Latest news with #SecurityCopilot
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft Expands Security Footprint: Is it the Next Revenue Pillar?
Microsoft's MSFT aggressive expansion into cybersecurity services is gaining momentum as a potential major revenue driver, with the company recently launching its European Security Program and reporting strong growth metrics in its security customer tech giant now serves 1.4 million security customers globally, with over 900,000 utilizing four or more security workloads, representing 21% year-over-year growth. This customer concentration suggests deepening enterprise relationships and higher revenue per customer, critical indicators for sustainable growth in the security European Security Program, announced in Berlin, offers free AI-based threat intelligence sharing to European governments, including all 27 EU member states. While provided at no cost, this strategic move positions Microsoft to capture future commercial opportunities and establishes the company as a trusted security partner across a significant economic integration of artificial intelligence into security operations appears central to Microsoft's strategy. The company processes 84 trillion daily threat signals and has introduced Security Copilot agents designed to autonomously handle high-volume security tasks. This AI-powered approach could differentiate Microsoft's offerings in an increasingly crowded cybersecurity identity service Entra has reached more than 900 million monthly active users, providing a substantial foundation for cross-selling additional security services. The company's multi-workload customer growth suggests successful expansion beyond basic security offerings into comprehensive enterprise cybersecurity threats intensifying globally and organizations increasing security budgets, Microsoft's expanding security portfolio — leveraging its cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities — positions the segment as a potentially significant revenue contributor alongside its established cloud and productivity businesses. Microsoft's 1.4 million security customers contrast sharply with pure-play cybersecurity specialists. CrowdStrike CRWD focuses on premium enterprise segments, with 48% of subscription customers adopting six or more cloud modules, while 32% utilize seven modules and 22% deploy eight or more modules as of April 2025. CrowdStrike's AI-native Falcon platform directly challenges Microsoft's security offerings, though CrowdStrike maintains superior endpoint protection brand recognition. Palo Alto Networks PANW serves more than 80,000 enterprise customers, pursuing platform consolidation strategies similar to Microsoft's multi-workload approach. Palo Alto Networks continues expanding AI capabilities through acquisitions, yet Palo Alto Networks lacks Microsoft's integrated cloud infrastructure advantages for seamless delivery. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Microsoft's fiscal 2025 revenues is pegged at $278.8 billion, suggesting 13.47% year-over-year growth. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $13.33 per share, indicating a 12.97% year-over-year increase. Microsoft Corporation price-consensus-chart | Microsoft Corporation Quote Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings stock's current valuation of 11.09 times forward sales appears to fully account for near-term growth potential, exceeding the Zacks Computer - Software industry average of 9.16 times. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of Microsoft have returned 10.1% year to date compared with the Zacks Computer & Technology sector's growth of 0.4%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research MSFT stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW) : Free Stock Analysis Report CrowdStrike (CRWD) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Using AI Both Helps And Hinders Cybersecurity
The use of generative AI in a cybersecurity context is providing examples of how it can both help and hinder security. In some cases, it seems to do both at once. Earlier this year, Microsoft unveiled a suite of Security Copilot-branded products that aim to help security teams respond to incidents. Microsoft used generative AI to augment incident management processes to add more context, helping security operators to better understand what happened, where, when, and to whom. It's a genuine improvement, though more incremental than revolutionary, not that there's anything wrong with that. As I noted at the time, augmentation of an existing process is fine for what it is, but it lacks ambition. There are plenty of existing tools for automating well-understood processes. The variability inherent to generative AI and large language models wasn't being used to best advantage. Given Microsoft's close alignment with generative AI companies, and its substantial resources, it seems only fair to expect more. Yet when that variability is embraced with too much enthusiasm, we get the opposite of improved security. Invariant Labs recently demonstrated how GitHub's MCP server can be used to expose private data using fairly straightforward prompt poisoning attack. It is barely a surprise that poorly sanitized input from uncontrolled sources might prove