Ashis Mandal

About Ashis Mandal

Professional SummaryInnovative and results-driven Software Development Engineer and Technical Architect with deep hands-on expertise in networking, security, and cloud-scale infrastructure. Proven leader in designing and delivering scalable, reliable, and high-performance platforms, integrating advanced telemetry, data insights, and AI-driven automation. Skilled in host-based and ASIC-based datapath architecture, with extensive experience architecting low-latency, high-throughput systems on Linux.Recognized for driving platform evolution, fostering collaboration across geographies, and mentoring teams through complex technical challenges. Passionate about secure system design, continuous learning, and experimenting with next-generation, AI-enhanced cloud ecosystems. Adept at balancing innovation with pragmatic execution, ensuring solutions are robust, performant, and maintainable.Core CompetenciesNetworking & Security: Deep expertise in datapath design, IP stack, Ethernet, IPSec, SELinux, iptables, DPDK, secure data+control planes (VPNs, SSL/TLS, and OpenSSL), DMA, PCIe.Programming & Architecture: Expert in C, C++, Python, and shell scripting for scalable system and platform developmentAI and Automation: Advanced skill in using AI - writing agentic code, skills, vscode pluggins, coupling design ideas. Designed AI-driven automation for performance tuning, security posture optimization, and anomaly detection. Applied AI/ML-based telemetry for system optimization, health monitoring, and predictive analyticsSystem Engineering: Advanced skills in Linux kernel and system architecture, multi-threaded and distributed systems, inter-process communication, and protocol designPerformance & Reliability: Proficient in profiling, optimization, and debugging tools like tcpdump, gdb, valgrind, undo, with a focus on latency reduction and system diagnosticsHardware Interaction: Strong background in networking hardware (ASICs, NPUs, FPGAs), virtual switching (OVS), QoS, load balancing, and HA clustersCloud & Platform Evolution: Experienced in OpenStack, AWS, container networking (Docker, Kubernetes), SDN/NFV, and cloud-native software scaling (vertical & horizontal)Cross-Platform Expertise: Skilled in socket and kernel programming, routing, and driver optimization on both Windows and Linux platformsBreadth of Knowledge: Additional experience in Java, SQL, R, Scala, VHDL, and assembly, demonstrating adaptability and technical depth

Experience

1. Techlead Architect

   Palo Alto Networks

   Jan 2021 — Present

   Driving innovation in platform architecture, datapath engineering, and AI-enabled automation to deliver high‑performance, secure cloud infrastructure and security products. Led major product security initiatives, massively improving vulnerability remediation time and platform security, while architecting next‑gen firewall datapaths that doubled throughput and resiliency. Built AI‑driven telemetry and anomaly detection to enhance operational excellence and customer trust, and partnered closely across teams to solve complex kernel and hardware challenges. Owned Tier‑1 escalations for critical enterprise deployments and modernized core platform/networking-OS-infrastructure software, significantly boosting reliability and engineering

Education

• National Institute of Technology Durgapur

  Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering

Skills

• Embedded Linux
• Voip
• Routers
• Device Drivers
• Tcp/Ip
• Broadband Access
• System Architecture
• C
• Gpon
• C++
• Ospf
• Java
• Iptv
• Linux
• Software Development
• Fttx
• Snmp
• Ethernet
• Solaris
• Qos
• Perl
• Embedded Systems
• Software Design
• Switches