Pieter Hanssens, Team Manager Networks department

Pieter, you have been working at Belnet for 20 years now. How did you end up here back then? 

"Well, my very first cover letter ever I sent to Belnet, but the rest didn't make history right away. I first worked at an orchestra and then as a product developer. It was only about six months after then that I was able to get an interview. 

I had already come into contact with Belnet while writing my thesis, which in fact examined IPv6 – version 6 of the Internet Protocol for translating IP addresses. At the time, Belnet was one of the scarce providers of IPv6. 

After the successful selection rounds, I started as a network engineer at an organisation of less than twenty-five people (Belnet now has about 75 colleagues – Ed.). After six years, I was able to advance into a network architect role, and in 2016 I took on the challenge of becoming coordinator of the Networks Department, now a team of 12 network engineers and architects. A position in which I can also use my people skills after years of broadening my technical skills." 

Do you remember your first impression of Belnet? 

"Yes, I mainly remember what a good learning environment Belnet was as a new employee who was not much more than just out of school. I was given both the time to delve into the content of certain matters, as well as on the other hand, learning a lot from the people around me. My colleagues were really 'crack at their craft' and I felt honoured to be able to float along on the sea of knowledge and experience around me." 

Over the past twenty years, how have you seen Belnet evolve as an organisation? 

"I have seen Belnet evolve and, above all, professionalise. We started as a kind of small family business where everyone knew each other, as well as each other's current projects and tasks. Over the years, Belnet has become a professional service provider with strong growth not only in people, but also in services. A catalyst for that growth is undoubtedly the general importance of the Internet. Twenty years ago, the Internet was not critical; now, we can place the importance of the Internet on almost the same wavelength as energy and water – we cannot live without it. " 

What moment in your career are you most proud of? 

"I am most proud not of one specific moment, but of the overall operational continuity of our network. The Belnet network really is very stable and has high performance. In most countries, the management of the research network, the federal network and the Internet exchange node is in the hands of three different companies or organisations. At Belnet, however, all three are combined and successfully achieved by a fantastic team, of which I get to be coordinator. I am proud of how much we can accomplish and have already accomplished with our twelve-member team."

How do you see Belnet developing in the future and what role do you wish to play in it? 

"I believe Belnet's main growth opportunities lie in continuing to offer and innovate in relevant services towards our communities. These innovations also ensure that the job content remains exciting every day, so our colleagues can also continue to get their teeth into new and interesting projects, such as the FedWAN programme, setting up a testbed for a Quantum Computing infrastructure and new solutions, such as the updated Advanced DDoS Security. In short: we need to keep our place in the front row of technological innovations."