A Q&A with Cybersecurity Specialist at Bayside

As a content marketing manager at Swimlane, I don’t often get to work directly with customers, but when I do, there’s nothing better than hearing firsthand how the people on the front lines are using our product and seeing results. We recently had the chance to meet with Mike Pilcher, a Cybersecurity Specialist and Automation Administrator at Bayside Solutions, to learn how they combine human expertise and automation with Swimlane Turbine, an AI automation platform.

Bayside Solutions is a cybersecurity specialist and value-added reseller (VAR), delivering critical security software and tools, with a core focus on phishing email analysis. They provide a unique blend of white-glove service and scalable email threat response through their phishing analysis service, PhishQueue. Pilcher designs and maintains PhishQueue, with a primary focus on building automation that allows analysts to concentrate on what matters most, accurate, threat analysis with a human touch. 

Keep reading to hear how Bayside Solutions carved out a specialized niche in security automation. This Q&A-style recap highlights key moments from our conversation. For the full story, check out the complete case study here, or watch the video below for a firsthand look.

How does the PhishQueue service work?

PhishQueue handles phishing emails that bypass initial security filters. When users flag a suspicious email, it gets routed to us for human analysis. Every submission receives a personalized response, whether it’s malicious or safe, we explain what to do next. We also notify the customer’s security team with a report and purge malicious emails from their environment, all using Swimlane’s automation.

How does Swimlane support your PhishQueue services?

Swimlane powers our entire PhishQueue workflow. It ingests submissions, performs pre-analysis, and presents enriched data to analysts. Once a verdict is made, automation handles reporting, email notifications, and purges. For some customers, purging used to take 6–8 hours manually. Swimlane now manages this in the background, checking every 30 minutes until it is complete, without requiring any analyst involvement.

How does automation help your team?

Our analysts should spend time analyzing, not formatting emails or running scripts. We use automation to pre-process messages, extracting URLs, scanning with VirusTotal, and detonating attachments in sandboxes, so analysts have the full context when reviewing. After they make a decision, Swimlane takes over, handling templated responses, customer notifications, and even initiating search-and-purge actions. What used to take 30 minutes now takes five.

What challenges led you to switch from SOAR to Swimlane?

Our previous SOAR provider was acquired, and not only did costs skyrocket, but the platform also became more challenging to use. It lacked critical features we needed to build and scale automation quickly and effectively. Beyond that, promised features like looping never materialized. With Swimlane, the features we were waiting years for were standard on day one. The flexibility and power of Turbine Canvas, from drag-and-drop playbooks to custom Python scripting, were immediately apparent.

What was the transition like from your SOAR platform to the Swimlane Turbine AI automation platform?

We had five weeks to transition to Swimlane, right over Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn’t think we’d make it. But Swimlane’s Technical Account Managers (TAMs) were incredible. They felt like part of our team, helping us rebuild two years of automation in weeks. By the time our old license expired, we had a fully functional production environment.

How has your experience been with Swimlane TAMs?

Game-changing. During migration, our TAM worked with us 40 hours a week; they felt like an extension of our team. Even now, we meet multiple times a week. Whether it’s building a custom widget or solving an urgent issue, they’ve always been reliable and quick to respond. I often tell them, “I could do this, but you can do it 5x faster.”

“Migrating years of work in just weeks seemed impossible. But our Swimlane TAM became an extension of our team, working hand in hand, building workflows, getting us fully operational in record time. If I had to describe my TAMs in one word, I would say reliable. They’re always there, whether for proactive guidance or immediate support. They’re our strategic partners, guiding us in building new capabilities and continuously improving. Ultimately, it’s about knowing our system is truly stable and optimized.”

• Mike Pilcher, Cybersecurity Specialist at Bayside Solutions 

What outcomes have you achieved since implementing Swimlane?

Time savings, plain and simple. We process hundreds of emails a day, and automation has significantly reduced manual effort. In fact, approximately 40% of our cases are now fully automated and never reviewed by a human. That gives our analysts time back for deeper analysis and strategic work. For our customers, it means faster responses and mitigation.

Would you recommend Swimlane?

“I recommend Swimlane to my peers because of its incredible automation flexibility. You can go from building playbooks with simple plug-and-play ‘Lego blocks’ to 100% custom Python scripts, all within the same playbook. Turbine offers more flexibility than any other SOAR I’ve used previously.”

• Mike Pilcher, Cybersecurity Specialist at Bayside Solutions