As AI agents investigate security alerts and automate routine tasks, how will the role of cybersecurity analysts change? And which decisions should remain in human hands?
In this interview, MENA TECH speaks with Gopan Sivasankaran, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa at Rapid7, about the future of security operations, the growing role of agentic AI, and the company’s expansion across the region.
Drawing on his own experience as a security operations centre (SOC) analyst, Sivasankaran explains how automation is changing work that once depended on people continuously monitoring screens. He sees AI taking on a substantial share of repetitive tasks, while human expertise remains essential for decision-making, threat hunting, and oversight.
He compares this relationship to a car driving automatically while the driver keeps their hands on the wheel. His vision for security operations follows a clear principle: “People decide, agents operate.” As organisations give AI greater autonomy, he also expects governance to become increasingly important, including reviewing AI decisions and establishing who oversees these systems.
The conversation explores why reactive security approaches are under growing pressure. With attackers continuing to evolve, Sivasankaran highlights the importance of prevention and early detection, alongside a broader understanding of an organisation’s exposure to threats.
He discusses continuous threat exposure management (CTEM), explaining why organisations should begin by understanding the assets they own and their attack surface. From there, they can assess vulnerabilities, prioritise remediation, and automate appropriate processes. His advice is to approach this work as an ongoing security programme, supported by a framework, rather than treating it as an isolated tool.
We also examine what agentic AI could mean for cybersecurity careers. Will security teams need fewer analysts, or analysts with different skills and responsibilities? Sivasankaran expects automation to reduce routine workloads while preserving a role for human intelligence in specialised areas. He also points to prompt engineering as one of the skills worth developing as security operations evolve.
On Rapid7’s regional strategy, he discusses the company’s focus on managed detection and response (MDR), its acquisition of agentic AI company Kenzo Security, and plans to expand its team and continue investing in the Middle East.
