Pioneering Enterprise Architecture: Rohan Prasad’s Journey Through Digital Innovation

With 17 years of transformative experience in enterprise architecture and software development, Rohan Prasad has established himself as a visionary leader in building scalable, distributed systems. From revolutionizing cryptocurrency transactions at Coinme to implementing IoT solutions at Dell Technologies, his career exemplifies the evolution of modern enterprise architecture. His expertise in managing agile teams while personally delivering complex software systems has consistently resulted in significant performance improvements and technological advancement across diverse industries.
Q1: How has your approach to enterprise architecture evolved over your 17-year career?
A: My journey in enterprise architecture has been shaped by the rapid evolution of technology and changing business needs. Starting as a junior developer at Satyam Computers, I learned the fundamentals of building robust systems. This foundation proved invaluable as I progressed through roles at organizations like Starwood Hotels and State Street Corporation. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on maintaining a balance between innovation and stability while continuously adapting to new technologies and methodologies.
Q2: Could you elaborate on your experience transforming monolithic systems to microservices?
A: The transformation from monolithic to microservices architecture has been a significant focus throughout my career. At Cerebral Inc., I led a culture-changing initiative to break down monolithic codebases into microservices and event-driven systems. Similarly, at Coinme, we re-architected the entire platform to handle an 80% increase in traffic, reaching approximately 1 million requests per minute. The key was not just the technical transformation but also ensuring team alignment and maintaining system reliability throughout the process. This involved careful planning, phased implementation, and robust monitoring systems.
Q3: What role has data analytics played in your architectural decisions?
A: Data analytics has been crucial in driving architectural decisions and business outcomes. At Coinme, I developed and integrated comprehensive data analytics capabilities, building a data warehouse team from the ground up. We implemented PowerBI reporting solutions that provided crucial insights for business and finance teams. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on improving data pipeline efficiency through the implementation of Data Lake and streaming processes, enabling more sophisticated analytics and AI models for forecasting and marketing strategies.
Q4: How do you approach security in distributed systems?
A: Security has been a fundamental consideration in every system I’ve designed. My experience at financial institutions like Fidelity Investments and State Street Corporation taught me the importance of robust security architectures. At Coinme, I implemented secure transaction systems utilizing blockchain technologies like Ethereum and Hyperledger. The approach involves multiple layers of security, from authentication using platforms like Okta and Auth0 to secure API design and comprehensive monitoring systems. It’s crucial to balance security requirements with system performance and user experience.
Q5: What strategies do you employ for managing large-scale cloud infrastructure?
A: Cloud infrastructure management requires a comprehensive approach combining automation and scalability. At Coinme, I improved infrastructure performance by transitioning from EC2-based Kubernetes to EKS and implementing terraform for multi-cloud, multi-environment management. The key is implementing infrastructure as code, automated deployment pipelines, and robust monitoring solutions.
Q6: How do you handle performance optimization in high-traffic systems?
A: Performance optimization has been a critical focus throughout my career. At Cerebral, I redesigned the core website to achieve a 20% performance improvement while enabling A/B testing capabilities. This involved comprehensive analysis of system bottlenecks, implementation of caching strategies, and optimization of database queries. The experience at Coinme, handling millions of requests per minute, taught me the importance of scalable architecture and efficient resource utilization. The key is continuous monitoring and proactive optimization rather than reactive problem-solving.
Q7: What’s your approach to team leadership and mentorship?
A: Leadership and mentorship are fundamental to successful technology organizations. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on fostering a culture of ownership, learning, and engineering efficiency. This involves regular knowledge-sharing sessions, code reviews, and architectural discussions. At Cerebral, I mentored software engineers across the technology department, emphasizing the importance of design patterns and industry best practices. The goal is to build self-sufficient teams that can innovate while maintaining high-quality standards.
Q8: How do you manage the integration of emerging technologies?
A: Integrating emerging technologies requires careful evaluation and strategic implementation. At Dell Technologies, I designed and implemented IoT solutions using MQTT and HiveMQ, demonstrating the importance of selecting appropriate technologies for specific use cases. Recently, I’ve expanded my expertise to blockchain and Web3 technologies, particularly in implementing cryptocurrency payment systems using the Lightning Network for faster transactions and smart contracts for automated compliance. My approach involves thorough evaluation of new technologies through proof-of-concept testing, risk assessment (particularly regarding security and regulatory compliance), gradual implementation with continuous monitoring, integration with existing systems while ensuring data integrity, and performance optimization using tools like Redis for caching crypto transactions. For example, when implementing a new crypto payment gateway, I established a testing environment to validate transaction processing, security protocols, and integration with existing payment systems before rolling out to production. This methodical approach helped maintain system stability while introducing innovative features. Throughout each integration project, I emphasize the importance of balancing innovation with reliability, ensuring that new technologies enhance rather than disrupt existing operations while meeting all security and compliance requirements.
Q9: What’s your philosophy on system reliability and disaster recovery?
A: System reliability and disaster recovery have been critical aspects of my work. At Dell Technologies, I implemented an SOS solution for remote appliances to switch over to different data centers during outages. This experience influenced my approach to building resilient systems at Coinme. The key is implementing robust monitoring, automated failover mechanisms, and regular disaster recovery testing. It’s not just about having backup systems, but ensuring they can be activated quickly and reliably when needed.
Q10: Where do you see enterprise architecture evolving in the coming years?
A: The future of enterprise architecture will be increasingly shaped by AI/ML capabilities, edge computing, and more sophisticated cloud-native solutions. I anticipate greater emphasis on real-time processing, advanced analytics, and automated decision-making systems. The challenge will be integrating these capabilities while maintaining system reliability and security. Organizations will need to become more adaptable, implementing architectures that can quickly evolve with changing business needs and technological advances.
About Rohan Prasad
Rohan Prasad is an accomplished enterprise architect with 17 years of expertise in building and scaling complex software systems. His career spans multiple industries, from financial services to healthcare technology, where he has consistently delivered innovative solutions that drive significant business value. With a strong foundation in software development and a proven track record of leading technological transformations, Rohan combines deep technical knowledge with strategic business acumen. His work has resulted in numerous successful implementations, including significant improvements in data pipeline efficiency and handling millions of transactions per minute in distributed systems. A graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Rohan continues to push the boundaries of enterprise architecture while nurturing the next generation of technology leaders.
First Published: 08 November, 2022