60% of adopters of AI SOCs have cut investigation time by at least 25%

Gurucul's 2025 Pulse of the AI SOC report highlights real ROI for AI SOC automation

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gurucul, the leader in data and security analytics, today announced the findings of its 2025 Pulse of the AI SOC research report, developed in partnership with Cybersecurity Insiders. Based on survey responses from 739 cybersecurity leaders worldwide, the report reveals that Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are facing unprecedented pressures, from escalating identity-based attacks and soaring alert volumes to staffing shortages and tool fragmentation. As a result, security teams are increasingly turning to AI as a practical, operational necessity.

The findings underscore a pivotal shift: AI is no longer a theoretical innovation for the SOC; it is rapidly becoming the foundation for scale, speed and resilience. While adoption is accelerating, operational use still lags, creating an execution gap that security leaders must urgently address.

Key findings from the report include:

• Identity and human risk are the top concerns, and the least visible: 78% of security leaders identify social engineering and phishing as their top threat, followed closely by identity-based attacks (73%). However, 67% still lack visibility into access behavior and lateral movement.
  
  
• Alert volume continues to rise: 88% of respondents say alert volume increased in the past year, with nearly half reporting spikes over 25%. Alert fatigue is now a top challenge for 76% of SOCs.
  
  
• Human capital is at a breaking point: 73% report analyst burnout and staffing shortages, with 64% still relying heavily on manual detection, triage and investigation processes.
  
  
• AI adoption is accelerating: 87% of respondents are deploying, piloting or evaluating AI-powered SOC tools, but only 31% use them across core detection and response workflows.
  
  
• AI automation is delivering ROI: 60% of adopters have cut investigation times by at least 25%, with measurable gains in faster triage and reduced analyst fatigue.
  
  
• CISO priorities align with AI capabilities: 72% are prioritizing faster investigations, 65% aim to reduce alert noise and 61% are investing in automation.

Holger Schulze, founder and CEO, Cybersecurity Insiders, said: "AI-powered SOCs are no longer just theory; they're cutting investigation times, reducing false positives, and lowering analyst burnout. Leaders are unifying identity and behavioral analytics as a force multiplier, turning fragmented data into decisions in seconds and getting ahead of threats instead of chasing them."

Saryu Nayyar, CEO, Gurucul, said: "The findings confirm what we see every day with our customers: SOCs are overwhelmed by the scale, speed and sophistication of modern threats, and AI has moved from hype to a proven catalyst for growth. But adoption must be strategic. AI in the SOC delivers real, measurable results when it's integrated deeply into detection, investigation, and response workflows, not just bolted onto existing tools."

The 2025 Pulse of the AI SOC report offers a data-driven view of how SOCs are modernizing, where AI adoption is succeeding, and where gaps remain in trust, integration, and operational use. The full report is available for download here.

About Gurucul
Gurucul is a security analytics company founded in data science that delivers radical clarity about cyber risk. We analyze enterprise data at scale using machine learning and native, secure artificial intelligence. Instead of useless alerts, you get real-time, actionable information about true threats. Our cloud-native platform is open and flexible, so it accommodates your environment and processes. Deploy it anywhere, use any data lake, and integrate it with any security tool. To learn more, visit gurucul.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Cybersecurity Insiders
Cybersecurity Insiders is the trusted source of evidence-backed intelligence for CISOs and security leaders worldwide. Built on more than a decade of analyst-led research and powered by a global community of 600,000+ cybersecurity professionals, we deliver original CISO surveys, incisive analysis, and expert commentary that enable decision-makers to benchmark risks, assess emerging technologies, and plan with confidence. Learn more at: https://cybersecurity-insiders.com

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SOURCE Gurucul