CrowdStrike commissioned a survey of over1,000 cybersecurity professionals to learn Table of How Your Peers Are Thinking about GenAI 3Top 5 Takeaways4Survey Methodology5KEY FINDING 1: A Platform-Based Approach Is Preferred6KEY FINDING 2: Security Teams Want GenAI Built by Cybersecurity Experts8KEY FINDING 3: The Robots Will Augment Us, Not Replace Us9KEY FINDING 4: Measurable ROI Is More Important than Cost10KEY FINDING 5: Guardrails Are Required for Safe and Responsible Adoption11In Summary12CrowdStrike’s Approach to Generative AI13About CrowdStrike14 How Your Peers AreThinking about GenAI The pressure is mounting for security teams. As adversaries become faster and stealthier, The emergence of generative AI (GenAI) has the potential to help them do just that. With itsunique capabilities for natural language processing and synthesizing large amounts of data,GenAI can help security teams improve data awareness across silos and operate their security At the same time, the hype has reached a fever pitch. The avalanche of conversation andcontent about GenAI has made it hard for security teams to understand what’s possible and To help organizations navigate this uncertainty, CrowdStrike surveyed over 1,000 globalcybersecurity leaders and practitioners on their key criteria shaping GenAI adoption, With speculation swirling in the market, this survey reveals how security teams areactuallythinking about GenAI — and the results might surprise you. Top 5Takeaways Security teams want a platform-based approach80% of respondents prefer GenAI delivered through a cybersecurityplatform (versus a point solution). GenAI must be purpose-built for cybersecurity76% of respondents prefer GenAI tools purpose-built for cybersecurity,as opposed to domain-agnostic tools. 2 It’s about augmentation, not replacementRespondents overwhelmingly believe GenAI will ultimately optimize 3 Measurable ROI is a top priority The top economic concern about GenAI isn’t about cost — it’s about Safety and privacy remain top concerns Wary of GenAI risks, users ranked safety and privacy guardrails amongthe top features they want to see in GenAI tools. Survey CrowdStrike worked with research firm ViB to survey 1,022global cybersecurity and IT professionals in June and July 2024.Questions centered on perceptions, attitudes and concernstoward GenAI cybersecurity offerings. Respondents were also What is GenAI? Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) incybersecurity refers to AI systems that can createnew content — such as threat detection patterns, KEY FINDING 1 A Platform-Based How far along arecybersecurity professionalsin their GenAI buying journeys?Gen AI Buying Journey Early stages of adoption Respondents acknowledge that GenAI remains in its infancy, but feel confidentenough to initiate the buying journey. Almosttwo-thirds (64%) are researchingGenAI toolsor have already purchased one. Of those who have started theirGenAI buying journeys, nearly7 in 10 (69%) intend to make a purchase in the Integration is the top priority When considering a GenAI purchase, the top-ranked capabilityandleadingoperational concern for organizations ishow GenAI integrates with existingsecurity tools.These results show how GenAI’s value is linked to how well it workswithin the broader technology ecosystem. GenAI drives platform preference Nearlytwo-thirds (63%) of respondents said their organization would consider overhauling their security toolsto use the GenAI tools of another vendor.GenAI is seen as not only an accessible interface to security tools but a capabilitythat can help teams extract deeper insights and more value across tools — making it Why platform matters A platform-based approach to cybersecurity integrates multiple tools, data andprocesses into a unified system. When delivered as an integrated component of aplatform, GenAI can accelerate and augment the benefits of a platform approach. KEY FINDING 2 Security TeamsWant GenAI Built by Top 3 purchase drivers forGenAI security #1To improve my organization’s ability to #2To improve my organization’s #3To mitigate the impact of skills shortages Breach prevention remains a top priority Top 3 vendor selection criteria 74% of respondents have either been breached in the previous 12-18 months or are worriedthey may be vulnerable to a breach.Perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of respondents citedtheir primary motivation for considering GenAI tools is to better detect and respond to attacks. #1Validated leadership in cybersecurity#2Expertise in incident response Cybersecurity expertise beats general AI leadership Top 3 target security outcomes When selecting a GenAI tool,respondents prioritize vendors with deep cybersecurity expertise,strong incident response capabilities and leadership in threat intelligence. These factors outweighmore general AI leadership, such as a vendor's investment in AI research or partnerships with large #1Faster mean time to respond#2I