Five Ways Exabeam Delivers Better Detection and Security Outcomes Than Microsoft Sentinel

SIEM platforms play a central role in detecting and investigating threats. But not all SIEMs deliver the same level of visibility, detection quality, or operational efficiency.

Microsoft Sentinel is often deployed as part of a broader Microsoft stack. While it integrates well with Microsoft tools, it can require additional configuration, custom queries, and licensing to support more complex environments.

Exabeam takes a different approach. New-Scale Fusion is a cloud-native platform that uses behavioral analytics, automated investigation, and AI to improve detection quality and reduce manual effort. It collects and analyzes telemetry from cloud services and third-party technologies without requiring migration to a single ecosystem.

This blog outlines five key differences to help you evaluate which approach better supports your security operations.

1. Broader Ecosystem Visibility Without Vendor Constraints

Microsoft Sentinel works best with Microsoft-native data sources. Extending visibility to third-party tools often requires additional setup and tuning.

New-Scale Fusion works with cloud and third-party technologies using data normalized through the Common Information Model (CIM).

Outcome: You can analyze activity from across your environment without being locked into one vendor ecosystem.

2. Behavioral Analytics That Improves Detection Quality

Microsoft Sentinel includes user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), but effective detection often depends on custom Kusto Query Language (KQL) rules and ongoing tuning. Behavioral baselines are built from a limited set of data sources, which can restrict detection coverage.

New-Scale Fusion applies behavioral analytics to normalized data using New-Scale Analytics. It builds baselines automatically and assigns dynamic risk scores to prioritize activity that warrants investigation. Detection coverage mapped to MITRE ATT&CK^® aligns findings to known attacker behavior.

Agent Behavior Analytics (ABA) extends this model to non-human identities. New-Scale Fusion continuously models agent behavior and detects deviations in real time, including activity that appears legitimate in logs.

For agents created outside the Microsoft platform, Microsoft Sentinel relies on manually engineered SIEM rules applied to identity logs. While flexible, this approach lacks native behavioral analytics, risk scoring, and automated baselining for non-human identities. Security teams must build and maintain detections to close these gaps. 

Exabeam provides consistent behavioral protection for both Microsoft and third-party agents without requiring architectural migration or replacing your existing SIEM.

Outcome: You improve detection quality and reduce gaps in both user and AI agent activity.

3. Investigation Workflows That Reduce Manual Effort

In Microsoft Sentinel, analysts often assemble investigations by correlating alerts, logs, and context across tools. Security Copilot can assist, but it introduces a separate usage-based cost model and covers only specific workflows.

New-Scale Fusion automates investigations using Threat Timelines. These timelines reconstruct user and entity activity in a single view, enriched with context and dynamic risk scoring. Integrated threat intelligence helps explain why activity is relevant and what to investigate next.

Outcome: You reduce investigation time and analyst effort while improving consistency.

4. Predictable Pricing Without Hidden Costs

Microsoft Sentinel pricing can be difficult to forecast. Costs extend beyond data ingestion and include queries, automation, and AI usage. Licensing varies based on Microsoft subscriptions and usage patterns.

New-Scale Fusion uses a transparent pricing model. Behavioral analytics, automation, and AI capabilities are included, so you only pay for optional capabilities such as extended storage.

Built-in reporting supports compliance frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR without requiring custom development.

Outcome: You maintain predictable costs as your environment grows.

5. Embedded AI Agents That Improve Security Operations

Microsoft delivers AI capabilities through Security Copilot, which operates as a separate experience with usage-based pricing. Integration with Sentinel is still evolving and limited to specific workflows.

New-Scale Fusion embeds Exabeam Nova directly into the platform. It includes seven coordinated agents that assist in detection, investigation, and response:

• Advisor Agent: Provides posture insights and ATT&CK-aligned recommendations
• Search Agent: Converts natural language into Exabeam Query Language (EQL) aligned to the CIM
• Visualization Agent: Builds dashboards and charts automatically
• Investigation Agent: Generates summaries and next steps
• Analyst Assistant Agent: Guides analysts during investigations
• Rule Creator Agent: Generates and refines detection rules using behavioral context

These agents work together to reduce manual effort and streamline workflows.

Outcome: You apply AI to detection and investigation without introducing additional cost or complexity.

Microsoft Sentinel Pricing: Not as Simple as It Looks

Microsoft Sentinel is often described as free, but this applies only to limited data sources and usage scenarios.

In practice:

• Costs include data ingestion, storage, queries, and automation.
• Free tiers are limited and not designed for production.
• Full deployment requires Azure subscriptions and additional services.

Organizations often encounter these costs as they scale usage, making total cost harder to predict.

Conclusion

Choosing a SIEM requires more than comparing features. Detection quality, operational efficiency, and cost all affect outcomes.

New-Scale Fusion combines behavioral analytics, automation, and embedded AI agents to improve detection, accelerate investigation, and streamline response. It operates as a cloud-native platform that analyzes telemetry from cloud and third-party tools without vendor lock-in.

You improve detection quality, accelerate investigations, and maintain flexibility as your environment evolves.

Download the full guide, Exabeam vs. Microsoft Sentinel: Five Ways to Compare and Evaluate, to explore each difference in detail and understand how they impact detection, investigation, and cost at scale.