PANKAJ CHITRIGI GANESH
Liberty Hill,TX
Summary
Technical leader in software engineering with over 12 years of experience in architecting and delivering distributed systems and cloud services. Focused on AI-assisted engineering practices to enhance team productivity and accelerate project delivery within complex multi-service platforms.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Software Engineering Technical Leader
Cisco Systems
Austin, USA
06.2016 - Current
- Lead / architect / contributor to multiple cloud services which are part of Cisco's SASE solution to allow users to securely connect to their corporate network or private apps or internet.
- VTKaaS (C, Go, Python) - Cloud-native multi-tenanted VPN-as-a-Service running on k8s. It is a distributed system of 10+ microservices covering SAML/Cert based authentication, session management, configuration management, IPAM, cert management, posture/policy enforcement and TLS/DTLS headend for enterprise customers in Cisco Secure Connect and Cisco Secure Access products. It is deployed across 29+ global production data centers.
- SNIProxy (C, Go) - VPP based TLS/DTLS/QUIC/IKEv2 aware transparent proxy/load-balancer service fronting the majority of the headend services in Cisco Secure Connect and Cisco Secure Access products. It is deployed across 25+ global production datacenters on 3 different platforms AWS EC2, Openstack and SLVM.
- Developed EdgeDNS, a custom CoreDNS-based authoritative DNS service, enabling real-time multi-factor DNS resolution with features like GeoIP-based region selection, latency-aware routing, weighted record selection, priority-based DC failover, and automatic OOR handling, deployed across 29+ global production datacenters.
- Drove AI adoption in team by creating multi-agent code registry with context files per submodule, role-based skills, and MCP-based subagent orchestration with Jira/Confluence/Splunk integration, enabling AI-assisted development across service ecosystem.
- Defined, designed, and developed critical enhancements of networking software in VPN, AAA, and certificate functionality for Cisco's flagship on-prem products ASA, FTD, and Meraki MX.
- Have worked on multiple networking protocols like TCP, UDP, SSL, IKEv2, IPSEC, QUIC, Proxy protocol, HTTP, HTTPS etc.
Teaching Assistant
University of Massachusetts
Lowell, USA
09.2015 - 12.2015
- Assisted Dr. Kate Saenko in graduate level computer vision course, facilitating student learning and engagement. Graded programming assignments and provided guidance in computer vision labs, enhancing student understanding of course material.
- Supported students with coursework and research inquiries.
Software Engineering Intern
Nvidia
Santa Clara, USA
05.2015 - 08.2015
- Designed and implemented NAT type detection algorithm using STUN to identify NAT types in parallel across all system interfaces. Developed cross-platform implementation in C and C++ to enhance compatibility and performance. Simulated various NAT types through Iptables configuration on OpenWRT firmware for comprehensive testing.
- Developed software solutions using Python and C++ for machine learning applications.
- Collaborated with engineers to troubleshoot and resolve software issues.
- Participated in code reviews to ensure quality and adherence to standards.
Software Engineer
Cisco Systems
Bangalore, India
10.2011 - 07.2014
- Developed proprietary UPnP protocol stack for IP Set Top Boxes on 'Videoscape Evolution' middleware, enhancing device connectivity.
- Implemented RTSP server and client simulators as proof of concept, validating VOD streaming functionality.
Software Engineer
IBM
Chennai, India
07.2010 - 08.2011
- Developed and maintained a CRM application for the UPS client, addressing bugs and implementing new features to enhance user experience.
Education
Master of Science - Computer Science
University of Massachusetts
Lowell, MA05-2016
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
Visvesvaraya Technological University
Belagavi, India06-2010
Skills
- Cloud architecture
- Microservices architecture
- API development
- AI integration
- Security Architecture
- Systems design
- Technical leadership
- C
- Go
- Python
- C
- Java
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- Datadog
- Splunk
- Consul
Accomplishments
- Patents - US11979284, US12335093
- Won 1st prize in yearly hackathon conducted in the security business group of Cisco, SBG Hackathon 2019, for the high availability solution developed for VPN sessions.
- Won 1st prize in Amadeus Hack@1050 - 11/14 for developing a smart luggage reminder Android application called 'Care Less'.
- Awarded 'Certificate of Recognition' by Cisco Development Vice President for my overall contribution to the team, especially in the UPnP stack implementation project.
Timeline
Software Engineering Technical Leader
Cisco Systems
06.2016 - Current
Teaching Assistant
University of Massachusetts
09.2015 - 12.2015
Software Engineering Intern
Nvidia
05.2015 - 08.2015
Software Engineer
Cisco Systems
10.2011 - 07.2014
Software Engineer
IBM
07.2010 - 08.2011
Master of Science - Computer Science
University of Massachusetts
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
Visvesvaraya Technological University