Aparna Achanta

Hello, I am Aparna Achanta

Lead Security Architect and Microsoft certified Dynamics 365(D365) and Power Platform developer with 10+ years of experience in architecting, implementing security controls, customizing, coding, deploying, testing, and training users on Federal Government applications built on D365 and Power Platform. *Have active Public Trust Security Clearance

Certifications

MB 600

Power Apps + Dynamics 365 CRM Solution Architect Expert

MB 300

Microsoft Power Platform + Dynamics 365 Core

MB 210

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales

PL 200

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate)

MB2 712

Microsoft Specialist: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Customization and Configuration, 2017

MB2 716

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customization and Configuration, Microsoft, 2018

MS 100

Microsoft 365 Identity and Services

Others

Certified Scrum Master, Scrum Alliance
Six Sigma White Belt Certification

Experince

Professional Experience

IBM

August 2023 to Present

Principal Security Architect

Security Lead for D365 and Power Platform Center of Excellence at Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Digital Transformation Center (DTC) responsible for governing security and compliance of critical applications used by Veterans.
Worked on improving security posture and defending VA applications against security risks by performing static and dynamic code analysis.
Guided VA development teams on best practices to implement role based RBACs and authentication.
Set guidelines to build secure applications within the VA Trusted Internet connection.
Started Architecture Review Board for D365 and Power Platform at VA to define security requirements, made recommendations for architecture and implementation of security policies for VA applications.
Lead for creating and implementing guidelines for governing GenAI for VA applications.
Created Data Loss Prevention policies and created guidelines for system architecture, security roles, connectors and system integrations that are possible VA network.
Implemented Vulnerability Scanning for Dynamics 365 application using Fortify and CodeQL to scan for code vulnerabilities as per OWASP and CVE and worked with development teams to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Built Automation Testing pipelines using LeapWork to find issues early in the development cycle.
Implemented Observability and Performance Monitoring using Dynatrace, Azure App Insights and Azure AI monitoring.
Set coding best practices for C# and JavaScript to prevent code vulnerabilities in VA applications.
Member of GenAI CoE at IBM that sets guidelines for governance of WatsonX and Microsoft CoPilot.
Lead security practices at VA by creating security roadmap.
Identified and reduced security risks in Dynamics 365 applications through threat modeling and following secure software development practices and NIST framework.
Mentored IBM employees and interviewed candidates.

ICF International

September 2017 to August 2023

Principal Security Architect

Lead application development teams in implementing several MS
Dynamics 365 and Power Platform applications at Center for Tobacco Products and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research that were used by 3000+ Food and Drug Administration users for mission critical tasks.
Developed, debugged, and deployed D365 C# plugins, complex workflows and JavaScript resources.
Configured Power Pages Portal and integrated Power Virtual Agent
Configured Dynamics CRM/365 Integrations with Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Skype, OneNote, DocuSign
Trained end users on D365 and Canvas apps applications.
Configured security model using owner teams, business units, security roles and field level security.
Built advanced Power Bi reports and trained end users on Power Bi reports and dashboards, used DAX for queries
Developed engagement and application adoption metrics plan for FDA applications to improve adoption.
Played a pivotal role in hiring by interviewing candidates and mentoring new hires.

US Department of Transport (USDOT)

May 2014 to August 2017

Software Developer (Contractor through Syneren Technologies and Versatech Inc.)

Developed critical applications for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at USDOT using Dynamics 365, C# and JavaScript that were used by 600+ NHTSA admins from 50 US States.
Worked with Information Security Officer to obtain Authority to Operate (ATO) for the USDOT cloud applications, prepared all security documentation like System Security Plan, Privacy Threshold Assessment.
Modernized legacy applications by streamlining processes that lead to improved efficiency.
Demonstrated superior communication skills with NHTSA CIO, CTO, and federal stakeholders in gathering requirements, demoing the application, debugging issues, and clarifying requests.

Education

Master of Science in Information Systems

G.P.A: 3.40 / 4.00

George Mason University

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science

G.P.A: 3.70 / 4.00

GITAM University

Honors and Awards

IBM

ICF International

(USDOT)

Aparna Achanta

The team and I have pioneered solutions that have significantly enhanced productivity and streamlined processes.