According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, companies that implement integrated systems have 30% higher operational efficiency and 25% lower costs. So, the importance of seamless integration in software development cannot be overlooked, especially in today’s technology-driven world, where there is a new innovation every other day.
At the forefront of this seamless integration in software development is Asha Seshagiri. She holds a bachelor’s degree in information science and previously worked at Visa and IBM before assuming the position of software development engineer at American travel technology company Expedia Group.
Asha’s story is not limited to tech enthusiasts or industry insiders. It’s a story for anyone who wants to know how one woman’s diligence and creativity dramatically turned around an entire industry and beyond. Her numerous contributions in integrating complex systems have streamlined operations for companies across the globe, making everyday life better for millions of people. Irrespective of whether one is a professional in search of inspiration, an entrepreneur striving for operational excellence, or a layperson eager to know more about the individuals behind technological progress, her story is a treasure trove of lessons and ideas that are relevant across a host of career fields and domains.
Asha’s path from a budding engineer to a key player in the world of software engineering is one that underlines her commitment to the principle of integration. Her training started right from her college days, during which she did a bachelor of engineering in information science. This academic success was the springboard for her entry into the field of software engineering. In the subsequent 12 years, she would gain a wealth of working experience in Java/JEE application development, microservices, and cloud-native technologies. During this period, she was developing into a competent engineer who could handle multidisciplinary problems with more emphasis on system integration.
At Expedia Group, a leading global travel technology company, Asha’s role as the Identity Team’s technical lead embodies her commitment to seamless integration. The platforms she has worked on, such as One Identity and One Key, perfectly suit her innate talent for unifying different elements to achieve a cohesive whole. Through her initiatives, users could log in with the same credentials across multiple Expedia brands. These efforts helped in consolidating over 300 million user data profiles into a single identity platform, significantly improving user login experiences, and streamlining partner access. This involved not just technological expertise but also a deep understanding of the needs of the users and the objectives of the business, which points out her ability to unify multiple perspectives into one solution. “Expedia Group spans over 20 brands, 200 travel sites, and 70 countries, providing over 3 million properties, 220 activities, 500 airlines, cruises, and thousands of car rentals,” Asha says. “So, it’s necessary to build unique identity solutions that could be used across several brands, as well as traveler and partner sites. In the travel and hospitality industry, the concept of One Identity is crucial for delivering personalized experiences, maintaining security, and streamlining operations.”
Apart from One Identity, Asha also played another crucial role in the development of One Key, helping users view or consolidate their rewards points, which in turn enhanced the user’s experience and loyalty towards the brand. “One Key is a loyalty program that allows you to earn and redeem rewards across travel brands. It consolidates rewards points, and these rewards points can be used across multiple Expedia brands,” she explains. “With the launch of One Key, Expedia Group gives millions of travelers more access to savings, rewards, and perks. The program is designed to benefit every traveler, and One Key members instantly save with access to compelling member prices on select flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals, and activities. This enables travelers to do more travel, thus contributing to the U.S. economy.” By improving the customer’s ability to use their reward points, the company becomes very popular among users since they can now engage more deeply with the Expedia ecosystem. Note, however, that One Identity is a prerequisite for One Identity to work. It’s integrated into One Identity to enable users to enroll in the loyalty program.
Asha’s work on security solutions is another tangible example of her ability to seamlessly introduce advanced measures into existing infrastructure. Her significant role in identity and access management, key management systems, and hardware security modules (HSMs) can be perceived as the most critical components in the present digital environment, with data breaches and cyber threats always around. Integrating these security measures into the broader IT ecosystem without causing any disturbance to the business is now a well-protected practice. In her work, she always ensures that security is an integral part of the infrastructure instead of an afterthought.
The importance of Asha’s contributions to security becomes evident when we realize the enormous advances in nasty cyberattacks. She has helped many organizations build robust security frameworks that can easily merge with legacy systems, effectively protecting the organization’s most essential assets. Through her work, she has enhanced the defenses of a great number of enterprises, a move that not only eases the pressure on sensitive data but also enables the companies to do business free from the looming threat of cyberattacks. In a world deeply dependent on digital security, her work and activities have not only been a foundation of trust and reliability that sustain contemporary IT infrastructures but also a fortress of defense against any possible cyber threat.
