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Cybersecurity

Overwhelmed by Threats? Here’s Why AI Needs to Be in Your Cybersecurity Stack

technavadmin AI Solutions, IT Security , , , ,
Overwhelmed by Threats? Here’s Why AI Needs to Be in Your Cybersecurity Stack

By Kirsty-Katie Welch
 Client Advisor

Today’s cybersecurity teams are drowning.

Ransomware attacks are more frequent and destructive. Phishing schemes have grown smarter, blending into inboxes with chilling accuracy. Zero-day exploits hit faster than teams can patch. And rule-based security tools (once the go-to defense) are now flooding SOCs with false positives and missing stealthier attacks entirely.

In this landscape, human teams alone can’t keep up. And that’s the problem.

The Case for AI in cybersecurity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a nice-to-have for security teams, it’s a lifeline.

By integrating AI and machine learning into your cybersecurity framework, you can shift from being overwhelmed by alerts to getting ahead of threats. AI doesn’t just make cybersecurity better; it makes it faster, more scalable, and more accurate than any human-only approach can offer.

Let’s explore the specific problems plaguing modern cybersecurity and how AI solves them.

Problem #1: you can’t detect what you can’t see

Solution: AI-Powered anomaly detection

Traditional tools rely on known threat signatures. But attackers are constantly innovating, using tactics that evade signature-based detection.

AI changes the game by learning what “normal” looks like across your systems (user behavior, network activity, device interactions) and flags anything unusual in real-time. That means you’re alerted to strange logins or data exfiltration attempts before they turn into breaches.

Problem #2: Too much noise, not enough signal

Solution: Intelligent Threat Correlation

Most SOCs are flooded with alerts that never turn into incidents, burning out analysts and delaying real threats from being addressed.

AI correlates data across logs, endpoints, cloud environments, and third-party threat feeds to connect the dots and prioritize real risks. The result? Fewer false positives and a faster path to meaningful response.

Problem #3: Response time is too slow

Solution: Automated incident response

Every second counts during a cyberattack. But when humans have to manually investigate and respond, containment takes too long.

AI-driven tools like SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) and XDR (Extended Detection and Response) can trigger automated actions the moment an incident is detected, isolating endpoints, revoking credentials, or deploying patches without waiting for human intervention.

Problem #4: Phishing emails keep slipping through

Solution: AI email & phishing protection

Phishing tactics have evolved. Attackers now use AI themselves to craft more believable, targeted messages.

AI-enhanced email security doesn’t just scan for bad links, it understands intent. By analyzing the content, context, and recipient behavior, AI can flag and block phishing attempts before users even see them.

Problem #5: Malware is evolving faster than signatures

Solution: Predictive Endpoint Protection

Today’s malware often bypasses antivirus tools using obfuscation, lateral movement, or fileless techniques.

AI-powered EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) platforms can detect these behaviors, even if the malware has never been seen before. Instead of waiting for threat signatures, AI looks for suspicious activity patterns across devices.

Real-World Payoffs

Organizations that adopt AI-enhanced cybersecurity see benefits almost immediately:

  • Threats detected in milliseconds, not hours or days
  • Reduced alert fatigue and false positives
  • Proactive threat hunting, guided by machine learning insights
  • Predictive defense, preventing exploits before they happen

Tools That Lead the Way

Some top AI-enhanced platforms making waves in the industry:

  • CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR
  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • SentinelOne
  • Darktrace
  • Arctic Wolf (MDR)

Each offers different strengths, but all leverage AI to deliver smarter detection, automation, and faster response.

Final Word: The time to adopt AI is now

Cybersecurity threats aren’t slowing down, and your response can’t either. If your team is stretched thin, constantly reacting instead of predicting, or missing threats entirely, it’s time to integrate AI.

Because in today’s cyber landscape, staying ahead means thinking faster than the attacker and that’s exactly what AI was built for.

Need help figuring out where to start?
At Technology Navigation, we help organizations choose and implement the right AI-powered cybersecurity tools for their needs. Reach out to our team for expert guidance and future-proof your security strategy.

What is Penetration testing? Does your company need it?

technavadmin IT Security , ,
What is Penetration testing? Does your company need it?

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

Existing infrastructure and conventional planning can fall short when designing a cybersecurity strategy. Instead, clients need to think from a hacker’s perspective and figure out system vulnerabilities before the damage happens. A lot like the Hollywood flick “Minority Report,” where the law catches criminals before the crime is committed. 

