Srikanth Akula
Summary
Experienced senior staff engineer focused on high-performance data plane development and packet processing systems. Strong background in cloud-native architectures, DPDK, and VPP. Achievements include significant improvements in security posture via innovative SASE solutions and enterprise cloud security platforms.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Staff Engineer
NETSKOPE
, United States
09.2022 - Current
- Architected cloud-native migration of firewall and DLP components to Kubernetes-based containerized infrastructure
- Optimized VPP-based packet processing pipeline for cloud-scale SASE deployment with inline DLP inspection and L4-L7 stateful processing
- Led technical integration of VPP data plane with cloud-native orchestration and policy enforcement frameworks
- Executed L4-L7 policy enforcement and data loss prevention for cloud firewall-as-a-service, enhancing security posture for enterprise clients
- Designed and implemented data plane modules for multi-tenant cloud firewall and DLP services within Netskope's SASE platform
- Led cross-functional technical initiatives across data plane, orchestration, and cloud platform engineering teams, driving integration and collaboration
Technical Lead
CISCO SYSTEMS
, United States
03.2015 - 08.2022
- Designed and delivered 5G user plane function (UPF) to enhance forwarding capabilities in Cisco's next-generation 5G core network
- Architected microservice-based UPF as part of cloud-native 5G network functions
- Designed software-based data plane architecture for Cisco's virtual packet core using VPP and DPDK
- Integrated NFV orchestration components with OpenStack for deployment of Cisco 4G virtual packet core solution
- Implemented inline services architecture for 4G mobile packet core to optimize GTP-U tunnel processing
- Developed common data plane framework to unify support for mobility and BNG use cases
- Contributed GTP-U protocol support to TRex open-source traffic generation tool
Technical Lead
WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES
, India
01.2011 - 12.2015
- Implemented DPDK-based forwarding path for ZebOS stack, enabling high-performance packet processing
- Designed and implemented hardware abstraction layer (HAL) to enable integration of ZebOS L2/L3 stack with Broadcom and Marvell NPU chipsets, enhancing system compatibility
- Designed HAL interfaces for SNMP management and network protocol integration with NPU hardware, facilitating streamlined network operations
- Developed L2 applications such as QoS, policy-based switching, routed VLAN, and statistics binning, improving network management capabilities
Lead Engineer
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
, India
01.2008 - 12.2011
- Analyzed ASIC specifications and designed fabric scheduling architecture as first engineer on team
- Implemented fabric manager to schedule and program crossbar switches for backplane packet flow without traffic loss
- Designed distributed fabric manager architecture across line and switch cards
- Implemented high-availability management port with Linux bonding driver for carrier-grade deployment, ensuring reliable connectivity
- Enhanced QoS features for stateful applications and session-based classification of network traffic, improving performance
- Contributed to platform layer development supporting L2/L3 protocol integration
Design Engineer
MEDHA SERVO DRIVES PVT LTD
, India
01.2006 - 12.2008
- Developed embedded systems solutions for Indian Railways, improving system performance and reliability in deployment
- Implemented speed tracking device for railway locomotives using stepper motor control and microcontroller-based application to enhance operational safety and efficiency
- Designed and implemented TCP/IP-inspired protocol for external component communication, enabling reliable data transfer and flash storage integration
Education
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics and Communication Engineering
Osmania University
India01-2006
Diploma in Electronics and Communication Engineering -
India01-2002
Skills
- Kubernetes and OpenStack
- NFV orchestration
- DPDK and VPP
- Network virtualization
- L2 and L3 protocols
- C programming
- Python development
- Technical leadership
Timeline
Senior Staff Engineer
NETSKOPE
09.2022 - Current
Technical Lead
CISCO SYSTEMS
03.2015 - 08.2022
Technical Lead
WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES
01.2011 - 12.2015
Lead Engineer
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
01.2008 - 12.2011
Design Engineer
MEDHA SERVO DRIVES PVT LTD
01.2006 - 12.2008
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics and Communication Engineering
Osmania University