How High-Performing SOCs Cut Alert Volume Without Cutting Corners | Episode 58

About this episode

This episode discusses how high-performing Security Operations Centers manage alert volume and reduce business risk through modernization and automation.

Security Operations Centers are busier than ever, but many aren’t reducing risk.In this episode of WEI Tech Talk, Shawn Murphy (WEI Cybersecurity Solutions Architect) sits down with PJ Bihuniak, VP of Strategics East at Palo Alto Networks, to unpack what high-performing SOCs are doing differently and why SOC modernization is no longer optional.They explore why alert volume keeps rising while outcomes stall, how legacy SOC metrics reward the wrong behavior, and why burnout and tool sprawl have become hidden business risks. PJ shares real-world insight from hundreds of SOC transformations, including how Palo Alto Networks runs its own SOC with deep automation, fewer people, and better results.This conversation clarifies where AI actually helps, where human judgment still matters, and how automation and platform thinking allow SOC teams to focus on decisions that reduce business risk.If you’re a CISO, SOC leader, or IT executive under pressure to do more with less, this episode offers a clear, practical view of what a modern, calm-under-fire SOC really looks like.Learn more at wei.com/cybersecurity

People in this episode

Host: Shawn Murphy

Guest: PJ Bihuniak

Topics covered

• Security Operations Centers
• SOC modernization
• alert volume
• automation
• business risk
• cybersecurity

Keywords

• SOC
• cybersecurity
• automation
• alert volume
• business risk
• Palo Alto Networks
• SOC transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, WEI

More episodes of WEI Tech Talk Podcast

• Identity Resilience: The Keystone of a Critical Recovery Process | EP 63 · June 8, 2026 · 24 min
• What's New With HPE Compute? | EP 62 · April 23, 2026 · 19 min
• Intro To Containers & Containerized Environments | Episode 61 · April 17, 2026 · 33 min
• Built to Last: Performance Under Pressure With Devin McCourty | EP 60 · March 13, 2026 · 38 min
• Inside a SOC Director's Shift Toward AI-Enabled Security Operations | Episode 59 · March 10, 2026 · 37 min
• Optimizing VCF To Align With Your Business Goals | Episode 57 · January 15, 2026 · 41 min