Software development • Systems • Security

I’m Brent Dean. I build software, automate Linux and cloud infrastructure, investigate security and network behavior, and work on electronics. LaunchShell brings those projects together with the decisions, tests, and lessons behind them.

My path into engineering wasn't a straight line. I spent nearly a decade in B2B technology media, helping companies such as Google and Cisco connect with prospective customers through technical content and demand-generation campaigns. That work taught me how to manage complex projects, communicate across teams, and deliver on requirements. I eventually returned to school to pursue my longstanding interest in how technology works, earned CompTIA Security+, and graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College in 2026 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Those earlier experiences still shape how I approach engineering today.

My work includes Porter, AWS infrastructure automation with Kubernetes, Cisco IOS XE network automation, TorKit, and T-Pot honeynet research. At Mount Sinai, I worked on REDCap validation automation and security testing. The linked case studies show the implementations, tests, and results.

Why I built it For employers GitHub profile

What drives my work

I've always been the kind of person who wants to know what's going on under the hood. Taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and putting them back together has been a recurring theme throughout my life. That curiosity has taken me through electronics, networking, software development, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure.

What interests me most is how the pieces connect. A program doesn't exist in isolation; it runs on an operating system, communicates across a network, depends on other services, and behaves differently when something goes wrong. I enjoy working through those connections, understanding why something works, and figuring out how to make it work better.

A lot of my projects start with a question or something I want to try. Sometimes it's a piece of hardware on my workbench. Other times it's a Python application, a security experiment, or an entire cloud environment. One thing leads to another, and what started as a small experiment often becomes a much larger engineering project.

That same curiosity shapes my professional work. I approach problems by understanding the system, testing my assumptions, and building solutions that can be explained, verified, and maintained.

LaunchShell is where I bring that work together. It's part engineering portfolio, part technical journal, and a record of the things I've built simply because I wanted to see if I could.

Technical journal

Keep the decisions visible

Record the constraints, architecture, tests, and tradeoffs behind each build.

Portfolio

Show working systems

Connect a Python tool, cloud lab, security experiment, or circuit to what was built and verified.

Build. Launch. Repeat. The site follows that cycle from first implementation through testing and revision.

What LaunchShell covers

Software, infrastructure, security, and hardware belong on the same site because the projects often cross those boundaries.

Software and systems

Automation and infrastructure

Porter is a local-first Python automation platform with policy-controlled execution, SQLite-backed state, and Prometheus/Grafana monitoring. My AWS Infrastructure Automation & Kubernetes project uses Terraform and Ansible to build segmented infrastructure and deploy Flask through either Gunicorn/systemd or private k3s; both modes were live-verified on AWS with automated teardown.

How I approach the work

A successful build needs more than a working first run. I pay attention to security boundaries, repeatable configuration, failure recovery, and evidence that the system behaves as intended.

Design

Design for operation

Define access boundaries, dependencies, and recovery paths before relying on a system.

In the AWS lab, provisioning includes connectivity checks and teardown—not just resource creation.

Verification

Verify the behavior

Use tests, logs, and screenshots to show what worked and what failed.

Connect technical decisions to observed results and repeatable checks.

01

Build it

Start with a script, application, server, sensor, or lab.

02

Back it up

Use version control, snapshots, and exports before risky changes.

03

Test it safely

Use controlled systems and record the observed behavior.

04

Document it

Explain the result, decisions, and next steps.

For readers and builders

Guides

Learn the tools

Use the Linux, Git, cloud, networking, and electronics guides for focused explanations.

Projects

Follow the decisions

Read the AWS and T-Pot writeups for architecture, testing, and troubleshooting details.

Resources

Keep useful references

Find books, tools, and services that support practical technical work.

Professional background

My earlier client-facing career and subsequent technical work are different experiences that complement each other: one shaped delivery and communication; the other built hands-on engineering depth.

01

B2B technology media

I worked in demand generation and account management, helping enterprise technology companies reach prospective customers through content promotion and targeted campaigns. I learned to clarify requirements, coordinate handoffs, and communicate with stakeholders.

02

Computer science

I earned CompTIA Security+, but certification and my prior delivery experience were not enough to get engineering interviews. I returned to Brooklyn College for a second degree, graduating in 2026 with a B.S. in Computer Science, cum laude, and departmental honors in Computer and Information Science.

Academic distinctions: Dean’s List twice; A+ with Honors in Computer Architecture, Computer Networks and Protocols, and System and Network Administration.

03

Mount Sinai internship

I developed and tested repeatable REDCap upgrade-validation workflows using Bash, Python, API checks, browser tests, and packaged evidence. My work also included application security testing and WAF-rule evaluation.

What I work on

A selection of the tools and platforms I use across software, infrastructure, security, and electronics work.

Python Bash Flask / FastAPI Linux Docker / Podman Terraform Ansible AWS Git / GitHub SQLite / SQL Prometheus / Grafana Cisco IOS XE / pyATS RESTCONF / NETCONF Wireshark / Nmap Caddy / Coraza Arduino / ESP32 KiCad

For employers

I’m interested in engineering roles involving automation, Linux and cloud infrastructure, reliability, and security. LaunchShell gives technical context to the work behind those interests.

Technical work

Software and automation

Porter demonstrates Python application architecture, execution policy, persistent state, and monitoring. The REDCap case study covers controlled upgrade validation, negative controls, and reviewable evidence.

Systems work

Infrastructure and security

The AWS lab demonstrates infrastructure as code and repeatable configuration; T-Pot covers honeynet observation in a controlled lab.

Delivery

Communication and documentation

My prior account management, campaign operations, and client delivery roles taught me to clarify requirements, coordinate handoffs, and communicate with stakeholders.

Explore the work

Browse the public project writeups and guides, or view my GitHub profile.

Projects

See the builds

Read about infrastructure, software, security, and electronics work.

View projects
Guides

Read the documentation

Find practical explanations of the tools and methods used across the site.

Browse guides
GitHub

Public repositories

See my public repositories and profile.

View my GitHub
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