Michelle Rudnicki
President, NetApp U.S. Public Sector, Inc
CIOs continue to prioritize infrastructure and application modernization to increase security, boost agility and enhance digital government. Under Michelle Rudnicki’s leadership, NetApp U.S. Public Sector expanded its offerings with new technologies, compliance and certifications to help customers build secure, future-ready data infrastructures that support their missions with advanced security, availability and capabilities.
“For example, Yale University is leveraging NetApp’s layered protection for defense-in-depth which has helped them to pro-actively detect threats and recover from viruses and ransomware anomalies in minutes,” Rudnicki said. “Additionally, in collaboration with a key systems integrator partner, we are supporting DHS with a hybrid, multi-cloud environment that spans on-premise, AWS and Azure to power critical workloads.”
NetApp is committed to growth and being the most strategic and supportive partner to the U.S. Public Sector, said Riccardo De Blasio, senior vice president of North America sales.
“Leveraging Michelle’s experience and leadership, NetApp maintains its focus on exceeding expectations for customers, going above and beyond to advance their missions,” he said.
Why Watch
NetApp is focused on two core government priorities: AI and cybersecurity. The company is investing strategically in technology partners and systems integrators to deliver holistic, forward-looking solutions.
Security remains critical in the data age, and Rudnicki’s team helps agencies strengthen their security posture with advanced, zero-trust data solutions designed to meet the highest government certifications, including NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified certification.
AI is a key focus for 2025. According to NetApp’s 2024 Data Complexity Report, 79% of global tech executives view unified data as essential for achieving top AI outcomes. Rudnicki’s team ensures agencies are AI-ready by modernizing data infrastructures through technology updates and partnerships with NVIDIA, Google, AWS and Microsoft. By simplifying operations at scale, Rudnicki’s team helps public sector organizations achieve their AI goals effectively.
“Accelerating digital transformation will continue to be a priority for government agencies in 2025,” Rudnicki said. “Whether it is to adapt to the priorities of the new administration or to continue to manage the demands brought on by enabling AI and defending against the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity threats, we know that our customers need partners that can help them to simplify their infrastructures, adopt cloud solutions, drive scalability, all while reducing their cost of operations. NetApp is proud to be one of these trusted partners, and I am proud to lead an amazing team to support our customers and their missions.”
Fun fact: Rudnicki is a national yoga competitor.