Before her time at Expedia, Asha was the one who made the most important changes at Visa Inc. as a senior software engineer. She worked on the CyberSource Payments API and gateway development, which made it possible for merchants to easily process and automate payments anywhere in the world. CyberSource is a payment management platform designed for the commerce industry. It enables merchants, retailers, and users to streamline and automate payment operations across multiple channels; accept payments worldwide online, in person, through different payment types, and through mobile in international currencies. It safeguards sensitive payment card data in secure Visa data centers that are accessible worldwide, Asha says. “CyberSource has an active uptime of 99.9%, which helps ensure business continuity and fewer interruptions to essential services. It can process 1,200 transactions per second and 14.3 billion transactions per year,” according to Asha. “Today, it is used by more than 9,000 companies worldwide, including Oracle, Comcast, and Marriot University of Massachusetts.” Hence, her work did not only enable merchants to transact seamlessly, but she was also renowned for integrating complex processes into the system to improve efficient operation. In the world of payments, where high speed and fast processing are inevitable, her ability to create seamless integrations is what made sure transactions operated smoothly, safely, and efficiently.
The impact of Asha’s contributions at Visa also extends to the global economy. Processing digital transactions efficiently and reliably is one of the biggest contributions she made when she enhanced the CyberSource Payments API and gateway. This has far-reaching implications for businesses and consumers alike, as seamless payment processing is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and driving e-commerce growth. Her input has facilitated billions of dollars in transactions, which in turn has supported the growth of numerous businesses and enabled consumers to enjoy hassle-free shopping experiences. “CyberSource is a leading payment gateway provider with an annual volume of $623 billion in transactions,” Asha explains. “It has over 200 gateways and supports over 190 countries and territories around the world. It deals with multiple currencies and payment types, which makes it an ideal choice for international businesses.”
Asha’s expertise does not stop at Expedia and Visa. While at IBM, an American multinational technology company, she came up with the Cloud Cost and Asset Management (CAM) project, a governance tool that encourages IT leaders to get real-time visibility into all cloud and traditional IT assets, the costs, and the use of resources. This tool helps organizations handle their cloud resources more productively, which, in turn, decreases costs and leads to better management of IT budgets. Asha’s knack for seamless integration prevails here too. She found an easy way to merge cloud technology with traditional IT management methods and develop a tool that bridges the gap between old and new, through which organizations can move to the cloud easily.
The impact of the CAM product on businesses is crucial. With its feature of giving a full view of assets both in the cloud and on premises, CAM gives organizations an opportunity to properly manage their IT spend, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and strategically. “The application enables users to identify and analyze assets and costs, spending and allocation, and underused resources,” Asha says. “This enables IT departments to be efficient and be able to save enormous amounts of money that can be routed to other key IT or cloud projects.” The level of transparency and the capability to manage cloud expenses are essential requirements in a world where moving to the cloud is ubiquitous, but cost management still remains a problem. Through CAM, Asha has made a significant contribution in helping businesses face their earlier uncertainties in cloud migration with confidence and, consequently, be in a position to make the best use of cloud capabilities with the least possible costs.
Nonetheless, Asha’s road has been dotted with many obstacles. The rapid technological changes and the constant evolution of skills and knowledge were among her major challenges. However, she never gave up due to her unwavering drive, passion, and goal-oriented approach, which played a significant role in her success. By setting short-term and long-term goals, she confronted and surmounted these challenges, growing professionally and producing innovative projects. The story of her success derives from her perseverance and consistent learning; thus, she stands as a shining example of the importance of staying current and flexible in a field that is constantly changing.
Looking into the future, Asha is determined to grow further in technology by joining the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys). The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the largest professional organization for technical professionals in the world with the aim and mission of fostering technology for the betterment of the world. It has 400,000 members in over 160 countries and is recognized for its influential publications, conferences, and standardization in technology and engineering disciplines. The IEEE membership is a prestigious one because it offers recognition from a community of professionals, access to research articles and networking and development opportunities, as well as helps in polishing up a professional career in the tech field. Therefore, her membership of these prestigious groups will permit her to team up with similar professionals and accelerate successful developments and security in the tech industry. She is sure to work on more flawless integrations in the future, and it will require her to pull together various technologies and ideas in a creative way to offer new solutions.
In conclusion, Asha Seshagiri’s career embodies the concept of seamless integration, starting from her beginnings as a budding engineer and culminating in her current job at Expedia Group. Her ability to merge different technologies into logical and efficient solutions has given her the grace to be an extraordinary person in the world of software development. As the digital world is evolving, her efforts will indeed be an intrinsic part of the problem-free, well-secured, and efficient integration of new technologies. Her story evokes the feeling of a thrilling adventure where, through hard work, abilities, and a clear vision, one can become a master of integration, which will ultimately have a lasting impact in the tech industry.