risky. The GitHub MCP example demonstrates that much use of generative AI is either entrenching existing poor practice or, in some cases, taking a backward step and re-introducing whole classes of sub-optimal security practice. By way of contrast, Crogl's knowledge engine takes full advantage of what machine learning, retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and large language models (LLMs) are good at. It goes beyond merely annotating existing processes and discovers what the existing process is by analyzing past incident response tickets. By connecting other security systems into the engine, Crogl is able to uncover what a highly-automated incident response should look like. Unlike Microsoft Security Copilot, Crogl is able to use the variability of generative AI to come up with a probably-good response plan for new incident types. The machine learning pattern recognition is able to detect the rough 'shape' of a potential attack and do what a human operator would do: check various systems to look for suspicious activity that indicates a likely compromise. This is just one example of differences in approach, but the key is that the technology itself is merely an enabler. While Microsoft, and GitHub, both push the Copilot brand and AI technology generally as a major selling point, Crogl uses the technology to deliver benefits to the customer. LLMs and machine learning are merely the conduit through which benefits to the customer are delivered. Microsoft's approach, and GitHub's to an extent, has focused on automating existing practices, some of which should probably not exist in the first place. Automating them entrenches poor practice and makes it difficult to remove. Crogl shows that automation can be used to uncover better ways of doing things and help put those in place instead. This is what cybersecurity desperately needs more of. It is frustrating that so much focus is placed on the technology of LLMs. The novelty of the tech can only do so much to overcome the limitations of what a product can deliver. As the market matures, we expect that companies that understand when using generative AI makes sense and, crucially, when it does not, will enjoy much greater success than those who remain fascinated by their new toy. Customers need outcomes, not just products. Hopefully that is where the focus will shift after the current AI excitement fades.
Hi Dubai
28-04-2025
- Business
- Hi Dubai
DEWA Showcases AI Innovations and Youth Development Initiatives at Dubai AI Week
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) underscored its leadership in artificial intelligence during Dubai AI Week, highlighting its pioneering initiatives to enhance energy and water sector efficiencies through advanced AI applications. At a series of discussion sessions and workshops, DEWA experts detailed the organisation's growing use of AI agents and computer-based solutions. Central to the presentations were 'Rammas', DEWA's AI-driven virtual employee, and 'Rammas at Work', which supports operations across power generation, transmission, distribution, and customer services. DEWA also spotlighted its early adoption of generative AI technologies, including Microsoft's Power Platform, 365 Copilot, and Security Copilot. As the first government entity in the UAE to integrate these tools, and among the first utilities globally, DEWA shared insights into its strategies for seamless AI implementation through its digital arm, Moro Hub. More than 100 students from DEWA Academy engaged in the event's interactive workshops, gaining hands-on experience with AI applications. Through educational activities and competitions, DEWA reinforced its commitment to nurturing a new generation of innovators ready to drive Dubai's AI-powered future. The sessions reflected DEWA's broader efforts to position itself at the forefront of digital transformation, focusing on operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and future talent development. News Source: Emirates News Agency
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft (MSFT) Expands AI-Driven Security Copilot with Six New Agents
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stands against other AI stocks dominating the news this week. Elon Musk and OpenAI have jointly proposed to fast-track their trial over OpenAI's transition to a for-profit company in December. According to OpenAI, the transition toward a for-profit company is crucial to staying ahead in the AI race and raising more capital in the process. Regardless of the shift, Bloomberg News has reported that the company is not expecting its cash flow to turn positive until 2029. READ ALSO: and . The report has confirmed that the company expects revenue to triple to $12.7 billion in 2025. However, it is struggling with significant costs from chips, data centers, and talent needed to develop cutting-edge AI systems, which is why cash flow may not turn positive until after a few years. The company expects its revenue to surpass $125 billion by this time. As of 2025, the company said its revenue will triple due to the strength of its paid AI software. Reuters further noted that the company must transition to a for-profit company by the end of the year to secure the full $40 billion funding led by SoftBank, which