Hello Akhil! Shed some light on your life’s journey.
Hello everyone, I grew up in a small village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, a beautiful city in the southern part of India, where life was simple and close-knit. My childhood was filled with recollections of playing cricket with family and friends, spending long summer breaks with family, and stepping out to play in the grounds near my house. From an early age, I was fascinated by technology and always dreamed of a career in IT. I pursued a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, and eventually began my career in IT. That's my turning point.
Over the years, I gained extensive experience working across various roles and technologies. I spent 17+ years building my career in India before moving to the USA to explore new opportunities.
While I’m not a hardcore fan of any one thing, growing up, once I get time, I loved watching and playing cricket. Later, my interests expanded to football as well. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling to new places and trying different cuisines. I've already visited a few countries, and there's still more on my bucket list!
What is your professional background?
I still remember my first job. It was where I began my career as a Support Engineer, helping users troubleshoot software issues. That job did not last long, as I got the chance to transition into a team that was focused on implementing enterprise monitoring solutions. That is where my journey of observability and monitoring tools began.
I was dealing with various monitoring and event management tools like ITM, ITCM, TEC, etc., delivering solutions to varied internal and external customers from the beginning. Gradually, I gained expertise in tools like SCOM, Nagios, Grafana, Prometheus, LeuTek zis, with growing exposure across monitoring and event management suites. A relocation to the IT capital of India further created opportunities for me to work as a subject matter expert (SME) for Tivoli monitoring product suite. I attained a series of professional certifications along the way and was increasingly developing an interest in the monitoring space.
In 2011, I relocated to my hometown and started a long-term relationship with a German insurance company that provided me with ongoing possibilities to operate in the monitoring field. In about 2020, I got a chance to implement the APM tool Dynatrace, which instilled in me a keen interest in cutting-edge APM solutions. I obtained both Associate and Professional certifications in Dynatrace within a few months, and I've been dedicated to ongoing learning ever since.
Most recently, I've been moved to TEKsystems USA, where I am helping the team to step up Dynatrace APM solutions to their customers.
How does Dynatrace fit into the picture, and what was the biggest challenge Dynatrace helped you overcome?
I've worked with a lot of monitoring tools over the years, but Dynatrace really stood out for its speed, clarity, and depth. I've participated in numerous migration and onboarding projects involving various teams and client environments since I started working on Dynatrace implementations. In addition to improving my technical proficiency, these experiences have given me a deeper understanding of performance bottlenecks from an application and infrastructure standpoint.
The ability of Dynatrace to help teams transition from reactive troubleshooting to proactive optimization is one of my favorite aspects of working with it. I've personally witnessed how having access to real-time insights boosts the confidence of operations and development teams.
Not only is Dynatrace a monitoring tool, but it also helps us understand different application layers, how well an application is performing, and gain business insights. I'm learning the most recent technologies and use cases by reading Dynatrace blogs.
What makes Dynatrace Community important to you?
For me, being a member of the Dynatrace Community has been a genuinely fulfilling experience.
"Having worked in the monitoring field for many years, I have always held the view that learning is a never-ending journey, and the Community is crucial to that process. It's more than just a forum. It's a place where experts gather to exchange ideas, work through problems, and develop as a team."
I frequently find myself reading through conversations, taking notes, and learning from other members' shared real-world experiences. I've been able to learn more and keep up with the latest features, applications, and best practices thanks to it. I appreciate the collaborative spirit here. It's a wonderful way to give back, whether it's by investigating product ideas or assisting others in solving problems.
What is your biggest joy or passion in life?
I like to spend time with my family when I'm not working. I really treasure the time I spend with my two children, whether it's a fun day out or a peaceful evening at home. We frequently go shopping, see a movie, or visit new restaurants on weekends. I enjoy trying out different cuisines because I've always been a bit of a foodie. There aren't many photos of me posing for the camera because I'm actually a little photo-shy! I would rather enjoy the experience than stand in front of the camera.
Family time, delicious meals, and informal get-togethers are the small things that, in my opinion, contribute to finding the ideal balance between work and life.
🔹 Attend Perform 2026 and connect with industry professionals.
🔹 Plan a vacation to Barcelona, Sweden, Norway, and Dubai.
🔹 Learn and focus more on AI and Dynatrace integration.
🔹 Work toward new certifications in Dynatrace, Kubernetes (K8s), and OpenTelemetry (OTel)
What achievement are you most proud of?
I'm truly proud of being a parent of two kids. I also feel happy whenever I work on a POC and achieve the desired results.
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