Who should run a company's cyber defenses when malicious actors are using artificial intelligence to move faster than humans can follow? That is the dilemma James Foster, the new chief executive officer at eSentire, poses as he steers the managed security firm toward what he calls an AI-powered, agentic model of defense.
A pivot toward "agentic" security
Foster argues that managed detection and response (MDR) is changing. According to him, enterprises now face faster, AI-driven threats, and MDR is evolving into an AI-powered, agentic model to keep pace. He frames that shift not as wholesale replacement of people by machines but as a rebalancing: automation must be powerful enough to act quickly, while human expertise remains essential to oversight and decision-making.
eSentire's vendor-neutral positioning
Under Foster's leadership, eSentire is positioning itself as a vendor-neutral platform that integrates best-of-breed security tools. That approach is meant to allow customers to outsource defense to a single managed service while still benefiting from a curated set of specialized technologies. Foster stresses the need for customers to outsource defense in this environment of accelerating, AI-enabled adversary activity.
Why the shift matters
The core of Foster's argument is pragmatic: when threats accelerate because of AI, response speed and orchestration become decisive. Automation can execute at machine speed, but the CEO emphasizes balancing that capability with human judgment. For technologists, that balance raises engineering and integration questions—how to chain agentic automation to a diverse toolset without creating brittle dependencies. For organizations considering outsourcing, Foster's message reframes the decision as not only a procurement choice but a strategic one about how to combine external provider expertise with internally retained oversight. And for defenders facing adversaries who leverage AI, the proposed model promises faster detection and response while retaining a human role to guide complex trade-offs.
Outlook and implications
Foster's vision recasts MDR as an operational blend of agentic automation and human-led governance, delivered through a vendor-neutral platform that aggregates specialized tools. If enterprises follow that path, the vendor landscape and customer-provider relationships could shift toward managed, integrated defense stacks. The central question remains practical and urgent: can organizations outsource enough to gain speed without surrendering the human control needed for accountability and nuanced judgment?
https://www.govinfosecurity.com/new-esentire-ceo-pursues-ai-driven-managed-security-shift-a-31358
