Product Owner Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
Product Owner Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
Tribe NaaS, squad Triumph and Cross Domain Orchestration (CDO)
Works in Maastricht, Utrecht and from home
Lives in Beegden
At VodafoneZiggo since 2009
Creating your own job comes naturally to Ralf Jenniskens. Before joining VodafoneZiggo, he set up an IT satellite station in Limburg for one of our subcontractors. Eighteen months later, he was running the station and working for us. If you go looking for him, you'll find him where the action is. "There will always be challenges in a large company; there's always somewhere to innovate."
A blindingly fast network that's available wherever, whenever. It's something we all take for granted, while on the back end it's actually a bit of a maze. Ralf's squad implements network orchestration to ensure that all the devices across the network work together seamlessly. The result is a reliable, secure network. One that meets the trend of ever-increasing automation. And is available for new clients swiftly and hassle free.
For as long as he keeps finding new challenges, Ralf intends to keep doing the work he does best. "I like to try out new ideas and fortunately, that's hardwired into the way we work: agile. We go into great detail with the business about the new products they need for customers. After that we build those products piecemeal, improving each step of the way. The trick is in translating the ask. The business knows the basics, obviously, but we understand the full potential of the technology. And that's precisely what makes my work so interesting: listen carefully, ask the right questions, offer solutions and then improve upon them. Ultimately, we always deliver more to the business than they thought they needed."
It's a way of working that saw Ralf spearheading many processes and products at VodafoneZiggo. A data retention model he built in 2010, for instance, is still up and running today. We use it to provide reliable and securely stored data when requested by the police or Prosecution Service. Later, Ralf worked in the IT department, followed by a position on the business side. There, he experienced first-hand what happens to IT products when they're finished and delivered.
Ralf returned a seasoned and rounded network expert. "I first helped set up and expand our network orchestration platform. We started out with just four of us and now there are 80. My current passion is Network-as-a-Service. We're using that to build small network services that we combine into unique commercial products for business customers. Think virtual private networks, advanced firewalls, load-balancing services and DNS services. Now that we’ve realized the basic framework of the operation, steadily increased automation will soon see it fully matured. My experience in other departments of the company is of great help in that respect."
Extra excitement in Ralf’s current position is brought by its unique international dimension. "My squad is distributed across India, the Netherlands and Canada. One day, someone jokingly suggested that we ought to work back to back. When we tried it, things actually worked out really well. So now, say India delivers a product, Canada can immediately get to work testing it. By the next morning, it's back in India for fixing. In the meantime, I'm here to ensure a smooth hand-off. The atmosphere is really great and helped along by our regular online squad meets. That’s when we play Pictionary or Scrabble and everyone can really let their hair down. We also like to share and discuss the delights of our often very different cultures. Like the festivals of Holi, Eid-al-Fitr or carnival."
Bringing people together and encouraging them to get the best out of themselves – it's another of Ralf's strengths. "When something new comes along, I believe the best thing to do is simply start. Only then do I go looking for the most suitable specialists to do their thing. I listen to them and put their expertise to work to bring solutions closer."
There are always moments when you can't see the wood for the trees. When that happens to Ralf, he clears his head by going for a run. "Mental and physical challenges are one and the same to me. So for about eight years now, a couple of colleagues and I have been running about 14 kilometres on Mount Saint Peter each Wednesday. It's really invigorating! Somehow, it's so much easier to discuss things and we always return with new ideas and insights."
Ralf expects to bring his strengths to use at VodafoneZiggo for the foreseeable future. "There's much more within the company we still want to digitalise and automate. In that way, we can eliminate repetitive and less challenging tasks. We can put the people power freed up to use making more interesting configurations for customers. I'm also eager to prepare the company for the further automation of network processes. Right now, for instance, each new configuration or product is checked. In time, when almost everything is automated, we'll have to find another solution for that. How will we do that exactly? I don't know yet, it's something we're exploring right now. And that's the best thing about this job."
