Why builders win with Andrew Cook
Join us for this week's Defender Fridays as we explore the builder mindset in cybersecurity with Andrew Cook, CTO at Recon InfoSec.
At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.
What We'll Discuss
In this episode, Andrew Cook shares insights on why hiring — and being — a builder is one of the most valuable things you can do in security, and how that mindset scales from individual contributors to entire organizations.
Key Topics:
- What defines a builder mindset and why it matters in security
- How Andrew's Air Force experience shaped his approach to building defensive cyber capability from scratch
- Why organizations should hire and empower builders rather than ticket-takers
- How to cultivate a builder culture at every level — individual, manager, and org-wide
- The role of AI and modern tooling in accelerating the builder mindset
About Our Guest
Andrew Cook is the CTO of Recon InfoSec, where he leads managed security operations, detection engineering, and security engineering. His background spans U.S. Air Force defensive cyber operations — including contributing to what was recognized as the nation's first defensive cyber weapon system — as well as red team and incident response work at Praetorian.
Connect with Andrew
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acook-cyber/
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
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Sponsored by LimaCharlie
This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, the Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW) — where AI agents operate security infrastructure using the same controls and authority as human analysts, with every action visible, governed, and auditable.
Why LimaCharlie?
- Eliminate vendor sprawl and tool complexity
- Deploy and scale effortlessly on native multi-tenant architecture
- Reduce costs with intelligent data routing and free 1-year retention
- Build custom solutions with 100+ security capabilities on-demand
- Accelerate response with agentic AI that acts directly within predefined workflows
Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.io
Learn more: https://docs.limacharlie.io
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Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder at LimaCharlie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximelb/
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