Advice for aspiring builders: learn to code

This week on Defender Friday we are joined by Andrew Cook, CTO of Recon InfoSec, to talk about what it means to build a strong security team and why hiring builders is always a good bet.

As the CTO of Recon InfoSec, a leading provider of managed security operations, Andrew oversees the technical vision, strategy, and execution of their services and solutions. He has more than a decade of experience in threat hunting, digital forensics, network defense, and capability development.

Andrew's mission is to provide customers with the expertise they need to confidently and effectively respond to incidents, protect their organizations, and enhance their resilience. He has a proven track record of delivering high-quality results, leading and mentoring teams, and collaborating with partners across the industry and the government. Andrew is also a former Air Force officer, with national-level contributions and a passion for technical leadership.

Learn more at reconinfosec.com

Register for Live Sessions

Join us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.

Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridays

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!

Sponsored by LimaCharlie

This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.

Why LimaCharlie?

• Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.
• Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.
• Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.
• Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.
• Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.

Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.io

Learn more: https://docs.limacharlie.io/

Follow LimaCharlie

Sign up for free: https://limacharlie.io/

LinkedIn: / limacharlieio

X: https://x.com/limacharlieio

Community Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/

Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie