Interview with Software Engineer, Vivek Basavegowda Ramu

Tell us about the business you represent, what is their vision & goals?

I represent the area of Healthcare and I work for a major healthcare provider in the USA. Our vision is to provide better healthcare and make it more affordable for everyone. We strive to leverage the latest technologies and innovations to improve the quality of care, enhance patient experiences and optimise healthcare operations.

Can you share a little bit about yourself and how you got into software engineering?

My journey into software engineering began with a fascination for technology and problem-solving. I was always intrigued by how computers work and how software can transform ideas into reality. I pursued my passion by obtaining a degree in IT and started my career as a software engineer. Over the years, I have gained experience and honed my skills by working for various Fortune 500 companies, exploring cutting-edge technologies and specialising in performance testing.

What does your day-to-day responsibilities look like at your organisation?

My day-to-day responsibilities involve designing and performance certifying software solutions that cater to the specific needs of our healthcare domain. I collaborate with cross-functional teams to analyse requirements, architect scalable systems, troubleshoot code and ensure the overall performance and reliability of our software applications. Additionally, I mentor junior engineers, conduct code reviews and stay updated with the latest industry trends.

What notable software engineering challenges have you overcome? What did you learn from these experiences?

Throughout my career, I have encountered several notable software engineering challenges. One such challenge was optimising the performance of a large-scale distributed system that processed real-time healthcare data. It involved conducting extensive load testing, identifying bottlenecks and implementing performance enhancements to achieve optimal system responsiveness. From this experience, I learned the importance of scalability, fault tolerance and efficient resource utilisation in building robust software solutions.

What inspires and energises you within your work?

What inspires and energises me within my work is the opportunity to make a positive impact on people's lives through technology. Knowing that my work contributes to improving healthcare outcomes and making it more accessible motivates me every day. Also, I find inspiration in the ever-evolving nature of software engineering, where new challenges and opportunities arise regularly, pushing me to learn and grow as a professional.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to start their computer science career?

To someone wishing to start their computer science career, I would advise them to develop a strong foundation in core computer science concepts. Focus on building a solid understanding of algorithms, data structures and software development principles. It's essential to practise hands-on coding, collaborate on open-source projects and continuously learn from the vast resources available online. Embrace challenges, seek mentorship and always stay curious and adaptable in the face of rapid technological advancements.

What are some of your favourite programming languages and emerging technologies that you are enjoying working with currently?

As a software engineer, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of programming languages and emerging technologies. Currently, I find myself enjoying working with Python. It offers powerful abstractions, excellent performance and extensive community support. In terms of emerging technologies, I'm particularly interested in cloud computing platforms like AWS and Azure, Microservices Architecture and Clustered Databases such as Apache Cassandra, which provide scalability and fault tolerance.

Is there anything specific to your industry that affects your role as a senior software engineer?

In the healthcare industry, there are specific factors that significantly influence the role of a senior software engineer. Compliance with healthcare regulations and security standards is of utmost importance. Ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of patient data requires a strong understanding of industry-specific security practices. Apart from that, healthcare organisations deal with complex systems and interoperability challenges, which demand robust software engineering practices to integrate various components and maintain data integrity.

How do you use log and metrics data to improve your workflow? Do you use a log management system or do you find manually parsing and filtering events to be enough to fit your business needs?

Log and metrics data play a crucial role in improving our workflow and ensuring the performance and stability of our systems. We utilise a log management system that enables centralised logging, real-time monitoring and analysis of system logs. This approach allows us to proactively identify and troubleshoot issues, optimise performance and gain insights into user behaviour and system usage patterns. Manual parsing and filtering of events can be time-consuming and prone to human error, so we rely on automated tools and intelligent log analysis techniques.

Can you tell us about any exciting projects or features that you are launching soon?

While I cannot disclose specific projects or features at this moment due to confidentiality, I can assure you that we have exciting initiatives in the pipeline. We are continuously working on enhancing our telehealth capabilities, improving interoperability with other healthcare systems and leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes. Stay tuned for future announcements as we strive to revolutionise healthcare through technology.

What book are you currently reading?

Currently I am reading my own authored book 'End-to-End Observability with Grafana' multiple times, it's my hardwork of over a year and it recently launched. The book details how we can leverage the full potential of the open source tool 'Grafana' for monitoring and observability.

If you enjoyed reading this article then you might be interested in learning more about BABOK or our Interview with Executive VP of Strategy, Shannon Walker next.