Bram - January 2026 Featured Member

Welcome to our Featured Members Series. We are starting 2026 off with Bram, 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?

Bram: Hi! My name is Bram, and I am a 30-year-old Senior Network Engineer from the Netherlands. I work at SURF, the Dutch National Research and Education Network (NREN). I also have my own ASN (“a piece of internet I own – https://as213052.net”) and do some volunteering at a local public broadcaster.

DevCentral: As an Expert Network Engineer at the Dutch National and Research Educational Network (NREN) called SURF, what do you do there and what is your typical workday like?

Bram: The team I work in is responsible for the design and architecture of the Dutch NREN network, as well as some international connections (for example, we have a direct connection to Geneva for the CERN accelerators). A typical workday involves communication with our NOC team, working on projects to improve the network, and assisting with troubleshooting network issues.

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

Bram: I started out as a general system and network administrator but decided to focus on networking instead. I have fairly broad knowledge, both in networking and general IT. Within networking, I have worked on both the enterprise and service provider sides, which makes the work especially interesting.

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)

Bram: I worked on an interesting case last year involving Omnissa Horizon load balancing. We were experiencing issues because we relied on source IP persistence, while users were switching between external IPs due to the office network setup. With the help of community resources, I was able to debug the issue in depth and ultimately come up with a solution. I should probably write a post about my approach and solution someday 😉

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

Bram: Yes, I am a Certified F5 Administrator. So far it hasn’t had a direct impact on my career, but I’m always keen to get certified on the technologies I work with to validate my knowledge. And maybe one day, it will help me.

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

Bram: Initially, I came to DevCentral to learn more about F5 and see how others were using the platform. As my experience with F5 technologies grew, I felt it was a good time to contribute my knowledge back to the community. I strongly believe in sharing knowledge.

DevCentral: What’s one thing you wish people knew about your job?

Bram: That network engineering is more than just sitting at a computer all day. Knowing people and talking to others in the industry is just as important.

DevCentral: If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?

Bram: Writing iRules without AI assistance 😉

DevCentral: What are your current career and life goals?

Bram: Last year there were some major personal and professional changes, so my current goals are focused on maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.

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

Bram: I would probably be doing something in the broadcast industry, but behind the screens, like being a director or floormanager or something like that.

DevCentral: Which unconventional animal do you wish you could have as a pet and why?

Bram: As a kid, I had a plush red panda, so definitely that one!

DevCentral: Lastly, what sparks your ambitions?

Bram: I’m always eager to learn new things and work with great technologies.

• Connect with Bram on LinkedIn

Thank you, Bram, for sharing your knowledge, contributing to our community, and allowing us to have you as the first Featured Member of 2026!