This Week in IT: PowerShell Updates, Database Trends, and Career Tips - February Week 4

Welcome back to your weekly IT roundup. This week, we dive into PowerShell 7.5 preview features, the shifting database landscape, essential career development strategies for 2026, and actionable tips you can implement today.

PowerShell News

PowerShell 7.5 Preview 3 Released

Microsoft released the third preview of PowerShell 7.5 this week, bringing several exciting improvements to the cross-platform scripting language:

• Native ARM64 performance improvements — Up to 25% faster execution on ARM-based systems including Azure Cobalt VMs and Apple Silicon
• Improved tab completion — Parameter value completion now works for more cmdlets, including Azure and AWS modules
• Enhanced error messages — More descriptive error messages with suggested fixes for common mistakes
• New ConvertTo-SecureString improvements — Better interoperability between Windows and Linux/macOS for credential management
• Web cmdlet updates — Invoke-RestMethod and Invoke-WebRequest now support HTTP/3 and improved certificate handling

To install the preview:

# Windows (winget)
winget install Microsoft.PowerShell.Preview

# Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y powershell-preview

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask powershell-preview

PowerShell Module Spotlight: PSReadLine 2.4

PSReadLine 2.4 brings intelligent history-based predictions and improved multi-line editing. If you spend significant time in the PowerShell console, this module is essential.

# Install the latest PSReadLine
Install-Module PSReadLine -Force -AllowPrerelease

# Enable predictive IntelliSense
Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionSource HistoryAndPlugin
Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionViewStyle ListView

Database Trends

PostgreSQL Continues Market Share Growth

The latest DB-Engines ranking shows PostgreSQL continuing its upward trajectory, now firmly in fourth place behind Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. Key drivers include:

• Adoption by major cloud providers as a managed service (AWS Aurora PostgreSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Google Cloud SQL)
• Growing preference in the Python and Node.js ecosystems
• Superior handling of complex queries and JSON data
• Strong community governance and predictable release cycles

MySQL 9.2 Highlights

MySQL 9.2 introduced several improvements for high-availability deployments:

• Improved InnoDB Cluster automatic failover with faster recovery times
• Better query performance for JSON operations
• Enhanced audit logging capabilities
• Improved compatibility with modern authentication mechanisms

SQLite 4 Planning Announcement

The SQLite team announced early planning for SQLite 4, which aims to address some long-standing limitations while maintaining the simplicity and zero-configuration philosophy that made SQLite the most deployed database engine in the world. Key planned features include improved concurrency and a more flexible type system.

Career Development

Top-Paying IT Certifications in 2026

The latest salary surveys reveal the highest-paying certifications for IT professionals:

1. AWS Solutions Architect – Professional — Average salary premium of $25,000
2. Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) — Growing demand with 20% salary premium
3. CISSP — Remains the gold standard for security professionals
4. Azure Solutions Architect Expert — Increasing demand in enterprise environments
5. RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) — Strong demand for Linux expertise

Skills Gap Alert: Infrastructure as Code

Industry reports indicate a significant skills gap in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tooling. Professionals who can demonstrate proficiency in Terraform, Ansible, and Pulumi are in high demand, with employers struggling to fill positions that require these skills.

If you are looking to increase your market value, investing time in IaC tools provides one of the highest returns on education investment in the current job market.

Quick Tips of the Week

Tip 1: PowerShell — Quick Service Restart with Dependency Handling

# Restart a service and all its dependents
Get-Service -Name "ServiceName" -DependentServices | Stop-Service -Force
Restart-Service -Name "ServiceName" -Force
Get-Service -Name "ServiceName" -DependentServices | Start-Service

Tip 2: Linux — Find Files Modified in the Last Hour

find /var/log -type f -mmin -60 -exec ls -la {} \;

Tip 3: Docker — Clean Up Everything

# Remove all stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images, and build cache
docker system prune -af --volumes

# Check reclaimed space
docker system df

Security Advisory Roundup

• Apache HTTP Server 2.4.63 — Patches two moderate severity vulnerabilities in mod_proxy and mod_ssl. Update recommended for all production Apache installations.
• NGINX 1.27.4 — Security fix for a buffer overflow in the HTTP/3 module. Affects installations with HTTP/3 enabled.
• Python 3.12.9 / 3.13.2 — Minor security releases addressing vulnerabilities in the ssl and urllib modules.

Tool of the Week: btop

btop is a beautiful, feature-rich terminal resource monitor that provides real-time CPU, memory, disk, and network monitoring with a polished TUI interface. Think of it as htop on steroids.

# Install on Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install btop

# Install on RHEL/AlmaLinux
sudo dnf install btop

# Install via snap (universal)
sudo snap install btop

Recommended Reading

Stay sharp with these Dargslan guides:

• Mastering PowerShell — Master the latest PowerShell features and best practices
• PostgreSQL Database Setup: The Complete Guide — Take advantage of PostgreSQL's growing momentum
• MySQL Fundamentals — Solid foundation in the world's most popular open-source database