I keep complex systems running — and build the ones that need to.
I'm Nick Hooijenga, a senior DevOps and infrastructure engineer based in Almere. For 16 years I've designed, built and operated the systems behind real-time platforms and enterprise services — from bare-metal datacenters to the workloads running on Kubernetes and OpenShift — and made sure they stay up.
What I do on the daily
Enterprises bring me in to run and modernise platforms that can't afford downtime. SMEs bring me in because I can own IT end-to-end — infrastructure, software and compliance — without needing a team around me to do it.
DevOps & Kubernetes
I keep Kubernetes and OpenShift workloads running inside a 3,000+ person organisation's existing platform — writing custom Helm charts, deploying through ArgoCD, and troubleshooting pods until they behave. I write my own Dockerfiles and work daily with Artifactory, CI/CD pipelines and GitOps, without needing to own the platform underneath to get real work done on it.
Infrastructure architecture
From datacenter to hybrid cloud: routing (BGP), firewalls, storage (SAN, ZFS, CephFS) and virtualisation, designed for 24/7 real-time services. I've replaced enterprise SAN and blade hardware with leaner, self-built alternatives without losing a night's sleep.
Development & automation
I write the software that removes vendor lock-in and manual work — from a custom IVR platform that replaced a €40k/year licence with an in-house one, to Infrastructure-as-Code that turns server builds into a repeatable script.
Compliance & process
I've designed KYC frameworks and GDPR (AVG) processes alongside legal and banking partners, and turned audit findings into operational fixes. Most infrastructure engineers stop at uptime — I also make sure it holds up to scrutiny.
The stack behind the services
A more concrete look at what "I do infrastructure and software" actually means day to day — the domains I've worked in longest, and the tools I reach for.
Where I've put this to work
A quick log of recent roles — the full history, including 90 SME clients under my own company, is on request.
Tailored to your use case, not a template
I like systems that are complex enough to be interesting and I take pride in making them boring to operate — reliable, monitored and well-documented, so nobody has to think about them at 3am. That instinct comes from 16 years of being the person who gets the call when something breaks.
I work directly with you, not through a layer of account managers. Whether that means joining an existing team on a Kubernetes platform, or being the entire IT department for a smaller company, I bring the same standard: build it properly, document it, and make sure it still works when I'm not in the room.
- Education — MSc Information Studies: Business Information Systems, University of Amsterdam
- Background — HBO Information Engineering (Windesheim); MBO ICT Beheerder (ROC Flevoland)
- Languages — Dutch (native), English (fluent)
- Based in — Almere, Netherlands
Straightforward pricing, no surprise invoices
One rate card, three windows. The later it is, the more it costs — because so does the problem you're calling about.
Feel free to drop me a line
Whether it's a Kubernetes migration, a struggling piece of infrastructure, or a compliance headache — happy to have a look.