Ehlert Welding Infrastructure Recovery & Website Modernization
Role: IT Administrator · June 2026
Recovered and rebuilt a small manufacturing business's web and email infrastructure after a legacy hosting environment failed — migrating DNS to Cloudflare, moving email to Microsoft 365, and rebuilding the company website with modern security practices.
Project Overview
After a legacy hosting environment failed, Ehlert Welding lost both its website and company email services. The website became inaccessible, Outlook clients stopped syncing, and the business was at risk of losing access to critical communication channels.
I took ownership of the recovery effort and rebuilt the company's web and email infrastructure using modern platforms and security practices. Over the course of several days, I restored business communications, migrated email to Microsoft 365, moved DNS management to Cloudflare, and rebuilt the company's public-facing website.
Infrastructure Recovery
- Investigated the outage and identified failures in the existing hosting and email environment.
- Verified domain ownership and ensured the company maintained control of its critical assets.
- Documented existing infrastructure and planned a migration path away from legacy services.
- Restored website and email functionality with minimal business disruption.
DNS & Cloud Management
- Migrated DNS management to Cloudflare.
- Updated nameservers and verified DNS propagation.
- Configured website and email DNS records.
- Implemented SSL/TLS and domain redirects.
- Established direct control over infrastructure that had previously been managed by third parties.
Microsoft 365 Deployment
- Deployed Microsoft 365 Business and Exchange Online.
- Migrated business email from a legacy provider.
- Configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication.
- Implemented multi-factor authentication for all users.
- Restored company mailboxes while keeping existing email addresses intact.
- Backed up and preserved historical Outlook data where possible.
Website Rebuild
- Rebuilt the company website from the ground up.
- Replaced a site that had not been significantly updated in over a decade.
- Created a modern, responsive design that works on desktop and mobile devices.
- Updated company information, services, and project galleries.
- Improved usability, performance, and search engine visibility.
- Implemented modern security headers and HTTPS enforcement.
Technologies Used
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Cloudflare, Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Microsoft Entra ID, DNS administration, Outlook, and SPF / DKIM / DMARC.
Results
- Restored company website operations.
- Restored business email services.
- Eliminated reliance on legacy hosting infrastructure.
- Improved security through MFA and modern email authentication.
- Established direct ownership and management of DNS, web hosting, and email systems.
- Delivered a modernized website and communication platform for ongoing business operations.
What I Learned
This was my first real-world deployment involving DNS administration, Microsoft 365, email migration, and production infrastructure. The project gave me hands-on experience with troubleshooting live business systems, managing service migrations, and balancing technical decisions with business needs.
More importantly, it reinforced the importance of documentation, backups, change management, and maintaining direct control over critical infrastructure.