Networking with Purpose: Reflections on Engineering the Internet's Future

Networking with Purpose: Reflections on Engineering the Internet's Future

By Mark Kosters - Chief Technology Officer, ARIN

Standing before the CaribNOG 30 audience last week, celebrating 15 years of a vital networking community, I found myself reflecting on more than three decades in Internet engineering. My journey from database administrator for the Department of Defense's Network Information Center in 1991 to ARIN's Chief Technology Officer has provided a unique vantage point to witness - and help shape - the Internet's evolution from academic experiment to the global infrastructure connecting billions today.

This experience has taught me that the Internet we operate today wasn't inevitable. Its success stems from deliberate choices, purposeful engineering, and a community committed to shared values. I want to share some key stories from this journey, the lessons they've taught us, and issue a clear call to engineer with purpose as we build the Internet's future.

A Career Shaped by Internet History

My path through the Internet's commercial transformation reveals how situational opportunities created unprecedented possibilities. In 1993, I was the chief engineer at Network Solutions responsible for the InterNIC as we were navigating uncharted territory: transitioning from a government-funded research network to commercial enterprise. Every decision carried lasting implications for Internet governance and resource allocation.

My subsequent career progression through helping establish ARIN (1997), joining VeriSign (1999), and finally becoming ARIN's CTO (2007) provided different perspectives on the same core challenges of scalability, security, and global accessibility. Throughout this journey, I've witnessed how individual engineers and operators, working with shared purpose, can create something far greater than the sum of its parts.

The Foundation of Internet Success

Several key aspects made the Internet successful, with low cost of entry being paramount. This design philosophy allowed anyone with technical competence and modest resources to participate in building and extending the network. This accessibility became our blueprint for engineering an inclusive, future-ready Internet, demonstrating that systems designed with purpose - guided by principles of openness, interoperability, and shared stewardship - can serve both today's needs and adapt to tomorrow's challenges.

Defining "Networking with Purpose"

When I speak of "networking with purpose," I'm referring to a dual concept. There's the technical work - design, build, maintain, and connect - but equally important is having guiding principles that inform every decision we make. The goal isn't maintaining the status quo but actively engineering solutions that serve the greater good while meeting immediate operational needs.

This means making decisions based not just on technical feasibility or economic efficiency, but on alignment with our shared values of openness, security, and global accessibility.

Three Pillars of Professional Excellence

My experience has crystallized around three critical areas that define purposeful Internet engineering:

1. Answering the Call: Throughout Internet history, pivotal moments have required the community to step forward and address existential challenges. Whether it was the transition from government to commercial operation, the development of governance structures, or the ongoing shift to IPv6, progress has depended on individuals willing to contribute their expertise when needed.
2. Adapting in Real Time: The Internet's rapid evolution demands mastering real-time adaptation while maintaining the stability users depend on. Technologies, threats, and needs change faster than traditional planning cycles can accommodate.
3. Building for the Future: Every decision shapes the Internet's future capabilities and limitations. This long-term perspective requires balancing immediate operational needs with tomorrow's infrastructure requirements.

Navigating IPv4 Runout: A Case Study in Purposeful Engineering

IPv4 free pool exhaustion wasn't just a technical problem; it continues to test the Internet community's ability to manage scarcity while maintaining growth and innovation. The push to IPv6 represents networking with purpose at its finest. Despite short-term costs and complexity, the community recognized that long-term Internet sustainability required this transition.

The ongoing IPv6 deployment efforts across the Caribbean and globally demonstrate how shared commitment to purposeful engineering can drive necessary but difficult changes.

Trust and Security: Tomorrow's Foundation

Looking forward, one lesson stands above all others: Security at scale does not happen quickly. Building trustworthy Internet infrastructure requires persistent effort across technical, operational, and community dimensions. This demands approaching security not as an afterthought, but as a foundational element of every system we design and deploy.

The persistence required will be substantial, but the rewards - a more secure and resilient Internet for everyone - justify the investment.

Essential Lessons from Three Decades

Two fundamental lessons have emerged from my experience in Internet engineering:

Lesson 1: You Need All Three.

