Security teams are drowning in alerts they cannot process. At the same time, specialists are scarce, regulations are tightening, and attackers never sleep. UiPath, until now known as a business process automation platform, is emerging as an agentic orchestrator of security operations - combining robots, artificial intelligence and people into one efficiently functioning line of defence.
Why automation in the SOC has become inevitable
Security Operations Centres (SOCs) today face a scale problem that exceeds the capacity of even the best teams. The average SOC processes around 11,000 alerts a day, of which only 19% deserve genuine analysis. The rest is noise - false alarms, duplicate notifications, low-priority information. But how do you separate the wheat from the chaff when every missed alert could signal a serious breach?
According to the latest SANS research, as many as 66% of SOC teams cannot keep up with incoming notifications. Ninety per cent of analysts struggle with growing backlogs and an overwhelming number of false alarms. This is not a matter of competence - it is arithmetic that simply does not add up. A single person cannot analyse hundreds of alerts an hour while maintaining the required concentration and accuracy.
The consequences are dramatic. Seventy-one per cent of SOC analysts report burnout, and more than half are considering leaving the profession. In a world facing a global shortfall of 4.8 million cybersecurity specialists, every expert who leaves deepens the problem. In Poland the situation is equally difficult - 39% of companies do not employ a single dedicated IT security professional.
“We are observing a paradox - the more security tools we deploy, the more alerts we generate, and the harder it becomes to handle them all,” comments Jaroslaw Kamil Zdanowski, Partner at SNOK responsible for cybersecurity and SAP BASIS. “Automation is no longer a luxury - it is a survival condition for SOC teams seeking to effectively protect organisations.”
The figures confirm the value of automation. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach report, organisations employing extensive AI automation detect and neutralise incidents on average 98 days faster than those without it. This translates into real savings - an average of USD 2.2 million a year in breach-related costs. When every minute of delayed response can mean a deeper penetration of systems by attackers, time becomes the most valuable resource.
SOAR versus RPA - two approaches, one goal
Traditional SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) platforms were designed specifically for security operations. They offer ready-made playbook libraries, native SIEM integrations, and rich dashboards for analysts. Sounds ideal? Unfortunately, reality often proves more complicated.
SOAR deployments are notorious for their high cost and complexity. They require specialist knowledge, long implementation cycles and ongoing maintenance. Worse still, these platforms are helpless against systems without an API - and there is no shortage of those in a typical organisation. Old mainframe consoles, legacy applications, niche industry tools - all remain beyond the reach of traditional orchestration.
This is exactly where RPA proves invaluable. Computer Vision technology in UiPath allows robots to “see” and operate graphical interfaces exactly as a human would. A robot can log into any application, navigate menus, fill in forms, and copy data between systems - regardless of whether the application has an API. As experts aptly put it: “Where there is no API, there is a Robot.”
Does this mean RPA replaces SOAR? Not necessarily. In practice, the two approaches complement each other extremely well. SOAR can orchestrate security workflows at a high level, while UiPath robots perform the “heavy lifting” in systems that SOAR cannot reach. It is like pairing a strategist planning operations with soldiers who can operate on any terrain.
The results speak for themselves. Organisations deploying UiPath in security operations report an eight-fold improvement in mean time to detect (MTTD) threats and a twenty-fold improvement in mean time to respond (MTTR) compared with manual processes. Microsoft, applying a similar approach to triaging phishing alerts, reduced analysts’ manual workload by more than 95%.
Agentic automation - UiPath’s new paradigm
In 2024 and 2025, UiPath underwent a fundamental transformation. From an RPA tool, it has grown into an agentic automation platform, recognised by TIME magazine as one of the best innovations of the year. What does that actually mean?
The platform’s philosophy is best captured by the slogan: “Agents think, robots act, people lead.” This is no longer just automation of repetitive tasks. It is an intelligent ecosystem in which AI agents make decisions, RPA robots execute actions, and people retain control over critical moments in the process.
