Naveen Kumar Birru

Distinguished Software Engineer

Distributed Systems | Cloud Computing | Security | AI

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Summary

Design-driven Distinguished Software Engineer with 18+ years of experience architecting, leading, and developing secure, reliable, and highly scalable distributed systems. Proven expertise in building mission-critical, cloud-native solutions combining advanced security, artificial intelligence, and high-performance networking. Strong track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering complex systems from conception to deployment.

Professional Experience

Distinguished Software Engineer

2023 - Present

Palo Alto Networks

  • Leading Precision AI architecture including App Acceleration, Security, DNS, and Edge Platform services
  • Architecting cloud-native, high-performance security solutions at global scale
  • Driving innovation in AI-driven threat detection and intelligent automation
  • Building mission-critical systems combining advanced security and artificial intelligence

Senior Principal Engineer / Engineering Manager

2020 - 2023

Salesforce

  • Led Einstein AI Activity Platform serving 28,000 customers and 400,000+ monthly active users
  • Managed team of 12 engineers across 60 microservices
  • Architected event streaming platform processing 100M+ events per day with Kafka and ELK stack
  • Designed and implemented AI-powered analytics and intelligent automation systems
  • Established engineering standards and conducted comprehensive code reviews to minimize technical debt

Principal Engineer

2014 - 2020

Thales E-Security

  • Architected distributed cloud solutions for enterprise key management and HSM monitoring
  • Designed and implemented Kubernetes-based microservices architecture
  • Built cloud-native security platforms with zero-trust architecture principles
  • Led migration to containerized infrastructure (Docker, Kubernetes) across multiple cloud providers
  • Implemented DevSecOps practices and automated compliance infrastructure

Senior Engineer

2011 - 2014

Cisco Systems

  • Designed FC-Redirect feature for storage virtualization in MDS and Nexus switches
  • Optimized high-performance networking systems handling 12,000+ flows
  • Architected message batching and async processing systems for distributed environments
  • Implemented data structure optimizations achieving significant performance improvements
  • Led platform migration to next-generation hardware (MDS 9250i, N7000, MDS 9700)

Software Engineer

2006 - 2009

Microsoft

  • Developed features for Bing Search Instant Answers team
  • Built scalable web services and APIs
  • Contributed to large-scale distributed search infrastructure

Technical Expertise

Distributed Systems

Microservices, Kubernetes, Cloud-Native Patterns, Fault Tolerance, High Availability

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS, GCP, Multi-Cloud, Edge Computing, Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Security

Key Management, HSM Integration, Zero-Trust Architectures, AI-Driven Threat Detection

AI & Machine Learning

AI Platforms, ML-Based Security Analytics, Intelligent Automation, LLM Integration

Networking & Storage

TCP/IP, BGP, Storage Virtualization (FC, FCoE, iSCSI), Network Performance Engineering

Big Data & Streaming

Kafka, ELK/EFK Stack, Spark, Real-Time Analytics (100M+ events/day)

Programming Languages

Go, Java, Python, Node.js, C/C++

Architecture & Design

System Design, Distributed Patterns, Performance Optimization, Scalability Engineering

Leadership & Impact

  • Team Leadership: Managed teams of 12+ engineers across multiple microservices and distributed systems projects
  • Technical Mentorship: Mentored dozens of engineers on system design, architecture patterns, and best practices
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Led initiatives across engineering, product, and business teams to align technical solutions with organizational goals
  • Code Quality: Established engineering standards and comprehensive code review processes
  • Innovation: Drove adoption of cloud-native technologies, microservices patterns, and AI/ML integration

Publications & Thought Leadership

  • Author of 200+ technical articles on distributed systems, cloud architecture, security, and AI
  • Deep technical insights on microservices architecture and containerization strategies
  • Expertise in building high-availability distributed systems at scale
  • Security best practices for cloud-native applications
  • Performance optimization for networking and storage systems
  • AI/ML integration in enterprise security platforms

Education

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science

2002 - 2006

JNTU, India

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