Vishakha Sadhwani, a Google Cloud architect based in New York and originally from a small town in India, exemplifies the importance of maintaining perspective in cloud technology. Her journey in DevOps and cloud technologies highlights how aptitude, leadership, and mentorship can significantly impact the tech industry.
Vishakha states matter-of-factly, "The cloud empowers people and businesses to achieve their goals. My work stems from the belief that making cloud technology more secure, accessible, and user-friendly unlocks its potential to transform industries and improve lives."
A Journey of Dedication and Growth
Vishakha discovered her passion for cloud computing over a decade ago. Despite facing challenges, she persevered, honing her skills through formal education and practical experience.
After coming to the US for her master's degree in computer engineering, she began working on the college campus as an office assistant. Her career took a pivotal turn during her master's program when she landed an internship at a regulatory firm. There, she was exposed to cloud technologies through a migration project, sparking her interest in this evolving field. This experience paved the way for her entry into the cloud industry and helped her land her first job at Brightspot as a DevOps engineer.
Vishakha later joined Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a DevOps engineer, quickly establishing herself as a Subject Matter Expert for their Infrastructure as Code (IaC) offering, CloudFormation. Her work and leadership garnered attention from colleagues and superiors, leading to AWS featuring her on their LinkedIn career page.
Vishakha reflects, "Working at AWS provided an opportunity to collaborate with some of the industry's brightest minds and contribute to developing advanced cloud technologies businesses worldwide now use."
Driving Cloud Innovation and Security
Since joining Google, Vishakha has spearheaded the design and development of large-scale cloud solutions for digital-native customers in various industries, including finance, AI/ML startups, retail, and cybersecurity. Her work has helped businesses achieve transformative results through automation and secure cloud deployments. To stay at the forefront of cybersecurity advancements, she furthered her expertise by earning another master's degree, effectively combining her cloud proficiency with security knowledge.
In her paper "Securing Cloud-Native Containerized Applications: Orchestration, Supply Chain, and Runtime Protection," she emphasizes the key pillars to strengthen both the application and the underlying cloud infrastructure.
Vishakha explains, "Developing such solutions presents complex challenges but showcases cloud technology's power and flexibility. By combining cloud architecture proficiency with an understanding of industry-specific needs, we can work towards meeting requirements while delivering real customer value."
Empowering the Next Generation
Beyond her technical contributions, Vishakha is dedicated to mentoring and empowering aspiring tech leaders, especially women and underrepresented groups. She actively shares her knowledge and experiences at tech, social, and career events such as Grace Hopper's Conference, Major League Hacking, Women in Tech, and the O'Reilly Learning Platform.
Her recognition as a "Mover & Shaker" by the University of Maryland Alumni network underscores her impact beyond her technical skills, demonstrating her commitment to empowering women in tech and promoting diversity within the industry. As a lead speaker at Major League Hacking events and a mentor to over 200 professionals, the positive testimonials from her mentees and her engaging presentations highlight her dedication to her work and the growth of the tech community.
Vishakha's commitment to mentorship and diversity is evident in her statement:
"Mentoring provides guidance, support, and inspiration, not just technical skills," Vishakha states neutrally. "Empowering diverse voices and perspectives in tech drives innovation, creativity, and positive change."
This dedication has earned her recognition, including the Presidential Club Award at Google for exceptional performance in the top 1%. The University of Maryland's alum magazine has also featured her achievements and contributions to the tech community.
Furthermore, her role as a technical recruiter at the Grace Hopper Conference and her active participation as a speaker and session chair at the IEEE Cloud Summit exemplify her commitment to fostering inclusivity in the tech world. Her involvement in these diverse areas showcases a breadth of influence that encompasses the practical applications of technology, guidance for newcomers, and a passion for the evolution of tech as a field of inclusive and collective growth.
A Future of Continuous Growth
As cloud technology continues to change, Vishakha remains focused on being part of its future. With her skillfulness, innovative mindset, and passion for empowering others, she is well-positioned to continue driving change and making a lasting industry impact.
"Cloud technology's potential is vast, and I'm committed to shaping its future," Vishakha states neutrally. "We can create a more secure, accessible, and transformative cloud ecosystem benefiting everyone by pushing boundaries and empowering the next generation of tech leaders."
