using WordPress and Hi, I’m Ryan
I’m Ryan Thomas Huff, a technologist at heart and a network engineering leader with 20+ years in the field. Today I’m a Network Engineering Manager in the critical infrastructure industry, where I lead the team that keeps roughly 2,000 devices across about 220 IT and OT sites running 24/7.
I grew up with one foot in the analog ’80s, when a boombox was the technical marvel everyone envied, and the other in the tech boom of the ’90s, when electronics kept shrinking, CD players took over, and having the Internet at home was all the rage. That curiosity never wore off. My career has taken me into many corners of technology, some connected and some worlds apart, and each one added to a broad, deep skill set: digital and analog voice, enterprise and small-business routing and switching, desktop and web programming, Windows and Linux server and desktop administration, and helpdesk management.
I live in Woodstock, GA, and I go by @NetworkNerd1337 online. See my network engineering projects, Python network automation builds and my book.
My path
Critical infrastructure (2022–present)
I joined as a Senior Telecommunications Engineer, moved up to Telecom & Data Transport Supervisor, and now lead network engineering. I build network roadmaps and architectures, run Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN, and moved our legacy PRI lines to SIP trunks, saving about $200K a year.
Value-add resellers
I spent eight years at resellers including ConvergeOne, deploying SD-WAN, security and collaboration solutions for customers, and mentoring two direct reports as a supervisor.
Where it started
I was the kid taking apart the boombox to see how it worked, and by the time dial-up Internet arrived at home, I was hooked. I served in the US Army in 1997, then built my foundation the hands-on way: voice systems, routers and switches, servers, code and a lot of helpdesk tickets.
At Netgain in Sidney, Ohio, I grew from helpdesk technician to senior engineer between 2011 and 2014, and learned that understanding the whole stack, from the phone line to the server to the person at the keyboard, is what makes an engineer truly useful.
How I work as a network engineering leader
I believe in servant leadership: hands-on engineering paired with developing the people around me. I’m a Certified Scrum Master and an advocate for bringing automation and AI into everyday operations where it actually drives value. I write my own Python monitoring tools, because the best tool is often the one you build for the job.
Beyond the network
Outside work you’ll find me programming in Python, tinkering with Linux, playing with amateur radio, exploring AI and LLMs, writing, and staying on top of my fitness.