Following a successful it-sa, Arctic Wolf is preparing to enter the Polish market. Sales executive Tim Berndt explains why the company is taking its DACH model eastward, how agentic AI is easing the burden on the SOC, and why openness to partners and sovereign cloud environments matters.
Arctic Wolf is expanding beyond the DACH region. During a virtual press briefing, Tim Berndt, Regional Vice President Sales DACH, confirmed that the cybersecurity provider is taking a step into Eastern Europe, with Poland as its chosen market. At the same time, the company is increasingly relying on technology rather than additional staff to scale its Security Operations Center (SOC).
Berndt described it-sa as Arctic Wolf’s most important event of the year in the region. The company significantly exceeded its ambitious targets at the event. Arctic Wolf once again exhibited in Hall 7, with a booth that Berndt estimated was twice the size of the previous year’s. An average of around 30 employees were on site on each of the three days, and during peak hours, between approximately 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., conversations with visitors continued virtually uninterrupted. For Berndt, this demonstrates sustained interest in the Arctic Wolf brand.
Portfolio Expanded Through Acquisitions
Many conversations at the booth focused on the expanded portfolio. Berndt highlighted endpoint security following the acquisition of Cylance and the resulting Aurora Endpoint products, as well as Attack Surface Management, which was introduced recently and, together with Aurora Vulnerability Management, forms a unified exposure management approach. His reasoning: Organizations can only protect what they can see. Combined with effective patch management, these capabilities round out the offering for existing and new customers. Incident Response and Threat Intelligence also attracted considerable interest. In a June press release, the company additionally announced the acquisition of exposure assessment provider Sevco Security and highlighted more than 250 integrations available through its platform.
Poland as a Gateway to Eastern Europe
Arctic Wolf is entering another European market. The company is taking its next step into Eastern Europe and has chosen Poland, Berndt said. He pointed to strong growth, a high level of cyberthreat exposure, and a business landscape dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, similar to the DACH region. Every additional language, both in customer communications and in the technical operations of the SOC, requires investment.
Technology Supports Growth as Concierge Team Expands
According to Berndt, SOC staffing levels are currently remaining stable, with technology compensating for the lack of additional personnel. Automation and the introduction of agentic AI play an important role in this. Berndt acknowledged that others would have to assess how far this model could scale. However, he expects further investment in SOC staffing once the company reaches a certain number of new customers. The Concierge Team, which advises and supports customers following onboarding, continues to grow significantly and, according to Berndt, is now considerably larger than the SOC workforce. In June, the company emphasized that AI should support human decision-making rather than replace it.
Berndt measures customer satisfaction through renewal rates and the Net Promoter Score. The NPS stands above 70 (70.10 according to the June press release), and the company has experienced virtually no customer losses since launching in the region more than five and a half years ago. For Berndt, this validates the company’s approach to agentic AI.
Openness as a Differentiator
When asked what sets Arctic Wolf apart, Berndt pointed to the breadth of its portfolio and its vendor-agnostic approach, coordinated through the Concierge Service. Rather than having individual animal trainers, Arctic Wolf has a ringmaster who brings all the different disciplines together. Berndt considers this combination unique in the industry, although this is his own assessment. He also noted that the boundaries between providers are becoming increasingly blurred, as defenders are ultimately all on the same side. A platform transformation over the past 18 to 24 months has also enabled Arctic Wolf to integrate new technologies in shorter development cycles. In terms of digital sovereignty, Arctic Wolf is pursuing partnerships with sovereign cloud providers, among other initiatives. The company currently meets the data protection requirements of the European market, although maintaining compliance remains an ongoing process.
Threat Landscape and Outlook
Referring to SOC Director Dr. Schmerl, Berndt described the threat landscape as remaining highly challenging, with attacks increasing in both volume and speed. However, many attacks are carried out at scale and can be effectively countered with technology.
Arctic Wolf plans to maintain its presence at trade shows in 2027. The company has already taken its first steps into the public sector and participated in Smart City for the first time. Plans also include a technology refresh roadshow for existing customers across five or six cities in the DACH region, as well as regular SOC tours for customers and prospects. According to Berndt, the region accounts for a substantial share of Arctic Wolf’s revenue growth in Europe and now has a stable organizational foundation, with established sales districts and management structures. For the first time, this allows the company to pursue strategic rather than reactive growth.
Dr. Jakob Jung is Editor-in-Chief of Security Storage and Channel Germany. He has been working in IT journalism for more than 20 years. His career includes Computer Reseller News, Heise Resale, Informationweek, Techtarget (storage and data center) and ChannelBiz. He also freelances for numerous IT publications, including Computerwoche, Channelpartner, IT-Business, Storage-Insider and ZDnet. His main topics are channel, storage, security, data center, ERP and CRM.
Contact via Mail: jakob.jung@security-storage-und-channel-germany.de