Brian Kelley

Brian Kelley is an author, columnist, and Microsoft SQL Server MVP focusing primarily on SQL Server security. He is a contributing author for How to Cheat at Securing SQL Server 2005 (Syngress), Professional SQL Server 2008 Administration (Wrox), and Introduction to SQL Server (Texas Publishing). Brian currently serves as an infrastructure and security architect. He has also served as a senior Microsoft SQL Server DBA, database architect, developer, and incident response team lead.

Interests: Chess, Reading, Soccer (Football), Baseball, Animals, Theology

All authors

On Speaking Well

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

Professor Patrick Winston of MIT used to give a one-hour talk about how to speak. Though Professor Winston is no longer with us, his talk still is. If you...

2026-04-20

18 reads

Who Are You Doing It For?

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

But as I've matured over the years, I came to realize that I needed to ask a critical question, "Who am I doing this for?" When I agree to...

2026-04-10 (first published: 2026-03-30)

185 reads

Google Moves Up Post-Quantum Cryptography Timeline

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

In cryptography, the RSA and ECC algorithms which we use primarily for asymmetric cryptography are susceptible to Shor's Algorithm in quantum cryptography. Cracking those algorithms with classical computing is...

2026-04-08 (first published: 2026-03-27)

257 reads

“We love to debate minutiae”

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

I am guilty as charged. The quote was in reference to how people argue about details in fitness or finances that are more detailed than is useful to them....

2026-03-30 (first published: 2026-03-13)

190 reads

March 2026 SQL Server Security Updates

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

On Patch Tuesday, in addition to OS and Office security patches, Microsoft also released patches for SQL Server to address privilege escalation vulnerabilities in supported versions. Time to patch!

2026-03-25 (first published: 2026-03-12)

666 reads

In-Person CISA Training – April 13-16, 2026

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

I will be leading an in-person Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam prep class on April 13-16, 2026, in Columbia, SC.

2026-03-18

21 reads

Black Box vs. Gray Box vs. White Box Testing

by Brian Kelley

Databases – Infrastructure – Security

If your organization is spending money, then meaningful results are a must. Pen testing isn't supposed to be a pat on the back. It's supposed to be a tool...

2026-03-17

9 reads