Each layer is something I learned on the job, and still work on.
Liju Abdul Karim — 20+ years, one stack. From the cable to the agent.
The wire
2007–2009Saint-Gobain, MumbaiFirst-line support engineer
I started at the bottom of the stack: a hardware and networking engineer. Machines, cables, the things everything else stands on.
That is where I learned the job: fix it for the person on the line, then fix it so it does not ring again. Active Directory, Windows networking, Exchange, RSA and Checkpoint, one call at a time.
- Active Directory
- Windows networking
- Exchange
- RSA
- Checkpoint
This layer is still part of my work. Linux and Microsoft infrastructure
The network
01 The wire
Windows networkingSign-in, mail, data
One layer up: how the machines talk to each other, and who is allowed to.
Who may sign in, where the mail goes, what must never leave the building. It started with Active Directory and Exchange, and it is still part of my work today:
- Microsoft Exchange Server
- Entra
- Purview
This layer is still part of my work. Exchange, Entra and Purview
The server
02 The network
01 The wire
LinuxClient and server systems
One layer up again: the machines that serve everyone else. Linux, on the desk and in the rack.
- Ubuntu
- On the desk and on the server
- Fedora
- What my lab itself runs on
It is also where private AI lives: open models on a client’s own Ubuntu or Fedora machines, for work that is private or confidential and should not leave the building.
- Private, on-premise AI
- Open models (DeepSeek)
- OpenClaw agents
This layer is still part of my work. Private, on-premise AI
The web
03 The server
02 The network
01 The wire
The webApplications, CMS, websites
Above the servers, what people see and use: custom applications, CMS, and Awwwards-grade websites.
- brevdigital.comThe lab’s own site, and its websites
- mubeena.techA portfolio
- dutronix.comDutronix
- hadvisory.coH.H.A Advisory, with its CMS
- PlanexPlanex Associates
Today they are AI-built: agentic AI writes, tests and ships them on Next.js, Vercel, Supabase, GitHub and Fedora Linux.
- Custom applications
- CMS
- Websites
This layer is still part of my work. Applications, CMS and websites
The agent
04 The web
03 The server
02 The network
01 The wire
2020 →BRev Digital, DubaiManaging Director
And at the top: agentic AI for businesses, at BRev Digital, an AI lab in Dubai.
Our AI agents do the work; I direct it, check it and ship it.
Every layer underneath is still in it. An agent runs on a server, over a network, down a wire. When the work is confidential, it runs as private, on-premise AI on the client’s own machines.
- Agentic AI for businesses
- Private, on-premise AI
- BRev Digital
This layer is still part of my work. Agentic AI for a business
05 The agent
04 The web
03 The server
02 The network
01 The wire
Wire, network, server, web, agent. 20+ years, and every layer still in use.
DIRECTCHECKSHIP
I also teach it: how to get started with AI.
The three verbs are the way the lab works: the AI does the work, a person directs it, checks it and ships it. Getting started is learning which part is yours.
This is still part of my work. AI training: getting started