Attack speeds hit 27 seconds. SOCs need to match that pace.
Cybersecurity teams face a fundamental problem: attackers now breach networks faster than humans can respond. The average time to crack defenses has dropped to 27 seconds, down from 54 seconds two years ago. Legacy security tools and manual processes can't keep up.
AI-powered attacks move at machine speed. They exploit legitimate credentials, compromise trusted software, and infiltrate supply chains before analysts finish their morning coffee. Traditional Security Operations Centers (SOCs) rely on human monitoring and detection systems designed for slower threats. That gap is widening.
The talent shortage compounds the problem. Security teams are understaffed and burned out. Hiring hasn't kept pace with attack velocity. Organizations need a different approach.
Agentic AI adds speed without removing humans
EY Agentic SOC, built on the CrowdStrike platform, combines AI agents with human oversight. The agents detect threats, analyze patterns, and act in real time. Humans make strategic decisions and handle edge cases that require judgment.
The platform deploys intelligent agents that reason through threats, make decisions on the fly, and learn across different attack domains. They automate time-consuming tasks-alert triage, pattern matching, response orchestration-that slow down human analysts. This frees security teams to focus on investigation and strategy rather than routine work.
EY operationalizes this as a managed service. Custom AI workflows are tailored to each organization's infrastructure, detection gaps, and security priorities. The service includes end-to-end evaluation of data architecture, modernization of detection capabilities, and ongoing optimization.
What this means for operations teams
Operations leaders see three immediate benefits. First, response times drop dramatically when agents handle initial threat assessment and containment. Second, alert fatigue decreases because agents filter noise and escalate genuine threats. Third, teams can operate at scale without proportional hiring.
The approach doesn't eliminate human judgment-it amplifies it. Analysts spend time on decisions that matter rather than processing routine alerts. Teams move from reactive firefighting to adaptive, proactive defense.
Organizations still using legacy SIEM systems face a choice: invest heavily in modernization or adopt agentic SOC as a managed service. The latter offers a faster path for teams not ready to fully automate defenses.
The shift is already underway
Frontier AI models promise even more sophisticated attack capabilities. Organizations that wait will find themselves further behind. Those that adopt AI-driven defense now build an advantage that compounds over time.
For operations teams, this isn't optional. Attack speeds have already changed the game. Defense tools must follow.
Learn more about AI for Cybersecurity Analysts or explore how AI Agents & Automation are reshaping security operations.
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