Meet Our Moderators: Paul Lawrence

ThomasWilimitis

Welcome back to the Meet Our Moderators series—where you get to know the amazing folks behind the scenes keeping the Infoblox Community running smoothly and making sure your posts get the attention they deserve.

This week, say hello to Paul Lawrence. 

What's your role at Infoblox and your area of expertise?

I’m a Senior Staff Product Manager, specializing in Microsoft infrastructure integration, DHCP, DNS, IPAM, and asset visibility. My role is to shape and deliver solutions that help customers manage complex hybrid environments with greater clarity, control, and confidence.

What's a trending topic in tech that you're excited about (or skeptical of)?

I'm especially excited about the growing role of hybrid infrastructure observability — the ability to unify visibility and control across traditional on-prem systems and dynamic cloud environments. It’s not just about collecting data anymore; it’s about correlating it intelligently across DNS, DHCP, IPAM, and even asset behavior to improve operational agility and security posture.

At the same time, I remain skeptical of solutions that promise “full automation” without accounting for the complexities of enterprise environments, like AD-integrated DNS or multi-forest DHCP setups. Automation is powerful, but only when it’s paired with transparency, override control, and human-centric design.

What type of questions or discussions do you hope to see more of in the Community?

I’d love to see more discussions that go beyond basic configurations — deep dives into real-world deployment patterns, especially around hybrid Microsoft DNS and DHCP management, network discovery challenges, and advanced IPAM strategies. I’m particularly interested in use cases that highlight integrations across platforms (like Meraki, AWS, or Microsoft), handling edge cases at scale, and approaches to surfacing meaningful insights from DNS and DHCP data. Bonus points for threads that include lessons learned from complex migrations or ways to improve operational resilience.

What's a fun fact most people don't know about you?

Most people don’t know that I’ve been building LEGO creations since I was seven, and I’ve read The Lord of the Rings every year since I was ten. You could say I’ve been adventuring in Middle-earth and building worlds brick by brick for most of my life.

What would be your dream job if you weren't in tech?

If I weren’t in tech, I’d be a LEGO Master Builder. I’ve been building since I was seven, and I love the creativity and precision it takes to bring something to life one brick at a time. Plus, who wouldn’t want a job where imagination is part of the job description?

Anything else you'd like Community members to know about you or how to connect?

I’m always up for a good conversation, whether it’s about DNS, DHCP, asset visibility, LEGO builds, or the best quotes from The Lord of the Rings. Feel free to reach out if you want to brainstorm ideas, swap stories from the field or just geek out over something fun. I’m based in the Houston area and always happy to connect. The best way to reach me is through the Community boards — don’t hesitate to tag me!