In the big picture, automation will inevitably play a role in cyber strategies of the future — but it will assist cyber operators rather than replace them. It will help eliminate repetitive and routine tasks — it will reduce human error and augment threat analysis while reducing the rate of false positives.

But in both the long and short term, automation can’t replace cyber operators in a security operations center (SOC) — nor can it provide cybersecurity experts to help organizations maintain resilience against threats to their bottom line. For that, businesses can look to managed service providers (MSPs) and outsourced IT positions like virtual chief information officers (vCIOs).