
K.G. Orphanides
K.G. is a journalist, technical writer, developer and software preservationist. Alongside the accumulated experience of over 20 years spent working with Linux and other free/libre/open source software, their areas of special interest include IT security, anti-malware and antivirus, VPNs, identity and password management, SaaS infrastructure and its alternatives.
K.G.'s tech writing has also appeared in PC Pro, WIRED, Trusted Reviews, The MagPi, Linux Journal, Expert Reviews and Wireframe, among others. Their broader professional background also includes anti-malware testing, IT and information security for large international organisations, documentation and tutorial writing, fiction, marketing and copywriting, Linux compatibility implementation and testing, and work within the video games industry.
Their current side projects include hardware and software reconstructions of 1980s and '90s era FM synthesis and early MIDI audio production technology for modern computer systems, preservation and compatibility work on "lost" software, permacomputing, the small internet, and interactive fiction.
You can get in touch with K.G. via email at reviews@kgorphanides.com.
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Best Linux distros 2025
Best We round up the best Linux distros for desktops with options for beginners through to fully-fledged operating system pros
By K.G. Orphanides Last updated
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Microsoft Defender Antivirus review
Reviews Hassle-free Microsoft Defender Antivirus epitomises "if it ain't' broke, don't fix it"
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Amazon Web Services review
Reviews The biggest and most well known cloud provider around – but it isn't always the most economical options for SMBs
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McAfee Total Protection review: Expensive at full price
Reviews Protects your PC and includes a decent firewall, but costly and less effective than some rivals
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F-Secure Safe review: Simple security struggles to outdo Defender
Reviews F-Secure Safe doesn’t have the protection or features to stand out against its rivals.
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Kaspersky Internet Security review: Powerful, highly configurable protection
Reviews Easy to use, efficient and accurate malware defense for users who want to personalise their protection
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1Password Business review: First choice for business travel and guest accounts
Reviews 1Password provides a great user experience, but its entry level tier in particular lacks some surprising features
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Keeper Security review: Keeps corporate password management simple
Reviews Very polished business password management includes free lifetime personal accounts for all your users
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Dashlane review: A very web-focused password manager
Reviews A polished password manager with slightly limited platform support but plenty of security features
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LastPass review: Great to administrate, a little clunky to use
Reviews LastPass has the most comprehensive admin portal around but it’s excessively browser-focused
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Bitwarden review: Worth paying for
Reviews The competitively priced newcomer is at the forefront of password management
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Facebook Workplace review: Are you ready for Facebook’s social office?
Reviews The corporate version of Facebook does a lot, much of it well, but its comms and events need more polish
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Seagate IronWolf 510 ZP1920NM30001 (1.92TB) review: Built for business
Reviews Built for SMB NAS caching, this NVMe drive is pricey but has a massive lifespan
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Basecamp 3 review: More molehill than mountain
Reviews Basic project management and collaboration tools wrapped into a tidy web and mobile interface
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How to build your own firewall with pfSense
Tutorials Create your own physical or virtual appliance with this free-to-use open source software
By K.G. Orphanides Last updated
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Windows File History and Backup review: Useful but limited
Reviews Windows 10 comes with integrated backup and sync tools, but they aren’t as fully-featured as you might want
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Cobian Backup 11 (Gravity) review: Business-friendly freeware
Reviews This popular backup tool hasn’t been abandoned but it feels a little dated and lacks proper backup restoration features
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Areca Backup review: Capable but flawed
Reviews A powerful file-level backup and recovery tool that requires a little too much user intervention to automate
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How to migrate your SMB network to the cloud
Tutorials Make your migration as painless as possible with our handy guide
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Google Backup and Sync review: That syncing feeling
Reviews A capable file-sync tool, but it’s no backup behemoth
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Duplicati review: Our new favourite backup tool
Reviews A cutting edge file-level backup utility with a browser-based interface that’s easy to install and use on any desktop OS
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EaseUS ToDo Backup Free 12.0 review: Enterprise-unfriendly
Reviews One of the few file-level backup tools to also provide disk imaging, but you’ll see a lot of upgrade adverts
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Build your own cloud infrastructure with Nextcloud and Collabora
Tutorials Reduce your reliance on big vendors by learning how to spin up your own private cloud
By K.G. Orphanides Published
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How to build a cloud-based IP PBX telephony system
Tutorials Move your comms to the cloud and ditch your physical PBX box
By K.G. Orphanides Published
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