AI
Active / Debugging
Hermes AI Agent
Local-first AI assistant and project memory system combining LM Studio, Qwen model experiments, OpenCode, Codex/GPT workflows, and an Obsidian/Git-backed memory vault.
IT Repair • Cybersecurity • Homelab • Automation
Building practical systems where hardware, users, networks, and automation overlap.
I’m Hayden Dietzman, an App State graduate with a cybersecurity and information systems background. At Biltmore Computers, I work hands-on with diagnostics, Windows and macOS troubleshooting, customer communication, and device repair.
My portfolio focuses on the work behind the skills: repair workflows, homelab infrastructure, digital forensics labs, endpoint troubleshooting, and AI-assisted automation experiments.
The site itself is part of the project: it is self-hosted from my homelab, published through Cloudflare Tunnel, and used as a public accountability surface for the systems I am building. One of my most impactful professors, Bond Jones, made public accountability feel practical instead of performative. This is my version of that: a place to show what I am building, what I am learning, and what I am improving over time.
Active Work
Currently Building
Projects and systems I’m actively developing, refining, or documenting.
1099
Deployment In Progress
Self-Hosted 1099 Tax Planner
Full-stack 1099 tax planning app with React/Vite, Node/Express, PostgreSQL/Prisma, auth, income/expense tracking, quarterly tax planning, reports, and Docker deployment work.
LAB
Active / Expanding
Homelab Self-Hosting Environment
Docker/Proxmox-based project environment used to host portfolio tools, internal apps, AI workflow experiments, and small web projects with Tailscale and Cloudflare Tunnel concepts.
STC
Product Concept / Early Build
Senior Tech Companion
Senior-friendly technology support concept focused on plain-language guides, scam awareness, account/device organization, and calmer support workflows.
Featured Projects
Case Studies
Polished project cards with status, scope, tools, and starter writeups that can grow as sanitized screenshots and diagrams are added.
Active / Debugging
AI Automation
Diagram placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Hermes AI Agent
Local-first AI assistant and project memory system for managing infrastructure, documentation, coding workflows, repair notes, and project status across the homelab.
View Case Study
Active / Building
Homelab Ops
Dashboard placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Hermes LabOps
Self-hosted dashboard for documenting and visualizing homelab services, infrastructure roles, and operational notes, with the long-term goal of becoming a safe control surface for my local Hermes AI agent.
Deployment In Progress
Full-Stack / Finance Tool
Finance app placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Self-Hosted 1099 Tax Planner
Local-first tax planning app for 1099 workers that tracks gross income, expenses, quarterly estimated taxes, deductions/credits, reports, and net pay projections.
Frontend, backend, shared tax module, database schema, auth, seed data, Docker files, tests, and builds are complete. Current work is deployment validation and cleanup.
View Case Study
Active / Expanding
Infrastructure / Self-Hosting
Monitoring placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Homelab Self-Hosting Environment
Multiple projects are being organized in Docker, remote access is improving with Tailscale, and Cloudflare Tunnel concepts are being used for safe exposure where appropriate.
View Case Study
Active / Setup
Web Hosting / Linux
Static hosting placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Preston Client Hosting Workflow
Small-business website workflow where client intake starts with a Google Form, AI-assisted prompts generate initial files/content, Preston handles client-facing intake, and I handle Docker, Proxmox, Cloudflare Tunnel, hosting, and deployment.
Active / Administering
Linux Server Admin
Server notes placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
FTB Evolution Server Administration
Minecraft server administration for an FTB Evolution server at minecraft.haydendietzman.com, focused on Linux service management, DNS/DDNS automation, monitoring, backups, updates, and admin documentation.
Completed
Cybersecurity
Evidence placeholder
Sanitized artifact coming soon
Packet Capture Forensics Lab
Network forensics investigation using packet capture evidence, DNS review, session analysis, and structured documentation.
View Case StudyProduct Thinking
Product Experiments
Ideas that turn repair, automation, and support experience into useful tools and service concepts.
Product Concept / Early Build
Senior Support
Senior Tech Companion
Early product experiment for a support kit, landing page, printable guides, scam-awareness checklists, and account/device organization worksheets.
Active / Debugging
AI Repair Workflow
Hermes AI Agent
Local-first AI assistant and project memory system for infrastructure notes, coding workflows, repair documentation, and small-block project updates.
Planned / Building Content
Documentation Toolkit
Repair Documentation Toolkit
Diagnostic templates for Windows, macOS, Wi-Fi, battery compatibility, gaming crashes, display/GPU troubleshooting, and customer handoff notes.
