Ryan began his career as a webpage designer after receiving a degree in design with a concentration on interior design in 1996. In1997, he took a job as contributing editor or Internet guide with a startup that eventually became About.com. The job appealed to Ryan’s work as a web developer but also his passion for writing and his fascination with technology. For five years, Ryan wrote about, cataloged, and responded online readers and web searchers about Macintosh computers (to which he had become introduced and fascinated while working for his high school newspaper).

During his time at About, Ryan amassed a large amount of knowledge about and experience with Apple’s products, the Mac community, and all manner of Mac software. With this knowledge, he also began working as a Macintosh consultant and trainer. In 1999, he was approached by Osborne/McGraw-Hill to write “Troubleshooting, Maintaining, and Repairing Macs”, the most in depth troubleshooting and technician training guide for Macs. The book was hailed as ground-breaking and holding a copy for the first time still remains one of Ryan’s fondest memories. And, he dutifully, thanks his high school journalism teacher in the acknowledgements page for introducing him to the Mac.

Following the success of his first book, Ryan continued working in IT, though he took a brief break from writing. Between 2000 and 2003, Ryan worked with a number of educational institutions and businesses one supporting and developing cross-platform network infrastructures. His client list during that time includes fortune 500 media companies, K-12 school districts, colleges, and small businesses.

While working on a Mac OS X Server infrastructure covering several programs at SUNY Ulster County Community College, Ryan returned to writing as a columnist for Computerworld that focused on Mac and cross-platform network management.

In 2003 he began work on his second book, this time for O’Reilly and Associates. The final version of this book was a collaboration with fellow author Michael Bartosh called “Mac OS X Panther Server Administration”, the most solid and in-depth book on Apple’s server platform. Within it’s first weeks of availability, the book became one of best selling Mac books on the market and received critical praise from around the world.

In the fall of 2005, Ryan began contributing articles to InfomIT.com (many of these articles have since been transferred to Peachpit Press). Like his work for ComputerWorld.com, these articles focused on educating readers about Mac network management. However, these features are often less articles and more mini-training guides on specific topics. They also focus more on workflow and infrastructure planning than simply on technology as well being geared more for experienced Windows professionals who find themselves in a cross-platform environment and new Mac IT professionals.

Ryan continues to be available for technology consulting services, particularly for individuals and organizations involved in education and human services and for companies involved in the design field. He specializes in developing small to medium sized infrastructures, long term planning, and both IT staff and end-user training.