Suneetha Golla’s journey into cybersecurity began with a leap of curiosity and a willingness to learn. Originally from India, she earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering before moving to the United States to pursue a master’s in computer science at Western Kentucky University. Her early career started in programming, but while working at LifePoint Health, she was unexpectedly asked to support IT audit efforts. What began as “tag, you’re it” quickly grew into a passion for information security, leading her to pursue certifications and hands-on experience in IT security audits across HIPAA, PCI, SOC 2, FISMA, and more.
That blend of technical expertise and audit exposure and strong professional relationships positioned her to join Premise Health, where she has grown over the past nine years to become Director of Identity and Access Management (IAM). She now leads a team of analysts and engineers managing IAM operations, privileged access management, and access certification programs. Her work spans from maintaining IAM solutions and Active Directory to advancing Premise’s roadmap toward automation and emerging technologies like passwordless authentication. Along the way, she has become a trusted leader who has built credibility both within her department and across the broader organization.
Leadership in Action
For Suneetha, leadership has been as much about communication as it has about technology. Transitioning from manager to director required her to shift into a role where she not only manages projects but also communicates upward to senior leadership, aligning IAM initiatives with business goals and securing buy-in. “It’s a lot of communication across the board,” she explains. “You stay in touch with leaders, give them a glimpse of what’s going on in IAM, and seek opportunities to help them as well.”
She sees her role as equal parts strategist and advocate. By creating clear roadmaps, aligning her team’s priorities with organizational needs, and translating technical risks into business terms, she ensures IAM is viewed not as a cost center but as a critical enabler of security and compliance. This approach has helped elevate IAM from a behind-the-scenes function into a trusted partner across the business.
Current Focus and Challenges
Suneetha and her team are laser-focused on reducing manual processes and implementing automation to make IAM more efficient and proactive. Yet, like many in healthcare cybersecurity, she faces the challenge of ambitious goals with limited resources. “It’s the same team keeping up with the technology stack, doing operations, supporting organizational projects, and moving IAM initiatives forward,” she notes.
She views these challenges as opportunities to innovate. Her team finds ways to extract more value from existing tools, streamline workflows, and reallocate resources to focus on high-impact projects. This resourcefulness has not only strengthened IAM’s reputation within Premise but also positioned the team as resilient and adaptable in the face of constant change.
A “No Drama” Leadership Style
Describing her approach as “no drama,” Suneetha prioritizes clarity and collaboration. She believes in solving problems within the right security guardrails but lets her team contribute ideas and shape solutions. She emphasizes relationship-building across departments, which has been critical in establishing IAM’s credibility. Feedback, both giving and receiving, is another cornerstone of her leadership philosophy, helping her stay connected, adaptable, and ever evolving as a leader.
Her style with emphasis on empathy and emotional intelligence resonates because it creates space for trust. By empowering her team to take ownership of projects and decisions, she fosters an environment where people feel safe to learn, experiment, and grow. For Suneetha, leadership is not about micromanagement but about setting people up for success and providing cover when they need it most. This philosophy has contributed to strong team cohesion loyalty and talent retention.
Championing Diversity and Growth
As a woman in cybersecurity leadership, Suneetha is intentional about opening doors for others. She partners with HR to increase gender diversity on her team, advocates for qualified female candidates, and mentors women in the industry. She also participates, volunteers and serves in local cyber professional groups, strengthening her network and championing women in security leadership.
She is passionate about creating opportunities not just for her own advancement but for the next generation of security professionals. By mentoring students and early-career women, she helps demystify the industry and encourages them to see a future for themselves in cybersecurity. For her, progress in diversity is about more than numbers, it’s about fostering environments where women feel empowered to contribute fully, advance confidently, and see leaders who look like them.
Industry Perspectives & The Future of IAM
Suneetha has a keen eye on where identity and access management is headed. She sees automation, passwordless authentication, and continuous improvement in access governance as the next big steps for the field. These innovations promise not only to reduce risk but also to improve user experience, making security seamless rather than burdensome.
Looking ahead, she believes the future of IAM will be defined by adaptability. The increasing complexity of IT environments, coupled with evolving threats, demands security leaders who can anticipate change and respond quickly. For Suneetha, that means staying curious, staying connected to the industry, and continuing to invest in both her own learning and her team’s growth. She sees IAM not as a static function but as a constantly evolving discipline that will play a central role in healthcare security for years to come.
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