CloudHealth Technologies, a Boston-based startup founded in 2014, positioned itself as a go-to SaaS solution for providing insights into cost, performance, and security for AWS users. Recognizing the growing enterprise adoption of Microsoft Azure, the company sought to expand its analytics capabilities to this ecosystem.
Hina Gandhi, currently a Senior Software Engineer for Cisco Systems working in Enterprise software security products, began her career in the US after completing her Master’s from Northeastern University in 2017. During her Co-op, she joined CloudHealth (now acquired by VMware) as an intern and was one of the first few engineers in 2016. At the time, the company was still an early-stage Series A startup with a valuation of a few million dollars, positioning itself for growth in the cloud analytics space. She initially worked on automating deployment quality processes, significantly improving software release resilience. Her technical prowess led to her inclusion in the core team responsible for building CloudHealth’s Microsoft Azure offerings—an essential expansion that significantly increased CloudHealth’s revenue, captured new market share, and reinforced its position as a mature multi-cloud analytics platform. She worked on this project for the rest of her internship, and continued once she joined as a full time employee after finishing her final semester.
Under Hina’s technical leadership, CloudHealth Technologies achieved a market breakthrough with its Microsoft Azure expansion. The platform evolved to provide consolidated management across cost, usage, performance, and security for Azure and hybrid cloud users. Enterprises such as Bulletproof and Logicworks leveraged CloudHealth’s capabilities to enhance operational intelligence and maximize their return on investment.
A key feature introduced under Hina’s leadership was the management of Reserved Virtual Machine Instances, enabling customers to achieve up to 82% cost savings on compute expenses. This development positioned CloudHealth as a premier cloud governance and cost management solution in the Microsoft ecosystem.
The ambitious project processed over one million high-volume data jobs per minute while maintaining a 99.99% SLA, marking a significant breakthrough in cloud infrastructure management. Hina Gandhi’s innovative approach automated security and compliance processes that previously required extensive manual oversight.
Her sophisticated policy evaluation engine continuously monitored cloud resources, detected violations, and triggered automated remediation actions in real time. By moving from reactive monitoring to proactive governance, this transformation redefined enterprise cloud management.
The system featured custom algorithms for data aggregation and normalization, ensuring precise cost insights for enterprise customers. Hina’s expertise in parallel data processing, fault-tolerant design principles, and distributed caching facilitated efficient handling of massive data volumes. Additionally, the system’s security framework incorporated state-of-the-art encryption and compliance frameworks, ensuring seamless adherence to industry regulations such as GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO 27001.
Reflecting on her early career, Hina credits her experience at CloudHealth for shaping her approach to software engineering. “I was fortunate to have been an early engineer in a fast-paced environment. It taught me ownership, strategic thinking, and the importance of building impactful solutions in collaboration with stakeholders.”
Her work at CloudHealth propelled the company’s rapid growth, culminating in its acquisition by VMware for $500 million. This success validated the impact of her contributions, reinforcing the tangible business value created through her technical leadership. She has since advanced to her current role as a Senior Software Engineer at Cisco Systems, where she continues to drive innovation in enterprise software security.
Hina’s contributions to cloud governance and cost management serve as a blueprint for future engineers, showcasing how technical excellence and strategic vision can transform enterprise cloud management. Her journey underscores the power of innovative engineering in solving critical challenges while delivering measurable business value.
