Automating the SOC: Lessons from the Front Lines | Episode 54

About this episode

Shawn Murphy and Patrick “PO” Orzechowski discuss the impact of automation on modern Security Operations Centers and the evolution of cybersecurity practices.

In this WEI Tech Talk episode, Shawn Murphy, Cybersecurity Solutions Architect at WEI, sits down with Patrick “PO” Orzechowski, Field CISO at Torq, for a candid conversation on what automation really means for modern Security Operations Centers. Drawing on more than two decades of front-line SOC leadership, Shawn and PO break down the realities of detection and response, the evolution of SOAR, and why automation is shifting from simple task execution to contextual, AI-driven decision support. Together, the experts explore: Why the core mission of the SOC still centers on visibility and control, despite expanding attack surfaces. How automation has progressed—from Perl scripts and early SOAR tools to today’s hyper-automation and agentic AI. The operational challenges of legacy playbooks, including edge-case overload and brittle integrations. How AI-powered enrichment, correlation, and human-in-the-loop workflows reduce analyst fatigue and enable faster, audit-ready response. Emerging concerns around AI identity management, model guardrails, and the long-term impact on the cybersecurity talent pipeline. If you’re a CISO, SOC leader, or risk owner looking to understand how…

People in this episode

Host: Shawn Murphy

Guest: Patrick “PO” Orzechowski

Topics covered

• automation in cybersecurity
• Security Operations Centers
• AI-driven decision support
• detection and response
• cybersecurity challenges
• analyst workload
• SOAR evolution

Keywords

• SOC
• automation
• cybersecurity
• AI
• SOAR
• analyst fatigue
• detection
• response
• visibility
• control

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WEI, Torq

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