Employee Spotlight: Nilan Chaudhuri – How the Tabla and AppSec Collide

Welcome to Tromzo’s Employee Spotlight Series. Discover the unique talents and diverse backgrounds of our team members. In this first edition, we’re thrilled to feature Nilan Chaudhuri, Director of Business Development at Tromzo. Get ready to be inspired by the remarkable people that make Tromzo thrive!

Tell us a bit more about yourself and what you were doing before joining Tromzo. 

I’m Nilan Chaudhuri, a native to the Bay Area born and raised in Marin County and currently a resident of San Francisco. 

I’ve worked in Business Development, new partnerships, and solutions for the last decade.  Prior to joining Tromzo, I drove outbound business development and partnerships at Styra, a cloud-native authorization company. Since 2017, I’ve also worked as a faculty member at various music schools in the Bay Area teaching tabla and other percussion instruments. 

Now let’s talk about your music. When did you first start playing Tabla?

My first official tabla lesson was on my 5th birthday but I had exposure to Tabla drumming and a variety of musical genres since birth. My father is a world renowned Tabla performer and teacher (guru) so I was that baby in the audience at concerts who probably cried at times but for the most part was very attentive. 

For those who don’t know, can you share more about what Tabla is? 

The tabla are a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. One is a lower pitched bass drum, and the other is a higher octave treble pitched drum. Both drums are precisely tuned for intricate pitch bending techniques when played with the palms and fingers. Since the 18th century, Tabla has been the principal percussion instrument in South Asian classical music as both a solo and accompanying instrument. In addition to classical music, Tabla is commonly heard today in jazz, electronica, and a variety of contemporary genres worldwide. 

Security and Tabla, your two professions, have collided. At an upcoming RSA Conference party, you’ll be playing Tabla. How does it feel to see these two worlds collide? 

It’s awesome! My favorite part is probably how organically it’s seemed to all come together. Who knows, maybe there’s a chance that if I wasn’t working in security or attending RSAC, I’d get a call to perform at the event – just from being part of the local music community. The fact that I’m able to not only connect and learn from security leaders at RSAC, but also contribute to the musical ambiance is a unique opportunity that I’m looking forward to. 

Do you see any commonalities between Tabla and your work in security? 

Absolutely. As Tablaists and security practitioners we strive to keep our products and organizations secure. In AppSec we secure software and in music, the tabla player’s role is to secure the musical landscape by establishing the tempo, or pulse, to which melodies and songs are developed. 

What excites you most about Tabla? 

What excites me most about Tabla is that there’s always more to learn. Music and rhythm allow for infinite possibility; New ways to approach compositions, develop,  and improvise. 

What excites you about your work at Tromzo? 

Working at Tromzo has been exciting because there’s so much innovation happening. As a student of AppSec, I feel fortunate to be working with leaders who understand how to solve challenges security teams are facing. Learning from their stories and experiences has been enriching and I’m thrilled to be a part of the  journey. 

Details on Nilan’s performance: 

RSA Bollywood Party

Monday, April 24 · 4 – 10pm PDT

The San Francisco Mint 88 5th Street San Francisco, CA 94103

Get your tickets here.

Meet Nilan at Tromzo’s RSAC booth: 

Booth ESE-41