By George, Senior Field Engineer, B-612
Ask any seasoned data center engineer and they’ll tell you: no two days are the same. But if you ask me, that’s exactly what makes this job so good.
I’m George — one of the senior techs here at B-612, and I spend most of my days inside the humming, high-security walls of data centers around Amsterdam. Whether I’m crawling through cold aisles to trace unlabeled cables or reseating optics with just the right amount of force to make the port light up green - I'm in the Zone :)
Amsterdam is more than just picturesque canals and stroopwafels. It’s a global hub for data. The city is home to AMS-IX, one of the largest internet exchanges in the world, and the greater Amsterdam region houses over 70 data centers — from hyperscalers to edge facilities. Companies love it here for the connectivity, the multilingual talent pool, and the relatively cool climate that helps with passive cooling.
The result? It’s busy. New facilities pop up before the concrete is even dry at the last one, and existing sites are constantly evolving. That’s job security for folks like me.
Most days start with a strong coffee (essential), a glance at the ticket board, and a mental note to stay flexible — because plans almost always change. Today might have been about racking a few servers, but then a client’s link goes down or there’s a mystery port that refuses to come up, and suddenly you’re deep into switch diagnostics or fiber tracing.
One of my clients once joked that my job is part engineer, part detective, part yoga instructor — because I’m either solving mysteries or folding myself into awkward rack positions. Fair.
A big chunk of the job is hands-on: replacing drives, tracing cables, installing equipment, and cleaning optics like a pro. Easily 80–90% of my day is on my feet, on a ladder, or hunched over a switch. You’re lifting servers one minute and triple-checking patch maps the next.
But the real work starts before you touch anything. When you’re operating in live production environments, double- and triple-checking instructions is key. You don’t want to be the one that brings down a customer’s stack because you pulled the wrong cable. Trust me — paranoia is healthy in this job.
What really makes this job great is the people — both the clients and the team. In Amsterdam, English gets you by just fine. Everyone’s friendly, direct, and happy to help.
Working closely with clients is the highlight for me. I love when we solve a problem together — when a downed port comes back up or a flaky connection stabilizes and you hear that sigh of relief on the other end of the call. That’s the good stuff. And when we’re between tasks, the team chat always turns into a brainstorm — sharing resolutions, horror stories, or just bad jokes over patch panels.
Amsterdam is booming, and that means congestion — in traffic and in data centers. Getting from one site to another in rush hour? Brutal. And in a cage packed tighter than a server drawer, maneuvering gear or rerouting cables becomes a full-body sport.
But the pace keeps you sharp. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for a desk job.
If you’re thinking about what life is like behind the scenes of all that cloud magic — it’s this: It’s hands-on, always moving, sometimes sweaty, occasionally frustrating, but deeply satisfying.
You work hard, you laugh a lot, you keep the internet alive — and every once in a while, you hit that perfect “click” as a port comes online, and it makes your whole day.
If you found this article helpful and want to learn more about how our expert team can support your infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you.
Specialised in managing network infrastructure in data centres on behalf of a wide range of colocation users, B-612 offers a comprehensive suite of tailored Remote Hands & Eyes solutions designed to drive service availability up and network management costs down. Get in touch today to discover how we can support your operations
