IBM Fellows

Sridhar Muppidi

CTO, Cloud Security, Identity & Access Management
IBM Security
Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Osmania University
Master of Science, Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University
Ph.D., Computer Science, Texas A&M University

Sridhar, an IBM Master Inventor, has played a key role in digital ID transformation projects worldwide.

What are you most proud of?

I’m thrilled to be an inventor and to have been given a chance to innovate at IBM. My contributions in the security space have provided customers across several different industries with innovative solutions to everyday problems and have made the world that we live in ever more secure. I’m very proud that I’ll leave a legacy through my contributions.

Current project that excites you most?

I am very excited to work on a concept called decentralized identity. The idea is to give the end user more control of how their digital information is used. This will help reduce both identity fraud and how many passwords one needs, make the user experience seamless and ensure that people have control over what information is sent to different websites.

Technologies like blockchain have triggered a wave of innovation, opening a path toward decentralized identity and evolving federated and mobile identity models to a new level that’s more aligned with privacy-by-design principles.

What’s your passion project?

About five years ago, my brother in India and I started working on a novel concept of a green energy dairy farm. The farm is already fully functional on biogas and we have big ideas for the future. I am very passionate about this project since it gives me an opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference.

Advice for tackling tough problems?

There is no “one size fits all” approach — but there are a few things to consider. Instead of fighting the problem, accept it and spend your time and energy finding a solution. Break the problem down into smaller pieces if possible. This may not solve the whole problem immediately but it can get you started and moving in the right direction. Seek advice from subject matter experts and from others who were in similar situations. Finally, there’s always an opportunity or lesson within a problem — make sure you find it!

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