UiPath Maestro is the heart of this architecture. It is an orchestrator combining AI agents, RPA robots, API calls and human decisions into one coherent workflow. It uses BPMN 2.0 standards to model processes and DMN for decision logic, enabling the design of complex security workflows with built-in escalation rules and SLA monitoring. Maestro can also integrate external agents from Google Vertex, Microsoft Copilot, Databricks and NVIDIA platforms via the Model Context Protocol.
Agent Builder allows enterprises to create their own AI agents tailored to specific needs. Incident analysis, alert triage, document classification, automated responses to common threats - the possibilities are practically unlimited. UiPath states a target of 95% accuracy for every deployed agent, aiming for performance comparable to a human expert.
“Agentic automation marks a breakthrough in how cybersecurity is approached,” explains Michal Korzen, CTO at SNOK. “Instead of programming a robot step by step, we define a goal and context. The agent decides for itself how best to achieve it, adapting to changing conditions.”
The AI Trust Layer provides the necessary safeguards for generative AI. It centralises access to language models, masks personal data before it is sent to external models, and maintains a complete audit trail of all AI operations. Client data never leaves the UiPath environment and is never used to train third-party models - a critical assurance for organisations operating in regulated industries.
Concrete applications - from theory to practice
Identity and access management
Imagine a scenario: an employee leaves the company. In theory, their access should be revoked immediately. In practice? The process often takes days, sometimes weeks. Someone must submit a request, someone else must approve it, and an administrator must log into a dozen systems and manually deactivate the accounts. Throughout this time, the former employee retains access to sensitive data.
IAM automation with UiPath eliminates these delays. A robot receives a notification from the HR system that employment has ended and immediately triggers the offboarding procedure. It deactivates the account in Active Directory and Azure AD. Via API or - where no API exists - via the graphical interface, it revokes access in ERP, CRM and legacy applications. It generates a report of the actions taken for audit purposes. The entire cycle takes seconds instead of days.
UiPath’s own internal deployment brought about a reduction in IT Operations workload of more than 15%, cutting the average ticket-handling time from 2 hours to 2 minutes - a 98% drop. Integrations with the CyberArk, Azure Key Vault and HashiCorp Vault credential safes ensure that robots never “know” passwords - they only retrieve authorisation tokens for the duration of a task.
Phishing analysis and neutralisation
Phishing remains one of the most common attack vectors. Employees report suspicious messages, but handling them requires an analyst’s time and attention. With hundreds of reports a day, the queue grows, and genuine threats can be overlooked.
A UiPath robot can handle the entire workflow automatically. It monitors a dedicated security reporting mailbox. It extracts URLs and attachments from suspicious messages. It queries threat-intelligence APIs - VirusTotal, Cisco Talos, internal IOC databases. Upon confirming a threat, it searches the Exchange server and performs a purge across all mailboxes in the organisation, removing the malicious message before anyone can open it. Finally, it automatically opens a ticket in the ITSM system with an attached forensic report.
The whole process runs in seconds, without human intervention, around the clock. The analyst receives a ready-made report and can focus on cases requiring deeper analysis.
Vulnerability and patch management
Effective vulnerability management requires coordination across many systems and teams. A scanner detects a flaw, but who decides on priority? Who opens the ticket? Who verifies that the fix has been deployed? In large organisations, these workflows involve dozens of people and systems.
UiPath robots can orchestrate the entire process. They read vulnerability data from scanning tools, correlate it with information on system criticality, automatically open tickets for the most serious gaps, track remediation progress and escalate delays. Studies show that automated patching achieves 92% mitigation effectiveness compared with 65% for manual processes.
In the case of SAP systems, automation takes on particular significance. The regular application of Security Notes requires precise coordination between BASIS and security teams, testing in development and acceptance environments, and planning maintenance windows. A robot can take over a significant share of this work, from downloading notes from the SAP Support Portal to verifying their installation in production systems.
Integrations with the security ecosystem
UiPath does not operate in a vacuum. The platform has strategic partnerships with key security vendors, enabling deep integration with an organisation’s existing technology stack.
