For years, “shifting left” in cybersecurity—moving detection, response, and risk management closer to the point of initial exposure—has been more aspiration than reality. Technical silos, manual processes, and delayed visibility have kept security teams one step behind attackers.
But at Black Hat 2025, it became clear: the convergence of agentic AI and continuous threat exposure management is turning this vision into something practical. With the right integration, security teams can finally get ahead of threats, anticipate risk, and act with unprecedented speed.
AI Shouldn’t Be a “Coming Soon.” Leaders Need It Now.
At Black Hat, AI was everywhere—on every slide, in every pitch. Generative AI, agentic AI, machine learning: if a product exists, someone’s trying to add AI to its story. On the show floor, we heard lots of “coming soon” promises and AI roadmaps that stretch years into the future. That’s not enough for business leaders facing pressure from boardrooms who need results now.
AI should be more than a distant item on a very long roadmap. It should be multiplying your team’s impact today. ReliaQuest customers have already been using the AI capabilities of GreyMatter to eliminate the Tier 1 and Tier 2 security operations work that was slowing their team down. Now we’re focused on what’s next.
Earlier this month, we announced GreyMatter Agentic Teammates: role-based, autonomous AI agents designed to join your team and scale your impact instantly, not eventually. These agentic teammates are designed to work alongside your analysts—never getting tired, always learning from your real-time context, adapting to your environment, and operating transparently as part of your daily workflows. It’s about moving from reactive to proactive and, ultimately, predictive security.
Learn more about how we've built AI into GreyMatter >
CTEM Should Be Operational, Not Occasional
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is gaining traction as organizations seek greater visibility of their assets and risks and look to shrink their attack surface. But we noticed a trend: tools like CAASM and adversarial exposure validation are often deployed as siloed.
These fragmented, reactive approaches leave gaps that adversaries exploit. Exposure management efforts must be woven into the fabric of security operations to truly enable continuous validation of controls and immediate adaptation to new adversarial tactics. The goal shouldn’t be just to visualize the attack surface but to learn from it every day.
ReliaQuest treats exposure management as more than a one-time asset and vulnerability scan or periodic breach and attack simulation—it’s a continuous, integrated pillar of effective SecOps.
GreyMatter embeds exposure management capabilities directly in daily security workflows through the Agentic AI platform capabilities like Discover, Detection Validation, and DRP. This foundational approach enables real-time, continuous visibility and actionability in reducing your attack surface.
CTEM isn’t just a box to check. It’s a foundation for resilient, business-aligned security operations, built to support your organization’s unique environment and goals.
Learn more about GreyMatter Discover >
(Floor-)Closing Thoughts: Shifting Left Is Finally Possible
Shifting left is no longer a vague, distant goal—it’s achievable now. By embedding AI and exposure management directly into daily operations, organizations can move beyond reactive firefighting and start anticipating threats.
This isn’t about adding another tool or checking another box. It’s about building a more resilient, responsive security program that learns, adapts, and protects at the speed of business. With the right approach, shifting left isn’t just possible—it’s practical, and it’s already happening.
