Chhaya Gunawat has emerged as a leading figure in the tech industry, particularly in driving cloud adoption and transforming DevOps with AI. With 15 years of experience, she has carved her path in an industry where women are still underrepresented. Her journey, though filled with challenges, has been marked by resilience and an innovative spirit, making her a role model for many young women aspiring to break into the tech field.
Many may not know the humble beginnings of Miss Gunawat, now a known figure in DevOps and AI adoption for improving operational efficiency. Hailing from Sawai Madhopur, a small town in Rajasthan, she holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering from MBM Engineering College in Jodhpur, Chhaya's journey from this lesser-known region to the tech hub of California is truly commendable. This inspiring path showcases her grit and resilience as she navigates her way through challenges, proving that success has no boundaries, no matter where you begin.
She is a skilled DevOps technology leader who has gained extensive experience by working with industry giants such as Amazon, NetApp, VMware, and others. She excels in cloud infrastructure, automation, and engineering management.
Chhaya is always eager to share her insights on industry events and actively participates in technical journals and conferences, where she imparts valuable lessons from her experiences in high-pressure incidents. These experiences underscore the importance of maintaining system uptime and security. She emphasizes that balancing rapid innovation with system stability is one of the key challenges in DevOps today, a field that leaves no room for complacency. Additionally, she actively contributes to women-in-tech podcasts, sharing insightful technical feedback. Recently she appeared in tech strong Women EP38
As AI and machine learning (ML) become integral to various industries, the role of MLOps is rapidly expanding. With several years of experience in DevOps, cloud, and infrastructure management, Chhaya has worked extensively in both India and the U.S. Her expertise encompasses solving complex operational needs of organizations and staying ahead of upcoming transformations in industry systems. She continuously stays up-to-date with industry trends. Through her extensive experience, she has worked on reducing technical debt within organizations, optimizing costs through the addition of new developments, and modernizing CI/CD solutions, further highlighting her contributions to DevOps solutions on a global scale.
Miss Gunawat shared insights on this trend, discussing how MLOps is reshaping workflows and decision-making processes. She emphasized that integrating ML into DevOps requires a thoughtful approach to ensure that data pipelines and deployment cycles remain efficient, ultimately enhancing the customer experience. This new wave of technology demands both creativity and meticulous planning.
She recently presented her white paper at PlatCon Korea on "Mitigating Cloud Disruptions: An AI-Driven Approach to Proactively Assess and Resolve Impact on Customer Workflows," which received rave reviews, further solidifying her reputation in the tech world. Additionally, another of her papers on AI-Driven Green Testing, Optimizing Efficiency and Sustainability in Software Testing was accepted by the Journal of Information and Organizational Sciences (JIOS), showcasing her continued dedication to contributing valuable insights to the tech community. These achievements highlight her expertise and leadership, making her a respected figure globally.
Chhaya believes that women are uniquely equipped to succeed in DevOps. The skills needed in this fast-paced environment—multitasking, attention to detail, and collaborative problem-solving—are strengths that many women naturally possess. She emphasized that fostering inclusive work environments can lead to improved outcomes for both companies and society as a whole.
In addition to discussing technical challenges, she also shares her views on a crucial issue: financial literacy among women in tech. She encourages women to take control of their finances, emphasizing the importance of planning for the future. In her view, financial independence is essential for professional success and personal empowerment.
Chhaya believes that embracing failures is an essential part of growth, both in life and in DevOps. She asserts that failures facilitate learning and enable quick adaptation to change. She recounted her own experiences, where mistakes became stepping stones to success. In DevOps, the ability to bounce back from failure is just as crucial as technical expertise.
For women entering the tech field, Chhaya’s advice is clear: be persistent, stay curious, and never be afraid to ask questions. She believes that building a career in tech is not just about mastering tools, but also about learning to adapt, innovate, and grow with the ever-changing technology landscape.
Looking ahead, she envisions the future of DevOps as being intertwined with AI and automation. She noted that while automation will take over many manual tasks, the role of human creativity and problem-solving will remain irreplaceable. The focus will shift toward more strategic roles, where engineers will need to think critically about how systems can evolve.
Miss Gunawat continues to break barriers, not only in DevOps but also by inspiring the next generation of women to pursue leadership roles in tech. Through her journey, she has demonstrated that with the right mindset and support, women can excel in even the most demanding fields, such as DevOps.