Tools With Context
Technical Toolbox
Tools, platforms, and workflows I use across repair, infrastructure, cybersecurity, automation, and troubleshooting.
Systems & IT
- Windows 10/11
- macOS
- Linux
- Proxmox
- TrueNAS
- Hardware diagnostics
- OS installs
- Endpoint troubleshooting
Security
- Wireshark
- tshark
- NetworkMiner
- Wazuh
- CrowdSec
- DNS filtering
- FileVault
- Endpoint security fundamentals
Automation & AI
- Make
- Cloudflare Tunnel
- LM Studio
- OpenCode
- Local LLMs
- VS Code
- Continue
- Python
- Telegram bots
Networking
- UniFi
- DNS
- DHCP
- Tailscale
- 10Gb networking
- Uptime Kuma
- AT&T Fiber homelab planning
Repair
- Laptop repair
- Desktop repair
- Display diagnostics
- Data handling
- macOS troubleshooting
- Windows recovery
- Customer documentation
Technical Notes
Field Notes & Writeups
Repair, homelab, cybersecurity, and automation notes that are queued for public-safe writeups.
Screen Failure vs. GPU Failure Diagnosis
Distinguishing display assembly issues, cable problems, external display behavior, and possible GPU-related faults.
Building an AI Repair Ticket Triage Workflow
Design notes for Hermes, structured ticket summaries, likely workflows, and customer-friendly updates.
Using Wireshark and tshark in a Packet Capture Investigation
Filtering packet captures, reviewing DNS and sessions, and documenting evidence.
Repair Bench Experience
Real-World Diagnostic Experience
Hands-on troubleshooting experience from repair work, customer support, and practical technical problem solving.
Windows Corruption Repair
Diagnosing startup issues, system corruption, failed updates, and unstable installs using tools like DISM, SFC, recovery media, backups, and repair workflows.
macOS Migration & Settings Troubleshooting
Helping customers with Mac migrations, account setup, sleep and lock settings, software conflicts, Dropbox/photo workflows, and post-transfer cleanup.
Display vs. GPU Diagnosis
Documenting evidence-based troubleshooting to distinguish between display assembly failures, cable issues, external display behavior, and possible graphics-related faults.
Data Backup & Offline Email Access
Helping users preserve important files, access old email accounts, set up local mail clients, and create safer offline access to messages and attachments.
Device Intake & Customer Documentation
Turning messy symptoms into clear notes, diagnostic steps, repair options, and customer-friendly explanations.
Hardware Troubleshooting & Compatibility
Evaluating parts, testing hardware behavior, checking upgrade compatibility, and explaining repair cost tradeoffs clearly.
My troubleshooting approach is evidence-first: observe the symptom, isolate likely causes, test assumptions, document results, and explain findings clearly.
Troubleshooting Playbook
Repeatable Diagnostic Workflows
Structured workflows for symptoms, likely causes, tools, diagnostic steps, notes, and customer explanations.
Windows Won’t Boot
Startup repair loops, failed updates, blue screens, boot device errors, and data-preserving repair steps.
Display Issue vs GPU Issue
Evidence-first comparison of internal display, external output, backlight behavior, and possible graphics faults.
Offline Email Access Setup
Helping preserve old messages, attachments, local mail access, and backup expectations.
Diagnostic Library
Repair Documentation Patterns
Sanitized examples and templates for turning messy technical symptoms into clear, evidence-based customer communication.
Display Failure vs. GPU Failure
Documenting evidence that helps separate display assembly, cable, backlight, external display, and possible graphics-related issues.
Offline Email Archive Setup
Helping customers preserve access to old messages and attachments through local mail clients and careful backup expectations.
Windows Won’t Boot / Corrupted Install
Explaining startup loops, failed updates, drive risk, repair options, and backup-first recommendations.
