Aparna Achanta

Aparna Achanta is a seasoned security architect and leader at IBM Consulting with extensive experience driving mission-critical cybersecurity initiatives, particularly in federal agencies. She successfully implemented cybersecurity frameworks like zero trust and security by design for federal clients thereby strengthening the security posture and enhancing data protection and security standards across cloud applications. Her leadership resulted in the establishment of security review boards, secure development practices, vendor evaluations, threat modeling, vulnerability management, code scanning, observability and performance monitoring to ensure that software-as-a-service applications comply with stringent federal guidelines. Aparna specializes in securing emerging technologies in federal agencies, including low-code/no-code applications and generative AI applications. Aparna is a member of the Forbes Technology Council. She shares valuable insights on genAI security challenges, contributing to industry discourse. A passionate advocate for women in tech, Aparna is a founding member and speaker at the WomenTech Network, where she inspires and empowers over 140,000 women with talks on cybersecurity career growth. She also serves as an executive board member at Women in Cybersecurity Austin Chapter. Aparna was named to the list of 40 Under 40 in Cybersecurity by TopCyber News Magazine for her contributions to the cybersecurity community.