3 Ways to Start Your Intelligent Workflow Program

Why It Matters

Intelligent workflows turn isolated AI pilots into production‑ready processes, cutting operational drag and enhancing security and IT efficiency across the organization.

Key Takeaways

• 88% AI PoCs never reach production
• Automated phishing cuts analysis time dramatically
• Slack AI agents resolve service requests in seconds
• Vulnerability monitoring reduces response window to minutes
• Intelligent workflows keep humans in control

Pulse Analysis

Enterprises are grappling with a paradox: massive investment in AI tools but a dismal 88% failure rate for proofs‑of‑concept. The root cause is often a lack of end‑to‑end orchestration that ties AI insights to actionable steps. Intelligent workflows address this by embedding AI decision engines within automated pipelines, ensuring that models move beyond sandbox environments into real‑world operations. This integration not only improves adoption rates but also aligns AI initiatives with concrete business outcomes, such as reduced incident response times and higher employee productivity.

The three highlighted workflows illustrate practical pathways to operationalize AI. An automated phishing response leverages VirusTotal, URLScan.io, and Sublime Security to triage threats instantly, cutting analyst workload and accelerating containment. AI‑driven agents in Slack streamline IT service requests—password resets, app access, and more—delivering resolutions in seconds and freeing technicians for strategic projects. Meanwhile, continuous monitoring of CISA’s vulnerability feed paired with Tenable’s asset data transforms a reactive patching process into a proactive defense, shrinking remediation windows from days to minutes. Each use case demonstrates measurable gains: faster turnaround, lower false‑positive rates, and clearer audit trails.

Scaling intelligent workflows requires governance, observability, and a human‑in‑the‑loop philosophy. Organizations must define clear handoff points where AI confidence drops below thresholds, ensuring experts intervene before critical decisions. Robust logging and metric dashboards provide visibility into workflow health, supporting continuous improvement. As AI models evolve, the underlying workflow architecture remains a stable foundation, allowing firms to swap components without disrupting operations. By institutionalizing these patterns, companies can convert isolated pilots into a cohesive, enterprise‑wide automation strategy that drives sustained competitive advantage.

3 Ways to Start Your Intelligent Workflow Program

The Hacker News · February 18 2026

Security, IT, and engineering teams today are under relentless pressure to accelerate outcomes, cut operational drag, and unlock the full potential of AI and automation. But simply investing in tools isn’t enough. 88 % of AI proofs‑of‑concept never make it to production, even though 70 % of workers cite freeing time for high‑value work as the primary AI automation motivation. Real impact comes from intelligent workflows that combine automation, AI‑driven decisioning, and human ingenuity into seamless processes that work across teams and systems.

In this article we highlight three use cases across Security and IT that can serve as powerful starting points for an intelligent‑workflow program. For each use case we share a pre‑built workflow to help you tackle real bottlenecks with automation while connecting directly into your existing tech stack.

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Workflow #1 – Automated Phishing Response

For security teams, responding to phishing emails can be a slow, burdensome process given the number of alerts and the growing sophistication of phishing attacks. By streamlining phishing analysis with automated workflows, security teams of all sizes get time back to focus on more critical issues and alerts.

Pre‑built workflow: Analyze phishing email senders, URLs, and attachments – uses VirusTotal, URLScan.io, and Sublime Security to analyze file attachments, website behavior, email‑sender reputation, and detection‑rule matching. Results are consolidated in a Tines page and can be emailed for archiving or further analysis.

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Workflow #2 – Agents for IT Service‑Request Automation

IT service desks are often overwhelmed with repetitive, time‑consuming requests such as password resets, software‑access provisioning, hardware troubleshooting, and account management. These tasks pull valuable technical resources away from strategic initiatives. Deploying AI agents to handle routine service requests can dramatically reduce response times from hours to seconds, ensure 24/7 availability, and free IT teams to focus on complex problems that require human expertise.

Pre‑built workflow: Automate IT service requests using Slack and agents – creates AI agents that categorize and process requests received via Slack. Requests are classified into three categories (password resets, application access, other). Each category is handled by a specialized agent:

• Password‑reset agent verifies user identity and management relationships before processing.

• Application‑request agent identifies the correct application owner and facilitates access.

Responses are delivered over Slack, creating a self‑serve flow that reduces manual IT involvement while allowing teams to decide when AI acts and when humans stay in the loop.

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Workflow #3 – Monitor and Manage Vulnerabilities

Security teams face an unrelenting stream of newly disclosed vulnerabilities. CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog is updated continuously as threat actors weaponize critical flaws. Automating the connection between vulnerability‑intelligence feeds and your asset inventory transforms this reactive scramble into a proactive defense. By automating the vulnerability‑detection process, security teams can cut response windows from days to minutes and prioritize patching based on real exposure rather than theoretical risk.

Pre‑built workflow: Check for new CISA vulnerabilities – monitors the CISA Vulnerability RSS feed and uses the Tenable Vulnerability Management platform to check for vulnerable systems. If vulnerabilities are detected, a notification is sent via Microsoft Teams.

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Intelligent Workflows Keep Humans in the Loop

Intelligent workflows aren’t about replacing people; they’re about amplifying them. The three workflows above demonstrate how you can quickly move from isolated automation to connected, intelligent systems that blend AI, integrations, and human oversight to solve real operational problems.

Whether you’re responding to security threats, streamlining IT requests, or improving visibility into risk, these pre‑built workflows provide practical, production‑ready foundations you can adapt and extend as your needs evolve.

Tines’ intelligent‑workflow platform unites automation, AI agents, and human‑in‑the‑loop controls to reduce repetitive “muckwork,” speed execution, and free teams to focus on higher‑value work—while ensuring governance, integration, and scale so pilots don’t stall before they realize true value.

Get started today with one of these pre‑built workflows or another from the broader story library. Prove the value first‑hand and use it as a blueprint to scale an intelligent‑workflow program that drives meaningful impact across your organization.