Mike Palitto
Principal Security Architect · CISSP · CCSP
Technologist.
Cybersecurity Architect.
Agentic AI Builder.
30+ years building things that matter — from startups to Microsoft to AI.
Who I Am
About.
As a Principal Cybersecurity Architect at Microsoft, I empower the world's leading Managed Security Services Providers and System Integrators to build next-generation Security Operations capabilities powered by AI and automation. With 25+ years managing enterprise IT infrastructure and 17+ years as a dedicated information security specialist, I bring the unique combination of deep technical expertise, hands-on T1–T3 SOC experience, and executive communication skills.
I am a builder and thought leader who translates complex security architecture into partner success. My work spans Fortune 500 enterprises, mid-market businesses, and public sector organizations.
“Where you find pain for the customer and the company, that is where you have the biggest opportunity to make an impact for the good of both.”
Operating Principles
Get it done
Working beats perfect.
Learn by trying
Hands-on experimentation is the path.
Figure it out together
The reader is a collaborator.
30+
Years in IT
17+
Years in Cybersecurity
15
Years as Entrepreneur
Yr 2
Promoted to Principal
Beyond the keyboard
- Based in Kansas City metro
- Married to Katie, father of five
- Co-founder, Finding Adam Finding Eve ministry
- Avid road cyclist — raced competitively, Zwift in winter
- Hiking, fly fishing, portfolio management
“Focus on what you are good at and always keep your technical skills sharp.”
30+ Years
Career.
Principal Security Architect — Field & Partners Centers of Excellence
Feb 2024 – Present · Remote
- Led partner-facing v-team for all three Sentinel Data Lake & Graph product launches (FY26)
- Founded Sentinel Training Scholarship Program — 100+ partners enrolled, 80+ attendees
- Built web app prototypes for Sentinel Engineering and Security GTM
- Authored/co-authored 14+ partner guidance documents
Principal Security Architect — Cloud Solutions (SLG)
May 2021 – Feb 2024 · Kansas City
- Contributed to $100M of ACR over 3 years
- Promoted to Principal (Level 65) in second year
- Created MSTAT risk scoring solution
- Designed StateSecure "Nowhere to Hide" unified SIEM+XDR+CWPP solution
Co-Founder & CIO
Jan 2017 – Present · Kansas City, MO
- Solo-architected production SaaS platform with hundreds of active users
- Built multi-agent AI content pipeline — 634+ content files
- Deployed full-stack Next.js website in 2 weeks (37 routes, 11 API endpoints)
Senior Cybersecurity Architect & Engineer
Apr 2018 – May 2021 · Kansas City, MO
- Architected security solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-market clients
- Designed unified detection and response across multi-vendor security tools
- Trusted technical advisor to C-suite executives
Cybersecurity Architect
Aug 2015 – Apr 2018 · Kansas City, MO
- Specialized in rapid detection, threat hunting, and ML-driven alert triage
- SOC Trainer — helped build Managed Detection and Response practice
Security Architect
Aug 2013 – Jul 2015 · Overland Park, KS
- Deployed layered defense-in-depth for highest-risk, highest-value security spaces
Security Tech Ops & Network Engineer
Oct 2011 – Aug 2013 · Overland Park, KS
- Managed Cisco and Palo Alto firewalls across large international enterprise
Vice President & Product Manager
2002 – 2009 · Overland Park, KS
- $2M+ in sales through technical product demonstrations
- Hired and trained staff of 27 employees
- Evolved mobile marketing platform into online media monitoring application
Vice President & Founding Partner
1994 – 2002 · Kansas City, MO
- Led company growth from 0 to 250 employees across the United States
What I Work With
Skills.
Certifications
Certified Information Systems Security Professional
Certified Cloud Security Professional
Microsoft Azure Security Global Hackathon 2021
Core Stack
Languages
TypeScript, Python 3.11, JavaScript, SQL, Bash, KQL
AI/ML
Claude (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku), Together AI, OpenAI, Weaviate
Security
Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra, Purview, Security Copilot
Infra
Railway, Cloudflare, Docker, Azure
What I've Built
Projects.
