Fullstack Cybersecurity with Laravel. The Artisan of the Day Is Akhila Sreekumar.

When Akhila Sreekumar graduated with a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, software development wasn’t necessarily the obvious next step. But her career took a decisive turn when she joined the IT industry and landed on the PHP team.

Her very first task involved Laravel, and instead of feeling daunting, it immediately clicked. “From the start, it never felt difficult or intimidating; instead, it was both fun and exciting to work with,” she recalls.

That first experience turned into a long-term relationship with the framework. Over the years, she’s moved from India to Sweden, changed companies, and advanced her career, but, as Akhila puts it, “one thing has always stayed constant: Laravel has been with me every step of the way, growing and evolving alongside my career.”

Building Secure Digital Experiences with Laravel

Today, Akhila works as a Fullstack Developer at Nimblr Security Awareness, a cybersecurity company dedicated to helping organizations train employees to recognize and respond to threats like phishing.

On the backend, she uses Laravel to power phishing simulations, awareness campaigns, and reporting systems. On the frontend, she contributes to the admin portal where companies visualize dashboards, track interactions, and measure their teams’ security awareness over time.

What drives her is the end-to-end nature of her work, seeing an idea grow from backend logic to frontend functionality, and the real-world impact of making people and organizations safer online. “It’s especially rewarding knowing that what we build doesn’t just solve technical problems, but actually helps people and organizations become more secure in the real world.”

First Impressions That Last

Akhila discovered Laravel at the very start of her career. Her first project used the framework, and the experience left a strong impression: “The clean syntax and the way everything was structured just made sense, and it quickly became the framework I felt most comfortable with.” 

That smooth introduction gave her confidence as a new developer and set the tone for her growth, which is why she continues to use Laravel every day. It has grown alongside her career, from junior developer to fullstack engineer.

Go-To Stack

At Nimblr, Laravel powers critical parts of the application. “It powers the systems that send simulations, manage awareness campaigns, and generate reports that help organizations measure and improve their employees’ security awareness,” explains Akhila.

Her go-to tech stack includes:

• Backend: PHP, Laravel
• Databases: MariaDB, MySQL
• Frontend: Blade, with some ReactJS when needed
• Other Tools: Docker, Git

“This stack allows us to build scalable, reliable, and secure applications that support cybersecurity awareness programs worldwide.”

First Laravel Conference Experience

Akhila attended her first Laravel conference at Laravel Live DK 2025, after missing it the previous year. Immersing herself in the community, hearing talks, and connecting with other developers was a highlight. While she hasn’t spoken at a conference yet, it’s something she hopes to explore in the future.

“It was such a great experience to be surrounded by people who share the same passion for Laravel,” she says.

Advice for Developers

Akhila’s advice reflects her steady approach to growth:

• Stay curious and consistent. ”The tech world evolves quickly, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you try to learn everything at once.”
• Focus on steady progress. “Even small steps add up over time.”
• Don’t be afraid of challenges. “Every bug you fix and every feature you ship adds to your experience. Most importantly, enjoy the process of learning and building.”

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