The Truth About SIEM, AI, and Cybersecurity Hype Every CISO Needs to Hear

"You don't need 20 different tools. You need better outcomes."

That's the reality check from cybersecurity veteran Andy Grolnick that's making waves in the latest Miller Mindset episode. As Executive Chair at Graylog and a 20-year industry veteran, Grolnick sat down with BitLyft's CEO & Founder, Jason Miller to cut through the noise and deliver some hard truths about where cybersecurity is actually headed in 2025.

If you're drowning in vendor pitches, struggling with alert fatigue, or wondering whether AI is really the silver bullet everyone claims it is, this conversation will change how you think about your security strategy.

The One Thing That Hasn't Changed (And Why That Matters)

Here's something that might surprise you: the fundamentals of cybersecurity haven't actually changed in 20 years.

"Back in 2005, we were debating whether logs were really important," Grolnick reveals. "People were literally arguing about whether we needed SIEM at all. Today, if you're not doing log management and holding logs for at least 365 days, you're laughed at."

The foundation is still the same, but it's gotten dramatically better.

Think about it like this: your smartphone today does infinitely more than phones did 20 years ago, but it still makes calls. SIEM technology has evolved the same way. The core function of collecting, analyzing, and acting on security data remains unchanged. The sophistication, integration capabilities, and intelligence have exploded.

As Grolnick puts it: "SIEM is really the hub of the SOC. It's your central intelligence. Think of logs as the digital fingerprint of IT, they tell you everything that happened."

Why Your Security Buyers Have Completely Changed

Remember when compliance drove every security decision? Those days are over.

"It wasn't until major breaches like Target that really woke everyone up," Grolnick explains. "That was the beginning of the shift from being very compliance driven to actually protecting the company, the brand, sensitive data, and intellectual property."

Today's buyers are more sophisticated and more overwhelmed than ever.

The modern cybersecurity buyer faces a perfect storm:

• Explosion of vendors: The number of cybersecurity companies has grown exponentially in just 5 years. More are continuing to pop up every day. 
• Increased complexity: Hybrid cloud environments are far more complex than the old on-premise model
• Talent shortages: Organizations often have a few or just one security person wearing multiple hats
• Market saturation: CISOs are managing up to 40-50 different security vendors in large organizations

The result? Buyers are simultaneously more educated and more perplexed than they've ever been.

The Managed Services Revolution (And Why It's Not Going Away)

Here's a trend that's reshaping the entire industry: managed services have become essential, not optional.

"A lot of companies realized it makes more sense to hire a managed service to run most of their security program versus trying to do it in-house," Grolnick notes.

Miller draws a perfect analogy: " You wouldn't take someone from your current IT staff and say 'you're going to do plumbing today' when they've never touched PVC pipes. The same applies to cybersecurity."

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services are filling critical gaps:

• Providing 24/7/365 monitoring when internal teams can't
• Delivering specialized expertise that takes years to develop
• Offering consistent threat detection and response capabilities
• Enabling small to mid-sized organizations to access enterprise level security

Watch the Full Episode: Miller Mindset with Andy Grolnick →

AI in Cybersecurity: Separating Fact from Fiction

Every vendor is talking about AI, but what's actually working?

The truth: AI isn't new to cybersecurity.

"SIEM was actually an early user of AI in terms of machine learning," Grolnick reveals. "This goes back 10 years ago for user and entity behavior analytics. You're looking at learning what normal is for a user or host, then looking for spikes or anomalies."

But here's where AI is actually making a difference today:

• Automating mundane tasks that burn out SOC analysts
• Improving triage and investigation efficiency
• Summarizing reports and routine analysis
• Detecting unknown threats through behavioral analytics

The reality check? "I believe the human element will always be there," Grolnick emphasizes. "AI should extend the capabilities of security teams, not replace them."

The Great Consolidation: Why 50 Security Tools Isn't Working

If you're managing dozens of security vendors, you're not alone and you're not crazy for feeling overwhelmed.

"I've talked to companies with 40-50 security vendors," Grolnick shares. "It's just not practical or sustainable."

Why consolidation is happening:

• Integration nightmares: Point solutions that don't talk to each other
• Alert fatigue: SOC analysts drowning in disconnected alarms
• Management overhead: Too many vendors to manage effectively
• Security gaps: Gaps between tools that attackers exploit

The solution isn't fewer tools—it's better integration and clearer outcomes.

What Smart Buyers Are Actually Asking

Forget the feature checklists. The smartest security buyers are asking entirely different questions:

Instead of "What does this tool do?" They're asking "What outcomes will this deliver?"

As Miller puts it: "If you buy a car with air conditioning, you don't care how they cool the air. You just want the air cooled. Companies want to buy the outcome of security."

The questions that matter:

• Will this improve visibility into actual threats and risks?
• Can it integrate seamlessly with our existing technology stack?
• How quickly will it demonstrate measurable value?
• Does it reduce our overall complexity or add to it?

The Market Trends You Can't Ignore

1. Compliance Is Table Stakes, Not Strategy "When organizations prioritize audit requirements over actual risk reduction, they miss opportunities to strengthen their defenses,"
2. Data Security Trumps Tool Collection It's not about accumulating more tools, it's about building a unified ecosystem that delivers measurable security outcomes.
3. Threat Detection Is Evolving Beyond Signatures Traditional signature-based detection is dead. Behavioral analytics and AI-powered anomaly detection are the new standard.
4. The Buyer Behavior Shift Modern buyers do extensive research before talking to vendors. They're more educated but need help cutting through the noise.

The Bottom Line: What Actually Works in 2025

After 20 years in cybersecurity, here's what Grolnick and Miller agree actually matters:

1. Strong Fundamentals Still Win Multi-factor authentication, patching, and basic security hygiene prevent more breaches than fancy AI tools.
2. Integration Beats Best-of-Breed A unified platform that works together trumps multiple "best" tools that don't integrate.
3. Outcomes Over Features Buy solutions that deliver measurable results, not impressive feature lists.
4. Managed Services Fill Real Gaps External expertise isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for most organizations.
5. AI Enhances, Doesn't Replace Use AI to make your team more efficient, not to eliminate human oversight.

Why This Conversation Matters More Than Most

This isn't another vendor pitch or conference presentation. It's a frank discussion between two industry veterans who've seen every trend, survived every hype cycle, and helped hundreds of organizations actually improve their security posture.

The insights you'll get from watching the full episode:

• How to evaluate security vendors without getting lost in the noise
• Real-world examples of what's working (and what isn't) in modern SOCs
• Practical advice for CISOs managing overwhelming vendor landscapes
• Specific questions to ask before making your next security investment
• The future of SIEM, AI, and managed services from people who are actually building these solutions

Ready for the Real Story?

This blog just scratches the surface of a conversation that's already changing how security professionals think about their strategies. Miller and Grolnick dive deep into:

• The specific AI applications that are actually working in production
• How to build a security stack that grows with your organization
• Real examples of successful security transformations
• The biggest mistakes they see organizations making today
• Practical steps for reducing vendor fatigue without sacrificing security

The cybersecurity landscape is more complex than ever, but the path forward doesn't have to be.

Watch the full Miller Mindset episode to get the complete strategy guide that's helping organizations cut through the hype and build security programs that actually work.

🎥 Watch the Full Episode: Miller Mindset with Andy Grolnick →

Don't just collect more tools. Build better outcomes.