That’s exactly how penetration testing works, otherwise known as ethical hacking. However, unlike simulations, a pen test works by attempting to breach the existing defense framework to document real-time loopholes and determine the proper solutions.  

In this post, we look closer at how a pen test works, how often you should do it, the key benefits, pen test types, and a profitable approach. Read on!

Understanding how a penetration test works 

Typically, a pen test uses the same techniques a hacker would use to breach an organization’s cybersecurity system. The most common types of pen tests include : 

  • Phishing
  • Open-port identifications
  • Backdoor 
  • Data alterations 
  • Adware installations

Together, such methods work towards pointing out areas that security professionals might have ignored or overlooked during the development stage and can be harder to figure out unless the breach happens. 

Stages involved in Penetration Testing 

At the outset, pen testing has five essential stages: Exploitation, Reconnaissance, Scanning, Reporting, and Vulnerability assessment.

  • Reconnaissance: In this phase, the key goal is to collect as much information as possible about the target system.
  • Scanning: Here, the penetration tester works on the information collected about employees, contractors, and information systems and expands physical and logical information system structures, like open ports and network traffic.
  • Vulnerability assessment: This is the phase where the data gathered in the previous stages identifies potential vulnerabilities.
  • Exploitation:  The ethical hacker attempts to access the system and exploit the identified vulnerabilities. 
  • Reporting: Finally, the tester prepares a report documenting the test findings, including a detailed outline of unattended vulnerabilities, a business impact assessment, remediation advice, and strategic recommendations.

Types of a penetration test

To choose a suitable provider for ethical hacking, you must be familiar with the types of pen tests, as they vary in focus, depth, and duration.

Common pen test types:

  • Internal/external infrastructure
  • Wireless, web, and mobile applications
  • Build and configuration review
  • Social engineering
  • Cloud
  • Agile penetration testing

Specific information is needed to scope each test, such as the number of IPs, wireless networks, apps, API calls, operating systems, builds, and application servers that should be assessed thoroughly.

Pen Test-How often should organizations do it 

A pen test is needed to be run on a periodic note. As a rule of thumb, organizations should settle for a pen test annually and change up the pen test provider every year. However, if you can’t decide the interval, consider conducting one for the following situations: 

  • When there is any major infrastructure or application upgrade
  • When applying significant security patches
  • When updating or modifying end-user policies 
  • When establishing offices in new locations
  • When launching digital assets, like cloud services or websites 

Major benefits of conducting a penetration test 

Penetration testing goes beyond vulnerability scans and compliance audits and evaluates the effectiveness of current security measures against a potentially strong hacker. This is important because it allows for patching vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. 

Here are five reasons why penetration testing is essential:

  • Identifying vulnerabilities before criminals do: Penetration testing can uncover vulnerabilities that a cybersecurity strategy may not have considered. Unlike how vulnerability scans work, a pen test involves a human attacker to reveal real-time vulnerabilities that can only rise to the surface by combining multiple low-risk vulnerabilities, seemingly impossible to find with automated scans.
  • Effective testing of defending abilities of your security network: It is always a wise call to analyze the strength of your existing network for monitoring intruder attacks. Doing so can further determine whether automated intrusion detection programs are working as expected or whether IT professionals have the right set of tools to spot and respond to an attack.
  • Assess the potential damage of a successful attack: A successful attack can cause financial damage, disrupt critical processes, damage brand reputation, and result in the loss of crucial business data. Early identification of weak spots can help businesses mitigate hacking attempts and plan for disaster recovery.
  • Enhance customer and executive security to customers: Penetration tests can help demonstrate to customers and executives that a company’s security measures are trustworthy. This boosts the company’s reputation by adding a layer of evidence during security assessments before signing vendor deals.
  • Reduce remediation costs and network downtime: Addressing vulnerabilities before a breach occurs is less disruptive than scrambling to fix security holes following a breach. Low remediation costs and minimizing network downtime are always preferred. 

How Technology Navigation can help

At Technology Navigation, our mission is to act as an extension of our client’s IT vision.  We have numerous highly regarded cybersecurity firms in our supplier ecosystem.   After reviewing your requirements, we can suggest which security firm to engage with and why.  

Our proprietary process empowers clients to navigate the complex world of IT solutions, thereby gaining maximum leverage via industry-leading insights to attain business goals. Connect with us to learn more.