While AI adoption continues to accelerate across the industry, Cyderes CEO Chris Schueler has been hearing from many CISOs who are being asked to secure AI without being given *any* additional budget. For the latest episode of the Security or Else! podcast series, Schueler spoke with CRN Senior Editor Kyle Alspach about why he's concerned about the gap between AI investment and AI security spending. “Not one CISO, not one, has told me they've gotten any incremental budget to secure AI,” he says. “That to me is the biggest, scariest thing that I've ever seen.” Meanwhile, Schueler believes that the Security Operations Center (SOC) is poised to see an “absolute renaissance” over the next two years, with AI and agentic capabilities eliminating much of the repetitive work facing security analysts—while also potentially leading to a surge in threat actor activity that must be protected against. Along with running MSSP powerhouse Cyderes, Schueler brings a deep history in security operations to the issue, having built the first SOC for the U.S. Army during his military service. Ultimately, the transition to AI-powered security operations, now underway, should only create greater opportunities for SOC analysts going forward, Schueler said. “I tell my own team this—[that] if you’re a SOC analyst today, there is no better place to be. None,” he said. Please like, subscribe and follow Security or Else! for more conversations about what’s hype and what’s real—and what channel partners should focus on next in security and AI.