Download "Beyond the Hype: AI Agents in the SOC Benchmark Study"
The Cloud Security Alliance partnered with Dropzone AI to measure what actually happens when SOC analysts use AI assistance. Real analysts. Real alerts. Real results. No vendor spin. Get the independent data your board needs to make informed AI investment decisions.
Key Findings This Year:
148 SOC analysts tested in real-world scenarios
45-61% faster investigation completion with AI assistance
22-29% higher accuracy in identifying required actions
94% became AI advocates after hands-on experience
45%
faster on cloud security alerts
61%
faster on identity/access alerts
Read What the CSA Benchmark Study Revealed
94% of skeptical SOC analysts became AI advocates after hands-on testing
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) independently conducted this study with 148 real SOC analysts. The CSA maintained complete control over methodology and results, ensuring unbiased findings. Participants tested AI-assisted versus manual investigation methods across two real-world security scenarios, providing objective data on performance improvements.
AI-assisted SOC teams completed investigations 45-61% faster than manual teams. Specifically, Scenario 1 took 58 minutes with AI versus 105 minutes manually (45% faster), and Scenario 2 took 30 minutes with AI versus 78 minutes manually (61% faster). These speed gains came with higher accuracy, not at its expense.
No. The study showed immediate results without training. 53% of analysts called the platform "intuitive" on first use, and 94% reported faster investigations immediately. Participants had no prior experience with the platform yet achieved 45-61% speed improvements and 22-29% accuracy gains during their first session.
AI-assisted analysts were 22-29% more accurate in identifying required actions. AI teams achieved 85-97% accuracy rates compared to 63-68% for manual teams. Additionally, AI-assisted analysts maintained better consistency, with only 16% performance decline between investigations versus 29% for manual teams.
Yes, all experience levels showed similar improvements. The study included analysts from 0-2 years (56%), 3-5 years (32%), and 6+ years (18%) of experience. AI assistance normalized performance across all levels, helping juniors work more accurately while preventing senior analyst fatigue.