Allie Mellen,

Allie Mellen

Principal Analyst

Allie Mellen is a Forrester analyst covering security operations, nation-state threats, and the use of automation, machine learning, and AI in security tools. She is a computer engineer by trade and has held various engineering roles in her career, including doing research at MIT, running her own engineering consultancy, and being a hacker before finally becoming a security practitioner. She now advises Fortune 500 CISOs and security teams on their detection and response practice and frequently speaks at industry-leading events and with the press.

Allie is a featured speaker at many leading security conferences, including RSA Conference, Black Hat, HOPE, and many others. She is frequently quoted in top business press outlets including NPR, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, CNBC, and Dark Reading.

Budget Planning Guide 2027: Security And Risk Leaders Must Confront The AI Cost Explosion
Outside your subscription
Planning Guide Report
July 8th, 2026
14 min read

Forrester’s guide to what to invest, divest, experiment with, and avoid in security and risk to contend with technology disruptions as agentic AI and post-quantum migration converge in 2027.

Research Coverage

Planned Research

What research can you expect from Forrester in the next 12 months? Updated biweekly, our publishing plan will keep you current with market and technology trends. Use the link below to download a list of our upcoming research.

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August 27th, 2026 5:00 PM - 5:40 PM Webinar

The Forrester Wave™: Extended Detection And Response Platforms, Q2 2026

Join this Forrester webinar to understand the findings from The Forrester Wave™: Extended Detection And Response Platforms, Q2 2026. The extended detection and response (XDR) market is changing rapidly; platform providers are beginning to understand the role of AI in future security operations while maintaining core capabilities like endpoint agent management, endpoint detection capabilities, and response automation. Hear about key trends, explore the latest capabilities in today’s XDR platforms, and understand how to use the Forrester Wave evaluation to shortlist the vendors that are the best fit for your organization.Key takeaways: Understand current market dynamics and the latest cutting-edge features of XDR providers.Learn how vendors are incorporating AI into security operations, specifically for triage and investigation.Understand the criteria used to identify the Leaders, Strong Performers, and Contenders, and learn how to navigate the interactive Forrester Wave tool to build a personalized vendor shortlist.Target audience level: intermediate