Network Engineer
Niles Stephenson
I joined the company in July 2018 as a Level 3 Infrastructure Technician Apprentice and have since progressed into my current role as a Network Engineer. In 2024, I completed my Level 4 Network Engineer qualification, building on the experience I had already gained working with a wide variety of customers and IT environments.
My role covers much more than just networking. I work across all areas of IT infrastructure, including servers, virtualisation, Microsoft 365 and cloud services, firewalls, wireless networks, backups, security and general technical support. A large part of my job involves designing, installing and upgrading customer infrastructure, as well as troubleshooting more complex issues when things don't quite go to plan.
I also take the lead on Cyber Essentials projects, working with customers through the entire process from the initial assessment and identifying areas that need attention, through to implementing the required technical changes and completing the certification process.
One of the things I enjoy most about the job is that no two days are quite the same. I particularly enjoy getting out to customer sites, installing new equipment and solving the more unusual technical problems. There's something very satisfying about taking an issue that initially makes absolutely no sense, working through it logically and eventually finding the cause.
Outside of work, IT unfortunately still takes up a suspicious amount of my free time. I run my own home lab where I'm usually experimenting with servers, networking, virtualisation, storage and whatever other project I've decided is a good idea at the time. Away from computers, I enjoy working on cars, DIY projects, road trips and track days, as well as escape rooms and bowling with friends. There is also a long-running tradition of pouring money into cars to make them better — occasionally after first making them worse.
