Why Start LimaCharlie
The problem with the current cybersecurity vendor ecosystem
I recently had an enlightening chat with Tyler Shields, and a question I've often been asked came up: "Why did you start LimaCharlie?" Though I've always had an answer, only recently did I realize it's not just about "what tools did I wish I had", but also what we want to leave for the next generation.
As someone who's been in the security industry for a long time, starting in Intelligence, then Crowdstrike, Google, and Chronicle, I've seen history repeat itself. I've witnessed old solutions get rebranded as new and the same patterns keep repeating.
While some patterns are great, like new people learning about security and picking up the mission, others aren't as nice. Truthfully, they're patterns the security industry shouldn't be proud of.
So, when I think about my time in security and look to the future, I ask myself: What do I want the next generation of security professionals to live with? How do I want them to think about the challenges they're facing?
One answer is clear to me: I want them to live in a world where they're enabled by tools to create new solutions. I don't want them to feel like they're fire-fighting from one technology to the next, trusting on blind faith in an all-mighty vendor.
I refuse to let a future where security professionals have a "choice" between three vendors, each with their opaque walled gardens, claiming to stop breaches better than the next.
What I want for the future generation is simple and has been done elsewhere. What I want for them is not rocket science. We just haven't done it in security yet.
Throughout my career, I've wanted incredibly easy access to powerful tools that put me in the driver's seat, and now that I'm in a position to impact the future, that's what I want to the next generation.
Our cousins in the general tech world have had this for a while now — it's called a Cloud Provider. These Cloud Providers have opened up a world of powerful solutions, innovation, and velocity that the tech world could never have had if it had remained subservient to "boxed software" vendors. These Cloud Providers give tools ("primitives") to professionals, get out of the way and don't force their users into complex bundles. A Cloud Provider gives you the keys, you're not just a passenger.
A Cloud Provider for Cybersecurity might sound weird at first, but it makes so much sense that I haven't been able to shake it off since starting LimaCharlie.
That is why I started LimaCharlie. Every time I get tired at the end of the day, I think of that alternative future and refuse to let the next generation down.