Aswin MK - November 2025 Featured Member

Welcome to our Featured Members Series. This month we are spotlighting Aswin MK, one of our phenomenal MVPs and a wonderful contributor to our community. 

DevCentral: To start, please introduce yourself and tell our community a little bit about you. What you do and why is it important?

Aswin: Hello everyone! 😊

I’m Aswin, from the beautiful state of Kerala, India.

I began my career in 2017 as an engineer at Wipro Technologies, where I learned the fundamentals of network security and started working as an L1 engineer on the firewall side. Later, I transitioned to the load balancing domain as a Load balancer L2 engineer, and that’s when my F5 journey began — starting from version 13.x. 😉

Since then, F5 has become an integral part of my professional life. I’m currently working at ASSA ABLOY as a Load Balancer SME and now serve as the Service Delivery Manager for Global Load Balancing.

It’s been a rewarding journey so far — balancing life and work while continuing to grow in a field I’m truly passionate about.

 

DevCentral: As a Service Delivery Manager - global load balancing at ASSA ABLOY, what is your typical workday like?

Aswin: ASSA ABLOY is truly a great place to work, offering an excellent balance between career growth and personal life. In my role, I focus on delivering the best possible service to our customers. I currently work as a Service Delivery Manager (SDM) and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Global Load Balancing (F5). As a network security enthusiast, I’m deeply involved in enhancing and securing our infrastructure against emerging threats and cyberattacks. Alongside F5, we also utilize several other advanced security tools to ensure a robust and resilient environment.

 

DevCentral: Can you give us a glimpse into your technical expertise?

Aswin: I began my career in the network security domain. Working in a shared delivery model where I was responsible for supporting multiple technologies, including firewalls, load balancers, proxies, and email gateways. This exposure gave me broad technical expertise across various security platforms and eventually led me to specialize in F5 technologies.

Within the F5 ecosystem, I have hands-on experience with LTM (Local Traffic Manager), GTM/DNS (Global Traffic Manager), AFM (Advanced Firewall Manager), APM (Access Policy Manager), and AWAF (Advanced Web Application Firewall).

I have also worked extensively with F5 iSeries, VIPRION, and Virtual Edition (VE) models—and now, the rSeries has become a part of my day-to-day work as well.

DevCentral: What is a customer challenge that you have encountered and how did community help you resolve?  (Does not have to be the DevCentral Community)

Aswin:  F5 DevCentral is like an ocean of solutions in the F5 world. It’s a rich and dynamic platform where you can find knowledge articles, technical discussions, and expert insights on almost every F5-related topic.

The DevCentral interface is very user-friendly, making it easy to navigate and explore. Often, when we search for F5-related queries on Google, DevCentral appears among the top results with precise and reliable answers.

With its vast database of community discussions, code examples, and troubleshooting guides built up over many years, DevCentral continues to be an invaluable resource for F5 professionals around the globe.

 

DevCentral: Do you have any F5 Certifications? If so, how have they helped in your career?

Aswin: I hold the F5 Certified Administrator – BIG-IP (F5-CA, BIG-IP) certification, along with additional certifications from AlgoSec, Microsoft Azure, Proofpoint, and Radware.

These certifications have strengthened my technical expertise, enhanced my professional confidence, and brought me a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in my career journey.

 

DevCentral: What initially drew you into the DevCentral Community and what keeps you engaged?

Aswin: I’ve known about F5 DevCentral since the early days of my F5 journey, but I officially joined the community in 2023. Several of my colleagues were already active members and encouraged me to become part of it as well.

After joining, I had a great conversation with LiefZimmerman​, who helped me understand more about the community and the MVP program. His guidance inspired me to participate more actively and share my experiences.

In 2025, I was honored to receive the F5 DevCentral MVP Award — one of the happiest and most memorable moments of my professional journey that year. 😊

Being part of DevCentral has been an incredible experience — learning from experts, sharing knowledge, and helping newcomers make it a truly engaging and rewarding community.

 

DevCentral: Can you share with the community a time a mishap occurred and what you did to rectify it?

Aswin: I like to say I have a catalog of mishaps 😉 — but each one has been a valuable learning experience. Every time an issue occurred, I received great support and guidance from my senior colleagues. Their mentorship helped me understand the root cause, learn from my mistakes, and ensure I don’t repeat them in the future.

I truly believe that every challenge teaches something new, and those lessons have played a big part in shaping my professional growth.

 

DevCentral: What is your favorite or the best piece of advice someone has given you?

Aswin: A highly-valued piece of advice in the IT field is to "make yourself replaceable" by becoming an expert who can train others and adapt to new technologies, rather than being a single point of failure. Other key advice includes consistently doing your best on every task, regardless of its perceived importance, and venturing outside your comfort zone to develop new skills and gain experience in different areas. 

 

DevCentral: What are your current career and life goals?

Aswin: My main goal, like any dedicated network security engineer, is to strengthen and secure our environment, continuously improving its resilience and protection against threats.

 

DevCentral: If you weren't in your current profession what would be your dream job?

Aswin: Since childhood, my dream was to become a cricket player — I never imagined I would build a career in the IT field. But over time, I discovered a real passion for technology, and now I truly love what I do. 

 

DevCentral: What hobbies do you enjoy?

Aswin: After work time, Play/watching football, cricket. Spending time with Family and friends.

 

DevCentral: Lastly, what motivates you?

Aswin: What truly motivates me in life and in my career is the continuous opportunity to learn and grow. Technology is always evolving, and every new challenge pushes me to think differently, solve problems creatively, and keep improving myself. Also, the Salary and appreciation from team ;)

• Connect with Aswin on LinkedIn

Thank you, Aswin, for the insights and expertise you contribute to the DevCentral Community, and allowing us to have you as our Featured Member for November!