is in the final stages of raising. If OpenAI fails to restructure into a for-profit company by the end of the year, the bank may invest only $20 billion instead. The ChatGPT maker was originally given a two-year deadline, with the news marking an accelerated deadline. Provided it successfully completes its $40 billion funding round, it would be the largest of all time, according to data compiled by research firm PitchBook. The deal would set to value the company at $300 billion, including dollars raised. This is more than double the ChatGPT maker's previous valuation of $157 billion back in October. A part of this funding is anticipated to be used for OpenAI's commitment to Stargate, an AI infrastructure project announced by President Donald Trump. For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). manaemedia / Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) provides AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions, focusing on efficiency, security, and AI advancements. On March 24, the company announced that its Security Copilot agents will be available across the Microsoft end-to-end security platform. The Security Copilot with AI agents is designed to autonomously assist with phishing, data security, identity management, and more. The phishing triage agent takes care of common attacks and phishing alerts so that human defenders can focus on more complex tasks. Microsoft further elaborated how today's threat landscape requires improving cyber defences through AI, which is why it is expanding its Security Copilot with six security agents built by Microsoft and five security agents built by its partners. Overall, MSFT ranks 2nd on our list of AI stocks dominating the news this week. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
27-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Security teams embrace agentic AI
Companies and their cybersecurity teams are leaning into the new agentic world, experts say. Why it matters: Agentic AI can reduce workload and boost response times, but if it misfires, it could expose systems to serious threats. The big picture: While chatbots respond to prompts, agentic AI goes a step further and takes approved actions based on its own findings. Like any technological evolution, getting security teams to adopt AI takes time and education. Building confidence in new AI-enabled security tools also comes with a unique threat: If an AI tool gets something wrong, it leaves an opening for spies and cybercriminals to break in. Driving the news: Microsoft unveiled plans Monday to start previewing 11 new AI agents in Security Copilot next month. CrowdStrike added agentic AI to its security tools last month, and Trend Micro rolled out autonomous agents and its own AI brain to customers last year. Flashback: Just two years ago, major corporations were blocking employees from even opening ChatGPT for fears of data leaks. Yes, but: The tides have turned, and security is one of the clearest use cases for generative AI — especially since the industry has long had a dearth of available workers and faces high burnout rates. 65% of CISOs said in a survey last summer that their organizations are considered either "early adopters" or "early majority" adopters of new AI technologies, which could be influencing their newfound trust in AI tools. Half of the CISOs in that same survey also said they have developed some AI use cases or were piloting potential new AI projects for their teams. Between the lines: Many security teams just want agentic AI to help sort through the thousands of threat notifications they receive daily and determine which ones are legitimate threats to their organizations. When Microsoft customers first started playing around with their Security Copilot, they would stick to prescriptive use cases, like summarizing a recent incident, Dorothy Li, corporate VP of Microsoft Security Copilot, told Axios. As they've become more comfortable, some users now let Copilot automate as much of their workflow as possible, she added, which inspired Microsoft to bring autonomous agents into the mix. Many of those use cases involved responding to phishing alerts and notifications about vulnerabilities across the various tools in their stacks. Zoom in: Last month, CrowdStrike added an agentic capability to its security-focused large language model that automatically triages notifications for customers' security operations teams. Once implemented, the new tool can eliminate more than 40 hours of manual work per week, CrowdStrike estimates. CrowdStrike tests its new agentic capabilities internally against its own analysts' findings to ensure the tools are accurate and don't take inappropriate actions before they're deployed. That testing is key to building trust with customers, who include security teams in major corporations, Elia Zaitsev, chief technology officer at CrowdStrike, told Axios. "Everything in the generative AI space, in particular, by pretty much every measurement I've seen, is being adopted quicker than any technology out there," Zaitsev said. Reality check: A healthy amount of skepticism still remains in AI's promise for security teams, Zaitsev added. "People need to see those hard, quantifiable metrics," he said. "They need to see there's real ROI."
