Alexandre Fernandes Costa

About Alexandre Fernandes Costa

Principal cybersecurity leader at Microsoft with 20+ years of global experience across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. I reduce risk at scale across complex platforms, online services, and high-stakes engineering environments by leading end-to-end security programs across offensive and defensive security—spanning Red Team, Application Security (AppSec), Purple Team operations, detection engineering/strategy and security operations, scalable security engineering services, and data-backed security research, in close partnership with senior engineering and business leaders.My background spans offensive security, defensive security, detection strategy, security operations, and large-scale program execution. I’ve built and led teams and operating models designed to move security from reactive, point-in-time work to proactive, intelligence-driven, and measurable risk reduction, especially in environments where supply chain risk, speed, and reliability intersect.I’m most energized by problems that require both technical depth and organizational leadership: aligning security strategy to business priorities, scaling coverage across broad service portfolios, connecting penetration testing with detection and response, and using AI to improve triage, prioritization, and follow-through. I care about building systems—not isolated tools—that help organizations identify the right risks earlier, respond faster, and continuously strengthen security posture.As a leader, I invest heavily in developing strong teams (including manager-of-managers leadership), creating clarity in ambiguous environments, and translating complex engineering realities into actionable executive decisions. I’m also exploring how advanced research and doctoral study can deepen the connection between industry practice, security innovation, and the next generation of resilient systems.

Experience

1. Group Engineering Manager, Security Engineering (Offensive Defensive Programs)

   Microsoft

   Jan 2021 — Present · Redmond, WA, US

   Lead a manager-of-managers security engineering organization delivering end-to-end risk reduction across complex platforms and online services. Scope spans offensive and defensive security: Red Team, Application Security (AppSec), Purple Team operations, detection strategy/security operations partnership, scalable security engineering services, and data-backed security research—partnering with senior engineering and business leaders to drive remediation and influence security architecture.Key contributions• Lead offensive + defensive security programs across major product and cloud ecosystems, translating findings into remediation and architecture decisions with senior stakeholders.• Operate and scale a multi-team model spanning Red Team, AppSec, Purple Team operations, and detection strategy/SecOps alignment—connecting penetration testing with detection and response outcomes.• Build repeatable operating rhythms and delivery mechanisms designed to move security from point-in-time work to proactive, intelligence-driven, measurable risk reduction.• Drive portfolio-level prioritization across broad service footprints, balancing depth on critical assets with scalable coverage models.• Develop leaders and teams (including manager-of-managers leadership) and maintain a high-trust execution culture.

Education

• ETEC - Escola Técnica Estadual de São Paulo (Lauro Gomes)

  Eletronic Technician, Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician

  1991 — 1994

• Harvard University

  Cybersecurity

  2018 — 2018

• Academy Space

  Master's degree, Planetary Astronomy and Science

• Universidade Paulista

  BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration and Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

  1998 — 2001

• University of San Diego

  Master's degree, Cybersecurity Operations and Leadership

  2019 — 2020

Skills

• Iis
• Dns
• Microsoft Exchange
• Professional Services
• Office 365
• Sccm
• Hyper-V
• Powershell
• .net
• Security
• Enterprise Software
• Enterprise Architecture
• IT Management
• Vmware
• Server Architecture
• System Deployment
• Servers
• Itil
• Data Center
• Virtualization
• Pre-Sales
• Cloud Computing
• Scom
• Solution Architecture
• Tmg
• IT Service Management
• Lync Server 2010
• Microsoft Technologies
• Cluster
• High Availability
• Directory Services
• Sharepoint
• Operating Systems
• Active Directory
• Windows Server
• Windows Azure
• Vmware Esx
• Microsoft Sql Server
• Disaster Recovery