CrowdStrike Falcon - the industry’s first RPA integration with an EDR platform, announced in October 2021. UiPath robots transmit rich contextual metadata to Falcon: process name, workflow key, Windows user, machine name. CrowdStrike automatically detects suspicious activity regardless of whether it was initiated by a human or a robot. Importantly, a granular response is possible - blocking only the suspicious task rather than shutting down all robots.
eSentire - a 2020 partnership delivered the Cloud Automation Security Assistant, automating security policies for Microsoft Security services via the Atlas XDR platform. The solution supports even those Microsoft services that lack an available API - thanks to RPA hyperautomation.
CyberArk - integration with the Enterprise Password Vault and Application Access Manager provides centralised management of robot credentials. Automatic password rotation in line with policy, a full audit trail of all access, and the elimination of “hard-coded” credentials within automation. This is critical for organisations subject to rigorous regulations.
The Polish context - regulations, challenges and opportunities
The regulatory landscape 2025-2026
Poland is undergoing an intensive regulatory transformation in the field of cybersecurity. For many organisations, the upcoming changes mean the need to fundamentally rethink their approach to IT security.
The amendment to the National Cybersecurity System Act (KSC) will expand the scope of regulation from around 400 essential-service operators to more than 40,000 entities across 18 sectors of the economy - a jump of two orders of magnitude. New entities will have 3 months to submit a request for entry in the register and 6 months to implement an information security management system.
The NIS2 directive should have been implemented by October 2024, but Poland - as with previous directives - is running behind schedule. Implementation is expected at the turn of 2025/2026. The new provisions will introduce, among other things, a 24-hour deadline for the initial notification of an incident and fines of up to EUR 10 million or 2% of annual turnover.
The DORA regulation has applied to the entire financial sector since 17 January 2025. The Cyber-EXE Poland 2024 exercises, involving major banks, confirmed good readiness within the Polish sector, though maintaining that readiness requires continuous investment in processes and technology.
“For many Polish organisations, the upcoming regulations will be their first serious encounter with formal cybersecurity requirements,” notes Jacek Bugajski, CEO of SNOK. “Automating security processes is not only a matter of efficiency - it is often the only way to meet the requirements with limited staff resources.”
The scale of threats in Poland
Data from CERT Polska for 2024 illustrates the dynamics of the threat landscape. The team received more than 600,000 reports - a 62% year-on-year increase. More than 100,000 incidents were registered, meaning an average of 300 incidents a day requiring handling. The warning system blocked 70 million attempts to visit malicious websites and 1.5 million malicious SMS messages.
The dominant trend remains social engineering. Criminals are increasingly moving away from advanced technical techniques in favour of psychological manipulation - persuading victims to voluntarily transfer money or disclose credentials. This is a shift requiring different defensive methods than traditional firewalls and antivirus systems.
The specifics of public institutions
Polish public institutions operate under specific conditions. Regulations and internal policies often exclude the possibility of using cloud services - data must remain in on-premise environments, on servers located within the country. This constraint eliminates many modern SaaS solutions but does not close the door to automation.
UiPath offers full functionality in an on-premise model. Automation Suite can be deployed entirely locally, with no communication with external servers whatsoever. The same applies to the robots and the orchestrator - all components can operate within a closed environment, meeting the strictest requirements for security and data sovereignty.
“Working with ministries and state institutions, we have to take into account not only technical requirements but also regulatory and political ones,” adds Jarosław Zdanowski. “On-premise UiPath deployments deliver all the benefits of automation without compromising on data security.”
Polish AI models - Bielik and PLLuM
The development of Polish language models opens up new possibilities for security automation. Bielik - the first open Polish LLM with 11 billion parameters, trained 90% on Polish-language texts - can be deployed entirely locally, eliminating the risk of confidential data leaking to foreign servers.
PLLuM - a state initiative of the Ministry of Digital Affairs delivered by the HIVE AI consortium - is moving in a similar direction. Planned deployments include mObywatel and the automation of documents in pilot local government units.
