AI-driven SOC Analyst tools are now an integral part of security operations management, though the market segment itself continues to evolve. The concept of ‘AI SOC’ today encompasses various aspects of security operations management, ranging from endpoint security and SIEM-based analytics to AI-based agents that aid in investigating and responding to security incidents.
Though many tools lean toward the investigation and response aspects of security operations management, their true potential lies in their integration with other tools.
In this blog, we highlight a best-of-breed compilation of AI-driven SOC Analyst tools based on Gartner Peer Reviews, considering a broader definition of AI SOC, which represents how these solutions are used in practice.
Darktrace NDR
Strengths
Reviewers praised Darktrace NDR’s automated and AI-driven investigative capabilities. In particular, they liked the way Darktrace’s Cyber AI Analyst effectively triaged incidents, grouped similar alerts together, and organized investigations to expedite remediation. Intuitive workflows, such as Model Management, Advanced Search, and Omni-search, were also noted. These interfaces help limit false positives and facilitate more in-depth analysis of data.
Darktrace NDR also scored highly for its model tuning, which they described as “relatively simple to execute”, and stated that having direct access to the company’s support team drove the rapid fine-tuning of results. In total, Darktrace got high ratings for providing automated network monitoring and response.
Limitations
Although reviewers spoke favourably of Darktrace NDR, they pointed out that there are integration gaps, particularly in Jira incident categorization. As a result, they had to manually update the categorizations, resulting in reduced efficiency.
Reviewers also pointed out that its limited in-platform enrichment tools required switching screens for deeper context into alerts, and that system-generated alerts were often vague, and required support tickets for clarification. They said this slowed response times during critical investigations.
It is also worth noting that Darktrace’s AI SOC solution requires Darktrace ActiveAI Security Platform, so it’s not tool-agnostic.
Prophet Security (Prophet AI)
Strengths
Prophet Security has been rated number one for being an “Instant AI SOC Analyst” especially in enterprise environments. It received a 5.0 rating for being ready on day one with a signal-agnostic methodology of ingesting alerts from multiple security platforms and tools. Reviewers also enjoyed the fact that Prophet AI needed minimal setup.
Prophet AI performed well in terms of giving context and combining data from tools like Okta and Google Workspace; this allowed analysts to better understand an incident and decide when a human analyst was needed most.
The reviewers liked how easy it is to integrate into their systems and the excellent support that Prophet Security provided, receiving 5.0 rating for rapid deployment and great communications. The reviewers also liked the customer-focused and visionary direction of Prophet’s road map, which significantly reduces noise and improves compliance and risk management results.
Limitations
Reviewers noted that Prophet AI does not generate new detections of its own, though Prophet AI can tell you which detection need tuning. For the initial detection/alert, Prophet AI first integrates with the alert-generating tools, such as SIEM, EDR, Email security, cloud security, etc. If you’re looking for a detection tool or a SIEM functionality, Prophet AI does not offer those solutions.
The feedback on product capabilities indicates that the company has the potential to create additional autonomous analyses or detection performance beyond what is currently available in its alert-based model.
CrowdStrike Falcon EPP
Strengths
CrowdStrike Falcon EPP scored well for its lightweight architecture and proactive endpoint protection. Reviewers noted the ease of mass-deploying Falcon across remote laptops with little to no impact on performance, as well as the full visibility from a centralized console. Falcon uses behavioral and cloud-based detection to find script-based malware (fileless attacks) and other threats that are often missed by traditional security products.
Many organizations said they were able to remediate incidents in under an hour using the product’s automated blocking and reporting features. This has greatly reduced the amount of work that is required from endpoint teams for each incident.
Limitations
Although CrowdStrike Falcon is a powerful tool, reviewers stated that its reports and alerts are very technical, and non-specialist teams would struggle to interpret them without extensive knowledge of processes and scripting. Additionally, the initial configuration of advanced policies can be complex for those lacking mature security expertise.
Service and support were rated slightly lower than other aspects of the product, indicating areas for improvement in spite of Falcon’s overall performance.
SentinelOne Singularity AI SIEM
Strengths
SentinelOne Singularity AI SIEM, part of the Singularity platform, is mentioned in Gartner reviews for its AI-driven threat detection and unified security for endpoints, cloud, and identity environments, which enable real-time, autonomous protection through a single agent or console.
Reviewers praised its capabilities to detect threats faster, respond more quickly, significantly reduce MTTR, and filter out false positives using advanced AI analytics. Users have praised its capabilities in terms of visibility, automation, scalability, and integration, with high recommendation rates due to its ease of deployment and efficiency benefits to SOC teams.
Limitations
However, it also faces challenges common to advanced SIEM platforms, including potential resource consumption and performance impacts in large-scale cloud environments. Some users spoke of integration complexities with existing tools and the need for skilled people to leverage its AI-driven features amid broader SOC alert fatigue issues.
Compared to legacy SIEMs, it may need to be adapted for organizations without prior EDR experience, though its no-code automation and unified console help mitigate steep learning curves in many deployments.
Cortex XDR
Strengths
Gartner reviewers liked Cortex XDR for the speed at which it is able to identify threats and block them before they wreak havoc. Also, the comprehensive logging functionality of this product lets companies perform detailed forensic analysis of each incident (for instance, where did the threat originate).
Cortex XDR’s signature-based threat prevention functionality was said to help prevent the proliferation of ransomware attacks. They also praised the ease of deploying Cortex XDR and integrating it into an entity’s existing IT infrastructure. It was one of the reasons why it scored highly for deployment and integration.
Limitations
While the majority of Gartner Peer Review respondents said they were satisfied with their Cortex XDR purchase, some expressed dissatisfaction with service and support. Specifically, some respondents noted delays in receiving technical assistance center (TAC) responses and, therefore, were unable to resolve issues in a timely manner.
Despite overall satisfaction rates remaining relatively strong, respondents noted minor gaps in product capabilities and contracting compared to the ease of deploying Cortex XDR.
Comparison Matrix
| Platform | Primary Focus | Key Strength | Key Limitation | Gartner Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darktrace NDR | Network Detection & Response | Automated triage and investigation | Limited integration depth | 4.8 |
| Prophet Security | AI SOC Analyst for Enterprise | Alert investigation and contextualization | No independent threat hunting | 4.9 |
| CrowdStrike Falcon EPP | Endpoint Protection | Lightweight, proactive detection | Technical complexity for users | 4.7 |
| SentinelOne Singularity AI SIEM | AI SIEM & XDR | AI-powered threat detection and automation | Resource demands in large environments | 4.8 |
| Cortex XDR | XDR & Threat Prevention | Real-time blocking and logging | Support delays | 4.6 |
Conclusion
Today’s AI SOC analyst landscape is crowded, but this is no accident. Each one has something unique and complementary to offer the modern security operation. If you need AI-infused endpoint detection and proactive threat hunting, then CrowdStrike or SentinelOne is the way to go. If you need automation of detection and response at speed, then Darktrace and Cortex XDR are the best choices. If the problem you really need to solve is the issue of alert fatigue, then Prophet Security is the force multiplier for human analysts that SOCs need, especially those drowning in the sea of high-volume alerts.
Based upon Gartner Peer Review feedback, no single platform is considered superior to all others. Instead, choosing the right platform will depend upon an organization’s level of maturity, its current IT infrastructure, and its specific operational requirements.
