June 1, 2026

From Alerts to Insight: How Agentic AI Elevates Security Teams

SANS First Look White Paper

AI-driven security operations need more than automation. They need transparency, trust, and control.

Security Operations Center (SOC) teams are overwhelmed by alert volume, investigation complexity, and fragmented tooling. Traditional SOC automation relies on rigid playbooks, while many AI security platforms operate as black boxes with limited visibility into how investigative decisions are made.

In this SANS First Look, Cristian-Mihai VIDU shares an independent look at how agentic AI can help security teams accelerate investigations, reduce alert fatigue, and improve operational efficiency while maintaining analyst oversight and transparency.

Written by Cristian-Mihai VIDU | May 2026

Sponsored by Embed Security

in this paper, you’ll learn:

Why traditional SOC automation falls short
The risks of black box AI in security operations
What agentic AI means for modern SOC teams
How transparent AI reasoning improves security analyst and leadership confidence
Best practices for operationalizing AI-driven investigations

Read The Paper

about the author

Cristian-Mihai VIDU: SANS Certified Instructor & SOC Consultant

Cristian-Mihai VIDU teaches SEC450: SOC Analyst Training at SANS Institute, where he helps security teams build practical, real-world cyber defense skills. His work focuses on SOC operations, investigation workflows, detection engineering, and the evolving role of AI in security operations.

In this paper, Cristian explores how agentic AI can help SOC teams move beyond rigid playbooks and opaque AI systems by embedding transparent investigative reasoning directly into security workflows.

“The visibility means better detection engineering and more accurate threat hunting — not just alert triage.”

why agentic AI matters

Modern SOC teams are expected to investigate more alerts, respond faster, and operate with fewer resources than ever before. Agentic AI platforms are emerging to help security teams reduce noise, accelerate investigations, and scale analyst workflows while still giving defenders visibility into how conclusions are reached.

This SANS First Look explores how organizations can operationalize AI-driven investigations responsibly while maintaining transparency, oversight, and analyst trust.

watch the companion webcast

In the companion SANS webcast, Cristian-Mihai VIDU joins Dr. Jeffrey Johns and Seth Summersett to discuss how agentic AI is reshaping SOC investigations, reducing alert fatigue, and helping security teams operationalize AI with greater transparency and analyst trust.