We caught up with Sreeharsha Subbanna, the Advisory & Executive Board Member at OPTIMAS.AI Inc, and Prashant Momaya, the Senior Director at UiPath, who spoke about conservative risk management, the MoU between their companies, and the importance of cognitive risk management.

So can you tell us about Optimas and what it offers on the market?
Optimas goes beyond traditional cybersecurity by offering a comprehensive framework for understanding and mitigating business risks associated with technology. Their unique approach, called BTER (Business Technology Exposure Resilience), leverages artificial intelligence to identify and quantify these risks across an entire organization.

Optimas starts by identifying and tracing all your critical assets, including IT, operational technology (OT), and Internet of Things (IoT) components. They then analyze these assets to understand their connections and vulnerabilities. Based on your assets, Optimas considers relevant policies and standards, both internal and external (like ISO standards). This comprehensive picture allows them to create a threat model, pinpointing potential vulnerabilities across your organization.

Using BTER, Optimas translates these vulnerabilities into real-world financial risks. This dollar quantification considers potential losses like revenue decline, stock value drops, and regulatory penalties. Optimas acts as a bridge, integrating seamlessly with your existing security tools to help you get the most out of them. In essence, Optimas provides a holistic view of your organization’s cybersecurity posture, empowering you to make informed decisions about risk mitigation and resource allocation.

Can you tell us what conservative risk management is and why it is important in today’s data-driven landscape?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a buzzword, but what does it truly mean for cybersecurity? In simpler terms, AI aims to mimic human intelligence in analyzing data. Traditionally, security relied on manual data correlation, feeding it into systems for outputs. This process is slow and prone to human error.

Cognitive risk management takes things a step further. It uses AI to analyze this data in real time, providing a clear dashboard showing your security posture and potential threats. While terms like “intelligent threat modelling” are often used, true cognitive analysis goes beyond. It assesses and analyses data within a business context. This allows machines to make data-driven decisions with clear logic, eliminating human error.

The key benefit is real-time risk assessment. No more waiting weeks to discover a security breach. Cognitive risk management gives you a clear picture of your security at the moment, empowering you to make informed decisions. The biggest game-changer in cybersecurity comes from a key advantage: prediction. Traditional methods leave you vulnerable, only revealing a breach weeks or even months after it occurs.

Cognitive risk management flips the script. By analyzing data in real time, it can predict potential attacks before they happen. You don’t wait to discover a hack; you proactively identify your vulnerabilities and take steps to prevent them. This proactive approach is critical in today’s world, where cyberattacks are increasingly common and biowarfare threats are a growing concern. By anticipating threats, organizations can build stronger defences and minimize potential damage.

Tell us about the MoU between Optimas and UIPath.
So, this strategic partnership between Optimas and UIPath is built on a foundation of customer success. Optimas brings its innovative “BTER” framework, offering a comprehensive model for understanding business technology risks. However, translating this framework into a practical tool required a robust technology platform.

UIPath fills this gap with their expertise. By combining Optimas’s insightful framework with UIPath’s powerful platform, the partnership delivers a game-changing solution. Customers can now move beyond theoretical understanding and take real-world actions to mitigate their risks. This translates to a tangible solution that can be implemented and scaled within an organization. In essence, the MoU signifies a commitment from both companies to collaborate and empower customers with actionable cybersecurity solutions.

How does this MoU enhance UIPath’s go-to-market strategy?
UiPath is a pioneer in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and it brings a wealth of experience to the table. Founded in 2004, almost two decades ago, they’ve played a major role in shaping the modern RPA landscape. With a dominant market share (one-third) and consistent top rankings from analysts, UIPath is a leader in the field.

But our vision goes beyond just RPA. We recognize the power of AI and business context in creating even greater value for customers. This is where partnerships like the one with Optimas come in. UIPath’s robust platform serves as the foundation, while partners such as Optimas can leverage it to innovate. The focus? Addressing the growing challenge of cybersecurity in today’s environment.

Fines for security breaches are skyrocketing, and malicious actors are increasingly employing AI for their gains. Traditional, manual methods of risk management are simply not enough. This is where automation comes in, and UIPath positions itself as the “best automation platform around.” By combining our expertise with Optimas’s “BTER” framework, we aim to create a solution that integrates seamlessly with existing workflows.

This partnership opens doors to entirely new customer segments and allows us to connect with different personas within our existing 10,000+ customer base. The ultimate goal? Empowering businesses to achieve tangible results in the critical area of cybersecurity. In essence, UIPath brings the platform and the automation expertise, while Optimas provides the risk management framework. Together, we offer a powerful solution that helps businesses not just understand their risks, but take concrete actions to mitigate them.

How can this new partnership support UIPath’s plan for expansion into new industries and regions?
The automation space is undergoing a significant shift. Traditionally, it focused on automating manual processes, particularly in areas such as finance, legal, customer service, and so on. However, a new frontier is emerging – the automation of machine-driven tasks. This paradigm shift introduces a whole new set of players: machines, the Internet of Things (IoT), and a vast network of digital infrastructure within companies. These digital elements often operate outside the realm of manual work.

This opens doors for entirely new customer segments. Take manufacturing, for example. While we typically focus on the physical production line, these facilities operate with hundreds of interconnected networks, sensors, and devices. Automating these tasks may not be the first thought for manufacturers, but it becomes essential because no human can effectively monitor millions of sensors.

This is where automation tools like robotic process automation (RPA) come into play. They can be programmed to survey sensors for compliance or verify the health of millions of nodes on a 5G network. Essentially, these tools allow companies to automate tasks related to managing and enforcing policies across complex digital infrastructures. This expansion of automation extends beyond specific companies and industries. It empowers a wider range of organizations to say, “Automation can solve this problem for me!”

Furthermore, this new era of automation delves into the realm of cognitive decision-making. Advanced frameworks equip machines to not only execute tasks but also make informed decisions based on pre-defined policies. This creates a powerful combination – the ability to make decisions and execute them efficiently at scale. So, what’s next? The key focus remains on customer success. Our goal is to ensure companies achieve tangible benefits from implementing these automation solutions. It’s about showcasing the value beyond simple compliance and demonstrating a clear return on investment.

Looking ahead, we plan to continuously evolve the platform. As artificial intelligence and threat landscapes change, we’ll adapt our platform to stay current and anticipate future needs. Ultimately, the vision is to create a platform for continuous innovation, empowering customers to stay ahead of the curve. This platform could become an industry standard, enabling organizations to move beyond reactive compliance towards proactive threat response. They’ll be able to address and mitigate threats in real-time, not just from a compliance standpoint, but as a continuous and vital aspect of their operations.