Firewatch TechnologyFIREWATCH//TECHNOLOGYFORWARD-DEPLOYED ENGINEERING
Firewatch Technology
Firewatch Technology

Forward-deployed engineering for companies that can't hire a Palantir.

We embed senior engineers directly in your business to build tailor-made software and security solutions — and we scope every engagement to what you actually need and can afford.

Embed Build with you Hand over ownership No lock-in
SENIOR-ONLY
No juniors on your budget
SOFTWARE + SECURITY
One embedded team
RIGHT-SIZED
Scoped to your budget
YOU OWN IT
Code, infra, knowledge

What we do

Two pillars, one embedded team. Because the people who write your software also understand the threat model, security is built in — not bolted on.

Tailor-made software

Software that fits how your business actually works, instead of forcing your workflow to fit someone else's product.

  • Custom web apps & internal tools
  • Automation & system integration
  • Data pipelines & reporting
  • Practical AI / LLM features
  • Legacy modernization

Security solutions

The same forward-deployed approach applied to protecting what you build and run.

  • Threat intelligence & detection engineering
  • Exposure & attack-surface analysis
  • Secure development & hardening
  • Custom security tooling
  • Security readiness (NIST CSF)

How we work — forward-deployed

Most consultancies take a requirements document, disappear for three months, and hand back a black box. Forward-deployed engineering is the opposite.

We deploy to you

Our engineers join your standups, chat, repo, and roadmap — working in your context, learning the business.

Solve the real problem

Not a spec to fulfil — the shortest path to the outcome you're actually after.

Transparent

You see and steer progress continuously. No surprises at the end, because there's no black box.

No lock-in

You own the code, the infrastructure, and the documentation. Knowledge transfer is a deliverable.

Right-sizing — how we make it affordable

Forward-deployed engineering is premium, and we won't pretend otherwise. What makes it work for a growing company is that we scope to your problem and your budget: we assess the work, estimate the time to real value, and propose the smallest arrangement that gets you there. Start small, prove value, scale only if it's worth it.

Advisory
A handful of senior hours — architecture reviews, a security assessment, technical direction.
Fractional FDE
A senior engineer embedded part-time. Steady progress without a full-time cost — our most popular entry point.
Dedicated FDE
One engineer fully forward-deployed into your team for a defined push. Maximum momentum on a real build.
Pod
A small multi-engineer team for larger software or security programs.
Fixed-scope
A defined deliverable at a defined price, when you want budget certainty over flexibility.

Flagship — FireWatch // CTI

The clearest proof of both pillars in one project: a cyber threat-intelligence platform we designed and built end-to-end.

FireWatch//CTI

Turns the firehose of public threat reporting into decision-ready intelligence — a serious product in a hard domain, built entirely by us.

  • Collects & de-duplicates 30+ intel sources into ranked events
  • Attributes activity to threat actors with explainable confidence
  • Models blast radius — how far an attacker could reach in a network
  • 100% client-side · open data · no per-seat licensing
▶ Launch the live console
FireWatch CTI — blast-radius attack-path modeling

Founder

For a services business, the team is the product.

Michael Karnes

CEO & Founder
★ 2023 USMC Cyber Marine of the Year Columbia University Cybersecurity & AI-accelerated development

Let's talk.

If you have a process that should be software, or a security question you don't have the in-house team to answer, we'll start by understanding your problem and proposing the smallest engagement that solves it.

Start a conversation