Detection at AI Speed, Prioritization by Workflow, and Autonomous Elimination | A Recap at Black Hat USA 2026 with May Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer at Qualys | Hosted by Marco Ciappelli

Qualys returns to Black Hat USA 2026 with an AI Risk Operations Center built around three principles customers have been asking for over the last three years. May Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer at Qualys, walks through them in order. Detect vulnerabilities at AI speed. Prioritize what surfaces, because not every finding calls for action in the same hour and the sequence follows the workflows a team already runs. Eliminate it through autonomous remediation, then confirm the fix worked. Mitchell also notes that Qualys has been a Black Hat sponsor for over 23 years.

What are security teams asking for at AI speed? They want detection to keep pace with disclosure. Mitchell points to InstaScan, the innovation Qualys launched during Black Hat week, which provides continuous scanning and detection. The meetings on the floor have been with customers from across the regions, not only the US.

How has the AI conversation shifted since RSAC Conference? It has narrowed to implementation. Mitchell says the messaging moved from AI to agents to autonomous, and that this year the questions are targeted. How do I implement it. How do I get it into the workflows. How do I have governance. The economics of AI sits alongside those questions, with more asked about ROI, since budgets are not rising across the board. That pushes organizations to evaluate their technology stack, consolidate, and look for a single platform that gives complete visibility and gives security leaders something they can take to a board or a CFO. Customization depends on the size of the organization, and larger heterogeneous environments are where Qualys partners come in with risk assessment services, planning, integration, and ongoing management.

This is a Brand Briefing. A Brand Briefing is an on-location conversation recorded on site at Black Hat USA 2026, putting a spotlight on the guest and their company and pairing it with the editorial reach of ITSPmagazine. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/performance/#briefing

GUEST

May Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer at Qualys
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maymitchell/

RESOURCES

Black Hat USA 2026 event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/black-hat-usa-2026-cybersecurity-event-coverage-in-las-vegas

Qualys: https://www.qualys.com/

InstaScan announcement: https://www.qualys.com/company/newsroom/news-releases/usa/qualys-launches-instascan-to-detect-vulnerabilities-within-minutes-of-disclosure

Agent Insta and scanless detection: https://blog.qualys.com/product-tech/2026/08/03/instascan-agent-insta-scanless-detection

ROCon Americas 2026 in Austin: https://www.qualys.com/rocon/2026/americas

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KEYWORDS

May Mitchell, Qualys, Marco Ciappelli, brand briefing, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, Black Hat USA 2026, risk operations center, InstaScan, AI speed detection, autonomous remediation, vulnerability management, prioritization, security governance, economics of AI, platform consolidation, cyber risk management, CISO, ROCon