About BlackTree

BlackTree is an independent technical publication covering security, infrastructure, automation and artificial intelligence.

The focus is practical: understanding what happened, why it matters, who is affected and what can actually be done about it.

Alongside current analysis, BlackTree maintains a growing archive of technical guides, troubleshooting notes, scripts, homelab projects and legacy technology.

About the author

Rob Nidschelm is an IT and cybersecurity leader with more than 25 years of experience and a professional focus on security since 2005. He is Global Head of Operational Security at Getronics, leading international teams across security operations, incident response, threat intelligence, identity security, governance and operational resilience. His earlier career includes technical and leadership roles at Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Irdeto. Away from operational security, he enjoys experimenting with legacy hardware and software, homelab environments and unconventional technical projects. Through BlackTree, Rob turns these interests, together with complex security, infrastructure, automation and AI topics, into clear, practical guidance. BlackTree is independent, and the views expressed are his own.

View Rob Nidschelm’s professional profile on LinkedIn.

FAQ

Who is BlackTree written for?

BlackTree is mainly for IT professionals, system administrators, security practitioners needing background information, homelab enthusiasts and anyone who wants to understand how technology works in practice.

What topics does BlackTree cover?

BlackTree is mainly focused on Security Operations and Infrastructure, Security and Privacy legislation, Usage and development of AI, and as a personal hobby, Legacy hard- and software.

Are your articles fully written by AI?

No. Articles are often written by hand, sometimes typed into Notepad++ on Windows or the standard Mac editor on MacOS. Google and ChatGPT are used for research. Once I consider the article finished, ChatGPT Pro is used to spellcheck, fact-check and format the article prior to exporting it to a .md file. The .md files is then imported to WordPress. All images are generated by ChatGPT, though.

Can I suggest a topic?

Yes. Suggestions about security incidents, technical problems, useful tools or subjects that deserve a deeper investigation are welcome. When submitting an idea, please include any relevant background information or links.

How can I report a correction?

If you notice an error or outdated detail, please contact BlackTree and include the article URL, the passage concerned and, where possible, a supporting source. The information will be reviewed and corrected when appropriate. Please keep the publication date of the article in mind, though. As far as I’m aware, the provided information is correct on the date of publication, however, unless specifically mentioned an article is edited after publication, the provided information may be out of date.

How often do you post?

There is no set schedule. It depends on what is going on in the world and how much time is available.

Editorial standards

BlackTree’s approach to sourcing, independence, updates and reader feedback is described in the Editorial Policy. Material errors and significant post-publication changes are handled under the Corrections Policy.