We ‘Go Phishing’ with Anisha Vaswani, EVP and Chief Information and Customer Officer at Extreme Networks
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
Having had a long, fulfilling career, I’d say there have been memorable achievements in each of the places I’ve been, but I think the recurring theme has always been building strong IT functions. At Box, we had this saying, ‘P-TAB’ or ‘Path to a Billion’, which shaped how we built systems and processes to help the company grow from $250 million to $1 billion in revenue. We had to ask ourselves: how do we double that? And then how do we double it again? As a success, building the organisational capacity, systems and processes to support that kind of growth was memorable for me.
Then at Toast, the journey to becoming a public company and the continued scale of growth is something I’m proud of too. In the short time I was there, Toast went from $1 billion to over $3 billion in revenue. That kind of rapid growth required IT functions that could support geographical expansions and market movements and adapt to changes quickly.
At both Box and Toast, our team had to support business strategies to drive growth by ensuring that systems like customer support, internal reporting, user access and security, and other critical functions were able to scale with us and support our success. But ultimately, the most memorable thing about these achievements is the team you get to build and the people you do it with.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
I stumbled across coding in a summer class as a teenager – and I loved it. I liked the process of software development and writing code, but as I started my career, what really hooked me was using technology to solve business problems. Starting out as a software developer in IT, I found the intersection of technology and business operations super interesting and still do to this day.
What I also love about a career in technology is that it’s never static. After 30 years in the field, the number of different waves of technology that I’ve seen come through is exhilarating. You’re always learning, always trying to figure out how to apply new technological advancements. When I started out, we built client server applications in-house. Then came the mobile, then the Cloud – both of which completely transformed how software was built and delivered. Now, of course, we have AI, but that constant evolution has always fascinated me and kept me engaged throughout my career.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
I focus heavily on understanding our overarching business goals and identifying what will truly move the needle. That involves staying closely aligned with our sales and marketing priorities, knowing how we can best support our customers, and defining what success looks like across the supply chain.
From there, I lead with what I call the three Es: Empathy, Empowerment, and Execution. In a CIO role, you’re supporting so many different functions. The systems we implement can either simplify or complicate their work, so empathy is critical – it helps me understand their experience and how we can make it better.
Next is empowerment. I believe in hiring people that are smarter than me and enabling them to do their best work by removing obstacles and fostering an environment where they can thrive.
Finally, execution. Great ideas and conversations are important, but successful execution is what delivers a real impact for the business.
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the networking space?
Right now, one of the biggest talking points is convergence – particularly the convergence of networking, security, and AI. This convergence is necessary for any organisation looking to leverage AI tools to drive productivity, because those tools rely on data that isn’t siloed, along with clear governance policies, are a requirement for enabling AI to live up to its efficiency-driving potential.
This continued convergence is completely changing the IT industry. Instead of siloed solutions, there is a massive demand for comprehensive platforms that bring together network management, security, analytics, and automation in one place. IT teams want a single source of truth and control. They want to be able to automate routine network tasks, get instant recommendations on how to troubleshoot an issue based on their specific environment, and manage the entire network – users, devices, and applications from the data centre to the edge – in a single dashboard.
With a unified platform, organisations gain end-to-end visibility, tighter security through integrated policies, and the ability to respond faster to business needs, all while reducing operational complexity and cost. It’s not just a trend; it’s a strategic shift in how networks are being built, operated, and secured.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
Exercise is a big outlet for me – it’s a great way to clear my head and reset. It might sound obvious, but I also find it incredibly important to spend quality time with family and friends. Work can easily become all-consuming, so carving out time for the people who matter most helps me stay grounded and maintain perspective.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
Digital transformation remains a major focus across both front-office and back-office functions. But like many other industries, we’re seeing a significant surge in AI investment. AI is increasingly being recognised for its potential to drive real business outcomes, whether through cost optimisation, unlocking new revenue streams, or solving complex challenges that previously felt out of reach.
What’s interesting is the shift in mindset. Many IT leaders are moving beyond the experimentation phase, from “this is fun” to “how do we make this deliver real value?” That evolution is something I’m particularly focused on at Extreme Networks, to get everybody thinking about AI as a meaningful contributor rather than just a fun concept.
What are the challenges you encounter in your global role?
Extreme Networks is a global company operating in many different countries, so the challenge is always being mindful and deliberate about keeping the global team engaged and aligned. In a distributed environment, it’s very easy for people to get out of alignment, but we adopt a ‘flex first’ philosophy, which means we’re always deliberate in making sure our global teams are engaged and supported, so that things like global data compliance and customer priorities are always considered.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the coming months?
I think a lot of CIOs can relate to the fact that there’s a growing pressure to deliver on the promise of AI driving positive business outcomes.
AI is often portrayed as a transformative solution that can unlock possibilities that were previously out of reach. Whether it be through improving productivity or creating entirely new revenue streams, it has led to a cultural shift in the way we do business.
But realising AI’s full potential requires a cultural shift in the broader workforce, which CIOs now need to help cultivate. Alongside technology updates, CIOs now have to think about how to foster adoption, build AI literacy, and ensure employees can work effectively alongside AI, which has become an interesting new facet to the role.