Integrating Polish AI models with the UiPath platform enables the automation of tasks requiring natural-language understanding - classifying alerts, analysing logs, generating reports - without the need to send data to external providers. This is particularly relevant for the financial sector and public institutions, where regulations strictly govern the processing of information.
Experience from Polish deployments
SNOK, as a UiPath Platinum partner with a team combining more than 25 years of cumulative experience in SAP and cybersecurity, has delivered a range of security process automation projects in Polish organisations.
IAM automation at a large Polish ministry - a project lasting approximately 3 months covered the automation of identity and access management processes. UiPath robots took over tasks related to the provisioning and deprovisioning of user accounts, synchronisation of permissions between systems, and audit reporting. A key challenge was integrating an entirely on-premise environment with numerous legacy systems, including applications without an API.
SAP security automation at a large manufacturing and trading enterprise - the project focused on automating security updates for SAP environments. Robots monitor the publication of SAP Security Notes, analyse their impact on the client’s environment, automatically open tickets for critical patches and track their implementation. The integrated solution also includes regular scanning of system configurations against security-policy compliance.
“Every security automation deployment requires a deep understanding of both IT processes and the client’s business specifics,” summarises Michał Korzeń. “It’s not about replacing people with robots, but about freeing experts from routine tasks so they can focus on what genuinely requires human intelligence and experience.”
The future of agentic cybersecurity
The market for AI solutions for SOCs is experiencing a genuine explosion. IBM has introduced ATOM - a multi-agent framework for autonomous security operations. Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Google and SentinelOne are developing their own agentic protection systems. Gartner analysts predict that by 2028, one-third of interactions with generative AI will involve autonomous agents.
The autonomisation of the SOC, however, brings its own challenges. The same Gartner report warns that by 2028, 25% of enterprise breaches may originate from the misuse of AI agents - whether by attackers manipulating the systems or through errors in automation logic. Security teams may also experience skill erosion as a result of excessive reliance on automation.
That is why the “human-in-the-loop” model remains the standard for critical decisions. AI excels at triage and preliminary analysis, but final validation and approval of high-risk actions should remain in human hands. This is not a limitation of the technology - it is sound risk management.
Automation is also becoming an indispensable element of Zero Trust deployments. David McKeown, CISO of the US Department of Defense, explicitly identified “automation and orchestration” as key pillars of the Zero Trust approach. Use cases include data logging, analytics, account provisioning and identity management. UiPath supports these requirements through conditional access, SAML 2.0 SSO, EDR integration and full data-sovereignty control in the on-premise option.
What next? Practical recommendations
Organisations preparing for new regulations and growing threats should consider automation as a way to scale security capabilities without a proportional increase in headcount - which, in current market conditions, is often impossible.
For SOC teams of fewer than 5 people - which dominate in Poland - RPA can substitute for the functionality of a basic SOAR platform at a lower deployment cost and with greater integration flexibility. Deployments of Polish AI models combined with UiPath enable the automation of processes requiring natural-language understanding without the risk of violating data-transfer regulations.
Priority processes for automation include SIEM alert triage, identity lifecycle management, compliance auditing and phishing response. These are the areas offering the highest return on investment and the lowest risk of automation errors.
“The transformation of cybersecurity from reactive alert processing to autonomous, agentic operations is only just beginning,” concludes Jacek Bugajski. “Organisations that start building automation capabilities in security today will be better prepared for the challenges the coming years will bring.”
UiPath, combining proven RPA technology with the capabilities of agentic AI and Maestro orchestration, offers a pragmatic path for organisations seeking to scale cybersecurity in the face of growing threats and limited staff resources. In the Polish context, the ability to deploy on-premise and integrate with domestic language models is of particular importance, addressing regulatory requirements and concerns about data sovereignty.
SNOK - your partner in automation and cybersecurity. UiPath Platinum Partner | SAP Silver Partner | SecurityBridge and bowbridge experts
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