Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 — the hierarchy every SOC grew up with. But as AI takes over triage and investigation, does that model still make sense?In this episode, Ahmed Achchak (CEO and co-founder of Qevlar AI) talks with Rob van Os, Strategic SOC Advisor and creator of the SOC-CMM framework — one of the most widely adopted models for assessing and improving SOC maturity worldwide.Together, they unpack whether modern AI-driven operations make the tiered model obsolete, how skills-based SOCs are emerging, and what this shift means for talent, economics, and trust in AI-assisted decisions.You’ll discover:→ Why AI automation challenges the core logic behind tiered SOCs.→ How the SOC-CMM framework helps leaders benchmark and evolve toward post-tier models.→ The real blocker to full autonomy: missing infrastructure and business context.→ How to grow and mentor analysts when “entry-level” alerts no longer exist.→ How to prevent “shadow tiering” from silently reappearing in AI-augmented SOCs.Rob also shares his prediction on when large enterprises will finally abandon tier and the new engineering and AI skills every modern analyst will need to thrive.Agenda00:00 – Introduction: What happens to the tiered SOC when AI takes over L1 and L2?01:11 – New roles emerging: AI orchestrators and complex-case specialists03:03 – Trust in AI and why automation still hits the “context” wall04:54 – Developing junior talent in a post-tier world06:46 – From tiers to skills: the rise of the skills-based SOC07:11 – Does AI break the business logic of tiering?09:19 – Engineering skills every modern analyst will need10:15 – Why a fully autonomous SOC remains out of reach13:21 – MSSPs vs in-house SOCs: different economics, same lessons15:07 – Avoiding “shadow tiering” with proper knowledge management17:27 – Rob’s prediction: Will enterprises abandon tiers in 3–5 years?18:19 – Fire RoundLearn more about Qevlar for your SOC: https://www.qevlar.com/Follow Ahmed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-achchak-872554109/Follow Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/socadvisor/

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