• Competency: Technical skills alone aren't sufficient for success.
• Community: You must engage meaningfully with the community of operators, engineers, and stakeholders.
• Character: Underlying both must be the integrity and commitment to shared values that allows others to trust your contributions.

Lesson 2: Navigating Decisions Under Uncertainty

Internet engineering frequently requires making critical decisions with incomplete information. Three principles have proven essential:

• Focus on reversible decisions when possible.
• Maintain open and early communication with stakeholders.
• Prioritize decisions and actions with the greatest impact on core objectives.

The Internet as Shared Responsibility

The Internet represents something unique in human infrastructure: A public good that we have the privilege to shepherd collectively. This privilege comes with responsibilities extending beyond individual organizations or immediate operational concerns.

Openness and transparency aren't just values - they're operational requirements for maintaining Internet infrastructure at global scale. The knowledge sharing that has brought us this far becomes even more indispensable as we address emerging challenges around security, privacy, scalability, and accessibility.

The Caribbean's Strategic Opportunity

CaribNOG represents a particularly important example of purposeful networking. The Caribbean region faces unique challenges - geographic distribution, limited resources, vulnerability to natural disasters - that require innovative solutions. These same challenges create opportunities to pioneer approaches that could benefit global Internet infrastructure.

The most crucial focus areas for CaribNOG's next phase include building networks that can withstand and recover from disruptions, developing infrastructure that supports local economic development, implementing comprehensive security measures, and creating robust physical and logical infrastructure for adverse conditions.

Specific regional goals should include:

• Route Origin Authorization (ROA): Achieving 100% ROA coverage for announced prefixes would represent significant security improvement and demonstrate regional leadership.
• Knowledge Transfer: Regular mentorship programs with consistent reviews of lessons learned will develop the next generation of regional network engineers.
• Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC): Comprehensive DNSSEC deployment with signed zones, validating resolvers, and monitored DS records will improve regional security posture.
• IPv6 Implementation: Moving beyond pilots to production dual-stack operations with clear KPIs and progress toward customer-facing services.
• Collaborative Monitoring: Shared dashboards focusing on critical signals, monthly alert reviews, and clear on-call procedures will strengthen regional coordination.
• Disaster Preparedness: Pre-hurricane tabletop exercises, validated power diversity, and documented results will improve network resilience.

Looking Toward the Next Chapter

As we celebrated CaribNOG's 15-year milestone - from that first meeting in Sint Maarten in August 2010 to today's vibrant community - we recognized this achievement as a foundation for even greater accomplishments.

The Internet's next phase will bring challenges we can barely imagine today. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and shifting geopolitical realities will all impact network infrastructure design and operation. The communities that thrive will be those maintaining commitment to purposeful engineering while adapting quickly to changing circumstances.

ARIN's support for CaribNOG reflects our understanding that strong regional networking communities are essential for Internet stability and growth. The innovations and collaborative approaches developed within CaribNOG contribute to the global Internet's evolution.

A Call to Engineer with Purpose

The Internet represents humanity's greatest collaborative engineering project. Its continued success depends not on any single organization, but on our collective commitment to purposeful engineering guided by shared values of openness, security, and global accessibility.

I challenge every network operator, engineer, and community member: Are we networking with purpose? Are our decisions guided by principles that serve the greater good while meeting immediate needs? Are we building infrastructure that will serve tomorrow's users as well as today's?

The next chapter of Internet history is being written now - in meetings like CaribNOG 30, in network operations centers worldwide, and in daily decisions made by engineers who understand that their work shapes the future of human communication and collaboration.

Let's make sure we write it with purpose.

Mark Kosters presented the keynote address at CaribNOG 30 on 18 September 2025. ARIN proudly supports CaribNOG and congratulates the community on 15 years of vital networking collaboration.

For information on future ARIN events for the Caribbean community, stay tuned to the ARIN Event Calendar and the ARIN Caribbean webpage.

Connect with us at arin.net, subscribe to our blog and mailing lists, and follow us on social media to help shape the future of Internet infrastructure.

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