ABSTRACT

Most security teams can now build a working AI agent in a few days, and that demo is real. The harder question is what it takes to get from that prototype to a system your whole SOC relies on across every shift, and whether your team should be the one to build it.

This evaluation guide is for the security engineers, architects, and SOC leaders making that call. It covers:

• What you're actually choosing between when you build or buy
• The six capabilities an agentic system needs before it can be trusted with real alerts
• What it takes to build them, in time and engineers
• When building is the right call, and what should trigger a second look
• Twelve questions to put to your internal team and any vendor you're considering

The download also includes a two-page executive brief for the security leaders signing off on the decision.