AI Agents Are Redefining Cybersecurity for Mid-Market Companies – Simbian
By Lane F. Cooper, Editorial Director, BizTechReports
The cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift. As threats grow more complex and attackers adopt AI-driven tools, defenders are being forced to evolve just as quickly — not just in tactics, but in technology. That evolution is ushering in a new era, where artificial intelligence isn’t merely a tool, but a workforce.
According to Ambuj Kumar, Co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Simbian, intelligent AI agents are now doing what was once the exclusive domain of human analysts: investigating alerts, remediating vulnerabilities, and adapting to organizational processes — all at machine speed and scale.
This shift, Kumar says, is pushing cybersecurity beyond the traditional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model into what he calls “service delivered as software” — a paradigm where software behaves like skilled human employees, offering both expertise and execution in a digital form.
Founded on that principle, Simbian has developed what Kumar calls “passionate AI cyber teams” — generative AI agents that automate key security operations using insights drawn from a company’s tech stack, structured systems, and even unstructured documentation like playbooks and procedures.
In a vidcast interview with BizTechReports, Kumar explained how Simbian’s technology is helping mid-market companies confront mounting cybersecurity challenges that, until now, they were ill-equipped to face.
“Most security tools are very good at raising alerts, but companies are largely on their own when it comes to action,” Kumar said. “Our agents don’t just advise — they actually do the work.”
Closing the Cyber Talent Gap
The cybersecurity workforce shortage has been well-documented for years, and Kumar argues it’s now at a crisis point — especially for companies in the mid-market segment that can’t afford the skilled dedicated in-house teams fielded by large enterprises.
“These companies are stuck,” he said. “They’re overwhelmed with alerts, yet they don’t have the people to manage, investigate, or resolve them. AI agents can close that gap.”
Unlike static rule-based automation, agentic cyber services adapt to each organization’s workflows. They integrate with a company’s existing security tools — like endpoint protection platforms and threat monitoring systems — and begin delivering value immediately.
“They’re like highly skilled analysts who can work 24/7, never get tired, and learn how your company works,” Kumar said.
Making Enterprise-Grade Security Accessible
Large enterprises often have incident response teams, consulting partners, and internal security architects at their disposal. But mid-sized organizations rarely have that luxury — and cybercriminals know it.
“If you’re a global enterprise and you suspect an attack, you can call in a top-tier incident response provider,” Kumar said. “But a mid-market company doesn’t have that option. What Simbian provides is that level of capability — delivered as a software service.”
Simbian’s agents come pre-trained on global cybersecurity knowledge, but learn from each deployment. They can analyze logs, assess vulnerabilities, and take guided action from current employees, managers and executives. And as they engage with a company’s documentation — like internal protocols, approval chains, and seasonal constraints — they build a tailored security knowledge base.
“The more they observe, the more they refine their responses to match your business,” Kumar said. “It’s like having a junior analyst who constantly asks questions, learns quickly, and never forgets to communicate and share what has been learned.”
From “Peacetime SOC” to Real-World Readiness
Kumar said many mid-market companies believe their security operations are well-prepared — until something actually happens. They are often lulled into a false sense of security because security operations centers (SOCs) appear effective under normal conditions — managing alerts, maintaining response metrics, and projecting a sense of control. However, he warned that this surface-level performance often unravels during a real crisis, exposing a lack of deep coordination, preparedness, and institutional knowledge.
“Everything looks good on paper during peacetime — response times are fast, alerts are managed,” he said. “But that can all fall apart during a real incident. That’s when we see how little structure and coordination really exists.”
Simbian’s agents, he said, are built to function even when no formal documentation exists. They investigate alerts, explain their reasoning, and suggest or carry out actions based on best practices — giving companies a much-needed starting point. As the agents engage with processes and respond to security alarms and incidents they build out a map of the critical interdependencies that must be addressed across the organization.
“From day one, our agents begin showing value,” Kumar said. “And over time, they help organizations build out the very processes they were missing.”
Humans Shift from Doers to Reviewers
Simbian, he adds, doesn’t seek to replace security teams — it seeks to elevate them. With AI agents handling day-to-day investigations and responses, Kumar sees human staff evolving into strategic overseers.
“Today, our agents can already outperform most Level 1 and Level 2 analysts when it comes to evaluating alerts from threat detection systems or analyzing signals from SIEM platforms,” Kumar said. “That frees up humans to focus on more complex, creative, or sensitive work.”
And the agents don’t just execute — they also explain. Each action comes with clear documentation, allowing human reviewers to understand, audit, and refine agent behavior.
Trusted by Managed Security Providers
According to a recent JumpCloud study, nearly 90% of small and mid-sized businesses in the United States either currently use a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or are considering doing so, highlighting a strong reliance on outsourced IT support across the segment. Separately, McKinsey & Company reports that 40% to 50% of mature mid-market companies procure security products and services through Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), underscoring the critical role MSSPs play in helping these organizations address cybersecurity challenges.
It is in this context that Kumar points out AI agents are being rapidly adopted by MSPs and MSSPs, as well as managed detection and response (MDR) firms, which use these platforms to scale their operations.
“These providers want to offer faster, more reliable services without constantly hiring more analysts,” Kumar said. “Our agents help them do that — investigating alerts, managing tickets, and generating compliance-ready reports.”
For companies that already outsource security, Simbian can act as a complementary solution — helping in-house teams manage remediation while external providers handle detection and monitoring. All parties share a common context through Simbian’s “context lake,” which aggregates signals and insights across all agents.
“This allows both internal and external teams to work from a unified source of truth,” Kumar said.
Security That Evolves With Your Business
As businesses grow and adapt, so do agentic cyber services. They continuously refine their knowledge of internal systems, roles, and business processes — even learning from seasonal trends and operational exceptions.
“If you have a rule not to take certain systems offline during the holidays, our agents will learn that,” Kumar said. “If that changes, they will evolve with your business.”
That flexibility also makes agentic cyber services a powerful process documentation tool. By mapping how alerts are handled and how decisions are made, the system helps identify both gaps and opportunities in security workflows.
Real ROI, Fast Deployment
Security investments are notoriously hard to quantify in terms of return. But with agentic services, Kumar said, the value is immediate.
“Instead of hiring more analysts or outsourcing investigations, companies can handle more work with fewer resources — and with greater consistency,” he said.
Simbian’s platform is cloud-based and SOC 2 Type II certified, with on-prem or virtual private cloud deployment options. Setup can take as little as minutes, and pricing starts around $50,000 per year — often less than the cost of one full-time employee.
“You integrate your tools — endpoint protection, network monitoring, security information and event management (SIEM) — and our agents start working,” Kumar said.
Cyber Threats Are Evolving — Fast
Kumar offered a final warning: as attackers adopt AI, defenders must move just as quickly.
“What used to take a well-funded, highly skilled attacker months of work can now be done in minutes with an AI prompt,” he said. “We’re in an arms race, and mid-market companies are in the crosshairs.”
The only way to keep up, he argued, is to automate the response — not just the detection — of cybersecurity threats.
“AI agents don’t just know what to do. They do it,” Kumar said. “And in today’s world, that’s the difference between being secure and being left behind.”
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