Skip to main content

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Welcome to RealWorldEnterprise.IT

Updated
5 min read
J
I’m Jonathan Mayer, a senior IT leader working at the intersection of enterprise IT, cloud, SAP, data, security, and governance. I’ve spent years leading digital transformation —where legacy systems, compliance, budget limits, and human factors are just as real as architecture diagrams. This blog is about enterprise IT as it actually exists: - trade‑offs instead of perfection - constraints instead of greenfield dreams - outcomes instead of buzzwords I write for IT leaders, architects, and engineers who need technology to work in the real world—not just on slides. Where enterprise IT meets real‑world constraints.

If you’re responsible for IT in a small or mid‑size company, you already know this:
most enterprise IT content isn’t written for you.

It’s either aimed at companies with thousands of employees and entire departments for every discipline — or it’s oversimplified how‑to material that ignores the messy reality of real environments: legacy systems, half‑finished migrations, tight budgets, and too few people doing too much.

This blog exists because I live in that reality every day — and because I couldn’t find enough honest writing about it.

Why This Blog Exists

I run IT, data, and quality in a mid‑size organization. That means I spend my time switching constantly between strategy and execution.

One hour I’m discussing long‑term architecture or security posture with management.
The next, I’m dealing with a broken integration, a suspicious login alert, or a cloud bill that doesn’t make sense.

In theory, there is plenty of guidance out there for all of this.
In practice, most of it assumes things that simply aren’t true for SMEs:

  • unlimited budgets
  • large, specialized teams
  • clean, greenfield environments
  • time to “do it properly” before delivering value

That gap between theory and reality is where RealWorldEnterprise.IT lives.

This is not a blog about “best practices” in the abstract.
It’s about what actually works when you have constraints — and what doesn’t.

Who This Blog Is For (and Who It Isn’t)

This blog is for:

  • IT managers, Heads of IT, Directors, CIOs or CTOs in companies of roughly 20–500 employees
  • people who are expected to think strategically and stay hands‑on
  • senior engineers or architects in SMEs who are increasingly pulled into decision‑making
  • business leaders who want to understand IT trade‑offs without vendor gloss

It is not for:

  • Fortune 500 specialists working in narrow, deeply resourced roles
  • vendors looking for lead generation or product promotion
  • people searching for beginner‑level explanations of basic concepts

I’m not interested in pretending that SME IT is just “enterprise IT, but smaller.”
It’s a different game, with different constraints — and it deserves its own conversation.

What I’ll Write About Here

The topics on this blog reflect the things I actually deal with — not what happens to be fashionable.

You’ll find writing about:

  • Security & Identity
    MFA, Conditional Access, Zero Trust — not as buzzwords, but as decisions you have to implement with limited time and people. Including what I deliberately don’t implement.

  • Cloud & Cost Reality
    Azure and Microsoft 365 in the real world. What drives costs, what surprises you, what you can safely ignore, and where cutting corners bites back later.

  • Architecture & Integration
    How much “architecture” is enough for an SME, where frameworks help, and where they become dead weight.

  • Governance & Compliance
    Things like NIS2, audits, policies, and controls — approached pragmatically, without fear‑mongering or checkbox theater.

  • Leadership & Decision‑Making
    The uncomfortable parts of IT leadership: prioritization, saying no, managing technical debt, and explaining trade‑offs to non‑technical stakeholders.

Sometimes I’ll write structured guides or checklists.
Sometimes it will be a reflection on a decision that didn’t go as planned.
Sometimes it will be a deliberately opinionated take — because pretending everything is neutral and balanced isn’t honest either.

What This Blog Is Deliberately Not

A few things I want to be explicit about:

  • This is not a vendor blog. I don’t write sponsored content.
  • This is not a consulting sales funnel.
  • This is not a place for polished success stories with all the rough edges removed.

If I mention tools or platforms, it’s because I use them — not because someone paid me to.

If something worked poorly, I’ll say so.
If I changed my mind after implementation, I’ll explain why.

How I Approach Writing Here

A few principles guide everything I publish:

  • Experience beats theory
    I write about things I’ve actually implemented, operated, or had to fix.
  • Trade‑offs are the point
    Every decision has downsides. I’ll make those explicit instead of hiding them behind frameworks.
  • Clarity over cleverness
    If something can be explained simply, I’ll do that. No buzzwords unless they earn their place.
  • SME reality first
    Advice that only works with large teams or big budgets isn’t useful here.

This blog is intended as a long‑term body of work, not a content experiment or a growth hack. I publish slowly on purpose — roughly two substantial articles per month — because I’d rather write things worth keeping.

On Feedback, Discussion, and Article Ideas

I’m very open to discussion, disagreement, and feedback.
If something resonates — or if you think I’m wrong — I’d genuinely like to hear it.

You’re also welcome to propose article ideas or topics you think are worth exploring, especially if they reflect real problems you’re facing in an SME environment.

What I’m not interested in:

  • sales pitches
  • product promotion requests
  • “can you write about our solution?” messages

If you reach out, do it because you want to contribute to the conversation — not because you want to sell something.

How to Follow Along

For now, the best way to keep up is to follow me on LinkedIn.
That’s where I share new articles, react to ongoing discussions, and occasionally test ideas before turning them into longer pieces.

This blog will evolve over time, shaped by real work, real constraints, and real conversations.

If you’re dealing with the same realities — limited resources, growing expectations, and the constant pressure to “do enterprise IT properly” without enterprise conditions — you’re exactly who this is for.

Welcome to RealWorldEnterprise.IT.