For years, cybersecurity professionals have been stuck in a reactive cycle, scrambling to contain breaches only after the damage is done. This alert-driven approach leaves organizations exposed and vulnerable. Kevin E. Greene, Chief Security Strategist at BeyondTrust, is tackling this challenge head-on. Through BeyondTrust’s industry-leading identity and access security solutions, Greene leverages over 25 years of government and industry experience to drive a shift from reactive defense to AI-powered prevention.
Shifting to Proactive Defense
The cybersecurity industry has long struggled with timing. Too often, organizations are forced to play catch-up, reacting only after threats have infiltrated their systems. Greene highlights the core issue: “I’ve always said that we’re detecting things far too late in the attack life cycle.” This reactive stance leaves cyber defenders at a severe disadvantage against increasingly sophisticated threat actors.
Artificial intelligence is shifting this dynamic by enabling proactive defense. By analyzing massive volumes of data in real time, AI can spot anomalies and provide the critical context security teams need to act quickly and decisively. While traditional approaches rely on recognizing known adversary patterns, AI excels at uncovering the unknown, identifying behaviors and tactics that have not been seen before. One of the most practical uses of this capability is user behavior analysis. By learning what “normal” activity looks like, AI can detect subtle deviations that may signal compromised accounts or insider threats. This early detection gives cybersecurity teams valuable time to investigate and neutralize attacks before they gain momentum.
Speeding Up Threat Response
When threat actors compromise a system, every second matters. Traditional approaches often require manual approvals for every response action. That may work for routine maintenance, but it is counterproductive during an active cyberattack. Greene underscores the urgency: “Once a threat is detected, time is everything. AI can instantly isolate suspicious accounts, quarantine infected devices, or trigger the next steps without waiting for human approval.”
This does not mean that machines are making all the calls. Humans remain responsible for strategy and complex decisions, while AI handles the obvious and repetitive tasks. It acts like a skilled assistant, cutting through noise and surfacing what truly demands attention. AI also strengthens continuous monitoring by analyzing login behavior, flagging risky activity, and adjusting access in real time. This makes zero trust security far more effective because decisions are based on current activity rather than outdated assumptions.
Strengthening Cyber Defenses
Security is not something you set up once and forget about. New threats show up constantly, as threat actors evolve and employ new tactics. Greene points out that AI helps organizations adapt quickly: “It keeps your detection models fresh by ingesting new threat intel, attack techniques, global signals, as well as identity security posture, and it learns from every incident.” This is especially useful for organizations that need to meet compliance requirements but also want to be resilient against real attacks. Static audits tell you what happened yesterday. AI helps you understand what might happen tomorrow.
The technology can also simulate attacks to test your defenses before threat actors target them. It is like having a playbook with all the techniques and tools that threat actors will use. You get to practice defending against new attack methods without the risk of actual damage. Greene keeps things realistic about what AI can and cannot do. “AI isn’t a silver bullet, but when it’s implemented thoughtfully, it gives us an advantage.” The goal is not to replace security teams with robots. It is about giving organizations better tools to defend and protect their business and mission. The technology helps organizations detect threats sooner, respond faster, and build defenses that get smarter over time. That is valuable for any organization, but especially important for government agencies and critical infrastructure providers.
Moving forward, Greene sees big changes coming: “If we get this right, public and private sector, we’re going to redefine what strong cyber defense looks like.” The organizations that figure out how to use AI effectively will have a major advantage over those that rely on reactive approaches. The bottom line is simple. Cyber threats are not going away, and they are not getting easier to handle. AI gives cyber defenders a better shot at staying ahead of the problem instead of always playing catch-up
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Follow Kevin E. Greene on LinkedIn for real-world strategies on proactive and AI-driven cybersecurity.
