Exabeam has extended the reach of its generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) capabilities to its LogRhythm security information event management platform which is designed to be deployed by internal IT teams.

Steve Wilson, chief product officer for Exabeam, said rather than requiring organizations to rely on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to access generative AI tools, Exabeam is now making it possible to apply AI to cybersecurity data wherever it resides using a LogRhythm Intelligence Copilot.

That approach enables organizations that either prefer to retain control over their security data or, due to regulatory requirements, are not allowed to employ a cloud service, to still benefit from generative AI tools that can, for example, explain in natural language the risk level attached to a specific cybersecurity event, he added.

Exabeam acquired LogRhythm last year to provide organizations with a self-managed SIEM option that can be deployed in a private cloud or on-premises IT environment, and has been working to integrate the two platforms. Exabeam simultaneously had been adding generative AI capabilities to its SaaS platform, which are now being extended to the LogRhythm platform without requiring organizations to move data into a cloud service. In effect, Exabeam is now providing organizations with the best of both IT worlds, said Wilson.

In total, more than 2,000 organizations are using the LogRhythm platform, noted Wilson. It’s not clear how many organizations will ultimately prefer to rely on a self-managed SIEM rather than a SaaS platform, however, the pace at which data is being created and stored in the cloud continues to rapidly increase.

Regardless of where the SIEM platform is deployed, cybersecurity teams are embracing AI to reduce toil. It’s not likely AI is going to replace the need for cybersecurity professionals any time soon. However, as it becomes apparent that AI tools can automate many routine tasks, cybersecurity teams are getting more comfortable with employing them as the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks continues to increase. Given the volume and sophistication of the cyberattacks being launched, it’s no longer feasible for cybersecurity teams to combat those threats without relying more on automation. As the reasoning engines embedded within large language models (LLMs) continue to improve, the scope of the cybersecurity workflows that can be automated is only going to increase, said Wilson.

Each cybersecurity team will need to decide for itself to what degree to rely on AI platforms, but as they continue to prove themselves, the trust placed in them by cybersecurity professionals will increase. The output created by these tools will still need to be reviewed by humans but the overall level of burnout that many cybersecurity professionals today feel should steadily decline in the months and years ahead. There may soon come a day when cybersecurity professionals won’t want to work for organizations that don’t provide them with access to AI tools.

In the meantime, cybersecurity teams might want to make a list of all the tasks they least enjoy, with an eye toward how to let a machine complete them in a way that enables them to focus more of their time uncovering threats versus completing yet another report.