Why Traditional AI Isn’t Enough—and What CISOs Need Now

Security leaders are under mounting pressure from every direction.

Attack volume continues to rise. Identity-based and AI-generated threats are overwhelming teams. Analysts are burning out. And CISOs are still expected to track use case coverage, communicate program value, and justify every dollar spent. Traditional tools—rules engines, dashboards, and fragmented point solutions—haven’t kept up.

So the question is no longer whether AI belongs in the SOC. The question is: Can AI deliver results that matter?

To do that, AI needs to go beyond task automation. It must interpret data, prioritize threats, streamline investigations, and help security leaders lead. That’s the promise of agentic AI—a new generation of intelligent systems designed to align with strategic outcomes and act with autonomy, context, and purpose.

This blog explores how agentic AI supports four top priorities for security leaders:

• Accelerating detection and response
• Turning data into actionable insight
• Scaling analyst effectiveness amid talent shortages
• Demonstrating the value of the SOC to stakeholders

We’ll highlight how Exabeam Nova, an agent-based, AI-native system embedded in the New-Scale Security Operations Platform, helps CISOs and security teams work smarter and faster.

Accelerating Detection and Response at Scale

Modern threats move faster than humans can respond. AI-generated malware and credential-based attacks are constantly mutating. Analysts can’t keep pace, and traditional tools weren’t built for this scale or speed.

That’s why reducing mean time to respond (MTTR) is a critical metric for CISOs. Behavioral analytics remains essential for detecting subtle threats, but AI is now expected to drive action, not just surface alerts.

Exabeam Nova meets this need with a tightly integrated system of six AI agents, each aligned to a specific SOC function. For example, the Investigation Agent automatically generates case summaries, classifies activity, highlights key threat vectors, and recommends next steps. The Search Agent lets analysts explore incidents using natural language—no custom syntax required. Together, they enable faster, more accurate investigation and response.

Turning Data Overload Into Actionable Insight

Security teams are drowning in data but starved for insight. Billions of logs are collected daily, yet meaningful anomalies often remain buried.

The Threat Scoring Agent reduces noise by applying adaptive learning to highlight what matters. The Visualization Agent helps see trends and patterns through dashboards and charts. The Analyst Assistant Agent supports Tier 1 analysts with case-specific insights, reducing the need to pivot between tools.

As CISOs evaluate AI adoption, many will favor human-in-the-loop solutions that guide decisions but keep analysts in control. With Exabeam Nova, analysts are empowered by automation, not sidelined by it.

Industry analysts agree. Gartner notes that “people will always contribute key capabilities to the SOC” and recommends focusing AI utility on augmentation, not replacement. That’s exactly the principle behind agentic AI.

Scaling Analyst Impact Without Growing the Team

Burnout is a defining issue in security operations. 84% of cybersecurity professionals report feeling burned out. Half say it’s why they leave. The cost of inaction is operational breakdown.

According to Gartner, by 2028, one-third of all senior SOC roles could remain unfilled for more than a year. That makes retention, upskilling, and productivity force multipliers critical.

Exabeam Nova helps close the gap. The Investigation Agent automates timeline creation and evidence gathering. The Analyst Assistant Agent helps junior analysts work more like seasoned responders. By offloading repetitive tasks and giving analysts tools that scale their capabilities, agentic AI reduces burnout and extends team capacity without increasing headcount.

Making the Business Case for Security Operations

CISOs are increasingly asked to quantify the impact of their security programs. That means tracking maturity, demonstrating use case coverage, and clearly communicating outcomes to stakeholders. But even as expectations rise, many CISOs still lack real-time visibility into how their programs are performing—or where the gaps are. Proving value remains one of the hardest tasks in the role.

The Advisor Agent within Outcomes Navigator addresses this challenge directly. It delivers daily, leadership-ready summaries that map posture to MITRE ATT&CK^® coverage, track use case maturity, and highlight areas for improvement. CISOs can benchmark progress, simulate the impact of proposed changes, and confidently communicate results to boards and executive teams.

The Exabeam Nova system of coordinated agents reflects a broader shift in security architecture—away from fragmented tools and toward outcome-driven platforms. Gartner calls this a move toward connected systems that “break down security silos” and empower analysts to spend less time on tedious triage and more on strategic detection.

Smarter Operations, Measurable Outcomes

Agentic AI isn’t a panacea, but it offers what CISOs have long been asking for: real, measurable outcomes. Faster response. Sharper focus. Less burnout. And better visibility into how the SOC is performing.

Read the Exabeam Nova feature brief to see how these six purpose-built AI agents can help your team operate smarter and prove the impact of your security program.

Then download the white paper to explore how agentic AI supports your top priorities and what to look for when evaluating AI-powered solutions.