Skills Matrix
Honest Strengths & Evidence
This matrix shows where I have strong hands-on experience and where I am actively building deeper skills.
| Skill Area | Current Strength | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Troubleshooting | Strong | Repair work, corruption repair, startup issues, recovery workflows, customer diagnostics. |
| macOS Troubleshooting | Strong | Migration support, settings troubleshooting, app conflicts, display/lock/sleep issues. |
| Repair Diagnostics | Strong | Laptop/desktop repair, display diagnostics, intake notes, customer-facing documentation. |
| Automation | Strong / Growing | Hermes, Make workflows, Telegram bots, Cloudflare Tunnel bridge, local prompt files. |
| Homelab Infrastructure | Growing | Proxmox, Uptime Kuma, AdGuard, Tailscale, Wazuh, CrowdSec, NAS planning. |
| Networking | Growing | UniFi, DNS, DHCP, Tailscale, 10Gb planning, service monitoring. |
| Security Monitoring | Growing | Wazuh, CrowdSec, DNS filtering, endpoint visibility, alerting experiments. |
| Digital Forensics | Growing | Packet capture investigation, Wireshark, tshark, NetworkMiner, evidence notes. |
| Local AI Workflows | Growing | LM Studio, OpenCode, Continue, Codex, prompt design, AI-assisted troubleshooting. |
Project Changelog
Recent Portfolio Updates
A lightweight record of what has been added and what is planned next.
Early June 2026
Updated active project progress for Hermes, Finance1099, Docker-hosted homelab work, Tailscale access, and repair/support documentation.
May 2026
Added case study pages, project cards, resume/contact improvements, and the first technical sections.
June 2026
Next up: public-safe homelab status, sanitized diagrams, technical notes, one-pagers, and diagnostic templates.
Infrastructure Lab
Personal Homelab & Infrastructure
My homelab is a personal learning environment for building real infrastructure instincts: Proxmox virtualization, Docker-hosted apps, TrueNAS/storage work, SMB/NFS planning, Time Machine and Windows backup planning, monitoring, DNS filtering, remote access, and security tooling.
Network Diagram Placeholder
AT&T Fiber Gateway
Router / Firewall Layer
10Gb Switch
Proxmox / NAS / Clients / Monitoring
Replace with sanitized diagram - remove customer data, public IPs, emails, phone numbers, API keys, and private paths.
Operational
Homelab Status
Homelab Status
A public-safe dashboard showing high-level service health, uptime summaries, and recent homelab maintenance.
What It Shows
- Overall public status and service counts.
- Grouped service availability without private infrastructure details.
- Uptime summary placeholders and recent maintenance notes.
Artifacts To Add
Proof-Oriented Visual Placeholders
These slots are ready for sanitized screenshots and diagrams as the portfolio grows.
Uptime Kuma dashboard
Proxmox VM/container list
Make scenario diagram
Hermes ticket JSON flow
Wireshark/tshark investigation output
Network diagram
Cloudflare Tunnel setup
Wazuh/CrowdSec dashboard
Replace with sanitized screenshot - remove customer data, public IPs, emails, phone numbers, API keys, and private paths.
Professional Background
Experience
IT Solutions Specialist
Biltmore Computers - Asheville, NC
Full-time technical support for customer laptops, desktops, software, accounts, performance issues, hardware failures, and Windows/macOS troubleshooting.
E-Waste & Refurbishment Specialist
Scrap Circuit - Asheville, NC
Device intake, hardware evaluation, inventory sorting, parts recovery, and responsible electronics recycling alongside the main Biltmore Computers role.
Repair Technician
Boone Cellular - Boone, NC
Customer intake, device repair, transaction processing, repair coordination, and post-service issue resolution in a fast-paced repair environment.
Lead Technician
Biltmore Computers - Asheville, NC
Led intake, technical assessment, refurbishment workflows, training, inventory cataloging, listings, and operational process improvements.
Education
Education & Certifications
Appalachian State University
Graduated May 2026
BSBA, Computer Information Systems. Minor in Accounting. BS, Cybersecurity. GPA: 3.7.
Microsoft Office Specialist
Excel 2019 - October 2022
Spreadsheet fundamentals, formulas, data handling, and practical office tooling.
Next Step
For Recruiters
I’m interested in IT support, cybersecurity analyst, SOC, endpoint security, digital forensics, infrastructure, and automation-focused roles where hands-on troubleshooting, documentation, user communication, and security awareness overlap.
Find What You Need
Quick Paths
Looking for my resume?
View my experience, skills, project highlights, and downloadable resume status.
Want to see technical work?
Explore case studies covering AI automation, homelab infrastructure, and cybersecurity labs.
Want to see what I’m building?
See current projects, project changelog, and roadmap.
Want to contact me?
Reach out about IT, cybersecurity, infrastructure, automation, or technical support opportunities.
Contact
Let’s Connect
I’m open to conversations around IT support, security operations, endpoint security, repair documentation, homelab infrastructure, and practical automation.
Add a sanitized PDF to the assets folder when the download is ready.