Game of Love Platform
Live, revenue-generatingSolo Architect & Developer · 12 months
Solo-architected, production AI-augmented SaaS platform with multi-agent orchestration, RAG-grounded psychometric assessments, and gamified Catholic formation — live with hundreds of users and generating revenue.
140+
API Endpoints
58+
DB Models
100+
Components
13K+
RAG Chunks
24
AI Templates
1
Team Size
FAFE Ministry Website
Production on RailwaySolo Developer · 2 weeks
Full-stack Next.js 16 platform — solo-built in 2 weeks with 37 routes, 11 API endpoints, CRM-style contact pipeline, event management, partnership portal, and geographic parish finder.
37
Page Routes
11
API Endpoints
12
Prisma Models
~39K
Lines of Code
70
Git Commits
2 wks
Timeline
AI Content Creator Pipeline
Production, actively generatingSolo Architect & Developer · Jan 2026 – Present
End-to-end multi-agent content pipeline orchestrating 6 AI models through 16 specialized skills — blog articles, workshops, books, social media — with RAG-verified theological citations and dual-persona voice consistency across 634+ files.
634+
Content Files
229
Blog Posts
16
Agent Skills
6
AI Models
4
Pipelines
11
Pins/Week
Microsoft Career Highlights
2021 – PresentEnterprise Security & Partner Enablement
Key projects across 4+ years at Microsoft — Sentinel product launches, training programs, web prototypes, and $100M ACR impact in State and Local Government.
$100M
ACR Impact
100+
Partners Enrolled
14+
Guidance Docs
4
Product Launches
Entrepreneurial Ventures
1994 – 2009Spiral16 & Xact Data Discovery
Two ventures: social media SaaS with $2M+ sales and 27 employees, and a litigation support startup scaled from 0 to 250 employees nationally.
250
Peak Employees
$2M+
Sales Impact
15
Combined Years
2
Companies
Thought Leadership
Writing.
SOC Automators
ActiveSOC Automation, Microsoft Sentinel, Agentic AI for Security, Modern SecOps. Co-authored with another Microsoft SME.
400+
Subscribers
FAFE Newsletter
ActiveFinding Adam Finding Eve ministry newsletter. Dating, relationships, and marriage preparation content with dual-persona voice consistency.
229
Posts
Palitto.com Blog
ActiveDeep dives on SOC architecture, agentic AI, cloud security, and cybersecurity strategy.
New
On-site
Azure Cloud AI
LegacyWeekly thought leadership on SOC automation. Legacy blog — redirects to SOC Automators.
35–40K
Peak Monthly
Speaking & Training
Sentinel Training Scholarship Program
Founded & leads — 80+ attendees, 2-day destination training event
Partner Bootcamps
Co-authored learning track materials for Microsoft Sentinel
Webinars & Airlift
4 webinars, 1 Airlift for Microsoft Sentinel
FAFE Ministry Speaking
Regular speaker on dating, relationships, and marriage preparation
Topics I Write & Speak About
Security & AI
- SOC Automation & modernization
- Microsoft Sentinel architecture
- Agentic AI for Security Operations
- SIEM+XDR architecture patterns
- Detection engineering & KQL
Agentic AI & Building
- Multi-agent architectures
- RAG pipeline design
- Claude Code & MCP integration
- Production AI apps as a solo dev
- Prompt engineering at scale
Ministry & Relationships
- Catholic dating & marriage prep
- The 11-factor convergent crisis model
- Technology in ministry
What Others Say
Testimonials.
Placeholder quotes — real testimonials coming soon.
“Mike's technical depth combined with his ability to translate complex security architecture into actionable partner guidance is rare. He doesn't just advise — he builds.
“The Sentinel Training Scholarship Program changed how our team approaches security operations. Mike's hands-on approach to enablement is exactly what the partner ecosystem needs.
“Working with Mike on the Game of Love platform showed me what one person can build when they combine deep technical skill with genuine mission. The platform is remarkable.
Let's Connect
Contact.
Location
Kansas City Metro
Olathe, Kansas
Resume
Download Resume (PDF)