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Kiran Srinivasan
Technical Director at NetApp
Professional Background
Kiran Srinivasan is an accomplished technology leader renowned for his passion for innovation and a deep understanding of product development processes. Across his impressive career, Kiran has made substantial contributions at various stages of product evolution, demonstrating that his driving motivation lies in fostering creativity and solving complex challenges. His extensive experience spans startups to large enterprises, showcasing his adaptability and strategic insight in diverse environments.
Kiran's journey began in early-stage startups such as Scale Eight Inc. and ONStor Inc., where he played pivotal roles in transforming initial ideas into market-ready products. Joining both companies when there were no existing products or code, Kiran took on multiple responsibilities, ranging from technical lead to customer liaison. This multifaceted role not only provided him with profound insights into the startup ecosystem but also helped him understand the key elements that lead to a startup's success.
Currently, Kiran holds the position of Technical Director at NetApp, where he leads initiatives within the Advanced Technology Group. His responsibilities include conducting in-depth research, prototyping innovative solutions, and evangelizing new technologies within the organization. This role allows Kiran to effectively bring disruptive products to life, and he has adeptly navigated various topics and technologies to enhance his expertise with each project.
Education and Achievements
Kiran's academic background laid a solid foundation for his thriving career in technology. He earned his Master of Science degree from Rutgers University, where he honed his analytical skills and technical knowledge. Prior to that, he completed his Bachelor of Engineering at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, a prestigious institution known for its rigorous engineering programs. Kiran also attended the National College in Basavanagudi, which contributed to his diverse educational experience.
Throughout his career at NetApp, Kiran has led numerous significant projects that showcase his technical prowess and innovative mindset. He played an instrumental role in building the first NetApp Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) product, ONTAP-Edge, and later made the VSA hypervisor-agnostic, significantly enhancing its flexibility and usability across platforms, including VMware, Xen, and Hyper-V.
Following this success, Kiran shifted his focus to an entirely different domain – file systems – where he developed a fully functional inline deduplication engine known as iDedup, specifically designed for latency-sensitive primary workloads. This project not only showcased his versatility but also reinforced his capability to tackle complex technical challenges across varying domains.
Kiran's pursuit of knowledge and innovation led him to explore big data analytics and machine learning techniques to improve enterprise file systems design. His research in this area culminated in a technical paper presented at the Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP), contributing valuable insights to the industry. Currently, he is concentrating on leveraging cloud storage solutions for enterprises, with a particular focus on cloud gateways, ensuring that organizations can maximize the benefits of cloud computing.
Achievements
Some of Kiran's most notable achievements include:
- Development of ONTAP-Edge: As Key contributor to the creation of NetApp’s first Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA), Kiran solidified his reputation as a leader in product innovation.
- Hypervisor-Agnostic VSA: His work to make VSA functions universal across prominent hypervisors has facilitated greater adoption and application of NetApp's technology in various environments.
- iDedup Engine Creation: Kiran successfully designed an inline deduplication engine tailored for performance-critical workloads, showcasing his ability to blend functionality with efficiency.
- Published Research: His paper on leveraging machine learning for enterprise file system design has been recognized within the technical community, confirming his position as a thought leader in the technology space.
- Multiple Functional Roles: By mastering various roles from technical leadership to customer engagement, Kiran has developed a comprehensive view of the technological landscape, driving product strategies that align with market needs.
- Guiding Innovation at NetApp: As Technical Director, Kiran is instrumental in shaping the future of cloud storage within enterprises, enhancing productivity and offering innovative solutions for diverse business requirements.
Kiran Srinivasan's career illustrates a passionate commitment to exploring and pioneering innovation in technology. His ability to connect research and development from ideation to implementation showcases his extraordinary skills as a Technical Director. With a robust educational background and a rich history of substantial contributions across leading technology firms, Kiran continues to leave a lasting impact on the industry, influencing future generations of innovators.
