch statements, for/foreach/while loops, and error handling with try/catch

Part 2: Core Skills

Functions and Modules — Writing reusable functions, creating custom modules, and publishing to repositories
File System Operations — Managing files, folders, permissions, and registry entries at scale
Working with Remote Systems — PowerShell Remoting, PSSession management, and Invoke-Command for managing hundreds of servers
Regular Expressions and Text Processing — Pattern matching, log parsing, and data extraction

Part 3: Administration

Active Directory Management — User and group management, OU operations, GPO automation, and bulk operations
Windows Server Management — IIS configuration, DNS management, DHCP, and Windows Update automation
Exchange and Microsoft 365 — Mailbox management, distribution groups, and compliance operations
Hyper-V Management — Virtual machine provisioning, snapshots, and resource allocation

Part 4: Advanced Topics

Desired State Configuration (DSC) — Infrastructure as code for Windows environments
REST API Integration — Connecting PowerShell to web services, monitoring platforms, and cloud APIs
Script Security — Execution policies, code signing, credential management, and secure string handling
Performance Optimization — Parallel execution, runspaces, and efficient data processing

Sample: Automated User Onboarding Script

To give you a taste of what you will learn, here is an example from the Active Directory chapter — an automated user onboarding script:

function New-EmployeeOnboarding {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [string]$FirstName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [string]$LastName,

        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [string]$Department,

        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [string]$Title
    )

    $Username = ($FirstName.Substring(0,1) + $LastName).ToLower()
    $Email = "$Username@company.com"
    $Password = ConvertTo-SecureString (New-RandomPassword -Length 16) -AsPlainText -Force
    $OU = "OU=$Department,OU=Employees,DC=company,DC=com"

    # Create AD user
    New-ADUser -Name "$FirstName $LastName" `
        -GivenName $FirstName `
        -Surname $LastName `
        -SamAccountName $Username `
        -UserPrincipalName $Email `
        -Path $OU `
        -AccountPassword $Password `
        -Enabled $true `
        -Department $Department `
        -Title $Title

    # Add to department security group
    Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "SG-$Department" -Members $Username

    # Create home folder
    $HomePath = "\\fileserver\homes\$Username"
    New-Item -Path $HomePath -ItemType Directory -Force

    Write-Output "User $Username created successfully"
}

The book walks through building scripts like this step by step, explaining each decision and showing you how to handle errors, add logging, and integrate with your ticketing system.

Who Should Read This Book

Windows System Administrators who want to automate repetitive tasks and manage infrastructure more efficiently
IT Managers looking to implement automation standards across their teams
Help Desk Professionals seeking to advance their careers into system administration
Linux Administrators who also manage Windows systems and need cross-platform scripting capabilities
DevOps Engineers working in hybrid environments that include Windows infrastructure

What Makes This Book Different

There are many PowerShell books on the market, but Mastering PowerShell stands out in several key ways:

Production-ready scripts — Every code example is designed for production use, not just demonstration purposes
Error handling throughout — Real-world scripts need robust error handling, and this book integrates it from the beginning
Current content — Updated for PowerShell 7.x and Windows Server 2025, including the latest cmdlets and best practices
Practical exercises — Each chapter includes exercises that build on real administrative tasks

Categories

Book of the Week: Mastering PowerShell - Your Complete Guide to Windows Automation

Why PowerShell Matters More Than Ever in 2026