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Cortex XSIAM vs. Microsoft Sentinel
Transform your SOC with Cortex XSIAM® for up to 98% faster MTTR.
Microsoft Sentinel
Ecosystem Lock-in = Blind Spots and Bill Shock
- Microsoft-focused visibility forces custom pipelines for third-party and multicloud data.
- “Included” isn’t: E3/E5 covers only a few M365 logs; others incur metered fees.
- Complex licensing requires numerous add-ons. Retention and query fees force trade-offs that compromise effectiveness.
Why Cortex XSIAM
Open Platform, Richer Insights
Cortex XSIAM integrates with all major third-party tools to ingest, parse and stitch data for complete visibility into advanced attacks. Customers receive simple, predictable pricing for all data sources.
1000+
Third-party tool integrations.
Microsoft Sentinel
Manual Workflows = Slow Investigations
- There’s no native SOAR — workflow automation lives in a separate Azure service, forcing analysts to pivot between tools instead of focusing on threats.
- “No-code” response still needs JSON scripting and Azure expertise.
- Chasing evidence across Sentinel, Defender, Entra and a separate automation app can add 30+ clicks per incident.
Why Cortex XSIAM
Best-in-Class Automation, Blazing-Fast Response
With 1,000+ playbooks and 1,000+ integrations built in, Cortex XSIAM delivers automation at scale. Recommended playbooks turn response from guesswork into clockwork.
75%
Less manual work
Microsoft
Static rules = nonstop noise
- Detection engineers must constantly update and tune correlation rules to keep up with changing log formats and emerging attacks.
- Static correlation rules are rigid and blind to the unknown—leaving attackers a clear path through your defenses.
- Because rules are manually built and tuned, many environments experience high alert volumes and false positives.
Why Cortex XSIAM
Real Alerts, Real Insights
10,000+ detectors and 2,600+ ML models, optimized by Cortex researchers, spot advanced attacks instantly. The native Cortex XDR agent stops them in real time with uncompromising prevention.
100%
Detection and industry-low false positives in MITRE ATT&CK® Round 6
Side by side, there’s no comparison
Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM |
Microsoft Sentinel
| |
|---|---|---|
Cost Predictability | Predictable, All-In Pricing Flat capacity licensing covers ingest, selectable retention storage and SOAR — budget known day one. | Surprise Invoices E3/E5 logs are limited; retention and query meters add unplanned costs. |
Analytics | AI-Driven Threat Analytics 10,000+ detectors and 2,600+ ML models surface real anomalies — no hand-built queries required. | IoC Queries, Limited Context IoC-centric rules and KQL searches rely on manual tuning and miss novel attacker tactics. |
Data Coverage & Lock-In | 1,000+ Connectors and Integrations Full M365, multicloud, on-prem and third-party data. | Microsoft-Centric Data Model Third-party data requires custom parsing and pipelines, leaving analytical gaps and weakening threat correlations. |
Automation | End-to-End SOC Automation Integrated SOAR runs 1,000+ playbooks across detection, triage and response — cutting MTTR by up to 98%. | Weak, External and Disjointed Azure Logic Apps is separate; advanced response needs JSON scripts. |
Rule Maintenance | Adaptive Models, Zero Rule Debt Unit 42® research continuously tunes models, avoiding weekly rule rewrites and alert noise. | DIY Rules, Alert Overload Teams must craft correlation searches; gaps and false positives drain analyst time. |
Single Console, Unified Data Lake | Single Console, Full Visibility SIEM, XDR, SOAR, ASM and CDR share one data lake and UI — fewer pivots, faster answers. | Fragmented Azure Toolchain Sentinel plus Defender, Purview, Logic Apps and Entra span 5+ consoles and separate backends. |
Migration Speed | AI-Guided Rule Mapping LLM assistant aligns KQL/Splunk rules to XSIAM detectors with confidence scoring. | Manual Rule Rewrite Hand-built analytics and services work add weeks and risk gaps. |
Why Palo Alto Networks
Better security, proven results
Louisiana Government Transforms its SOC with AI-driven Cortex XSIAM®
300%
ROI achieved through modernization efforts
"We didn’t know what we were missing until we saw the capabilities of what XSIAM offered. It’s like removing a grainy film from my eyes, only I didn’t realize the film was there until I looked through the XSIAM lens. The possibilities are endless with these tools together."
100%Detection and industry-low false positives in MITRE ATT&CK Round 6
“The Al-driven approach is important in the security landscape, and vendors that can offer strong, tested. Al solutions will be important to watch. Palo Alto Networks’ Precision Al system is designed to achieve near 100% accuracy in detecting and preventing cyber threats, including sophisticated threats. The evolving security landscape is making Al integration an attractive way to address complex security problems through analysis of massive amounts of data.”
“Despite being the newest NG-SIEM on the market, …already boasting TDIR lifecycle management capabilities—from detection and alerting through to remediation response actions—that equal or surpass nearly every other competing solution.”
“The Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM platform supports a wide range of use cases including compliance, log management, [and] threat hunting … Centralizes all security data and uses ML data models designed specifically for security.”
“The Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM platform supports a wide range of use cases including compliance, log management, [and] threat hunting … centralizes all security data and uses ML data models designed specifically for security.”
“The Al-driven approach is important in the security landscape, and vendors that can offer strong, tested Al solutions will be important to watch. Palo Alto Networks’ Precision Al system is designed to achieve near 100% accuracy in detecting and preventing cyber threats, including sophisticated threats. The evolving security landscape is making Al integration an attractive way to address complex security problems through analysis of massive amounts of data.”
“Despite being the newest NG-SIEM on the market … already boasting TDIR lifecycle management capabilities — from detection and alerting through to remediation response actions — that equal or surpass nearly every other competing solution.”
“Cortex XSIAM has transformed our security operations the way our previous SIEM could not. XSIAM has enabled automation and orchestration to our detection, investigation, and response workflows — which has been a massive improvement over the productivity and the security posture for LOLC.”
“The capabilities of XDR and XSOAR have served us well. We view XSIAM as the next frontier in moving towards a next-generation SOC as it integrates various features in a single unified platform. With XSIAM, we expect greater automation and greater empowerment to our Cyber Operations team.”
“The Cortex portfolio has really helped our SOC mature. With so many threats coming in, having that toolset has really been a big benefit for us.We had a vision to build, manage and maintain the best state cyber operations center in the United States. Working with Palo Alto Networks, we’ve been able to bring that forward.”
100%Detection and industry-low false positives in MITRE ATT&CK Round 6
“The Al-driven approach is important in the security landscape, and vendors that can offer strong, tested. Al solutions will be important to watch. Palo Alto Networks’ Precision Al system is designed to achieve near 100% accuracy in detecting and preventing cyber threats, including sophisticated threats. The evolving security landscape is making Al integration an attractive way to address complex security problems through analysis of massive amounts of data.”
“Despite being the newest NG-SIEM on the market, …already boasting TDIR lifecycle management capabilities—from detection and alerting through to remediation response actions—that equal or surpass nearly every other competing solution.”
“The Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM platform supports a wide range of use cases including compliance, log management, [and] threat hunting … Centralizes all security data and uses ML data models designed specifically for security.”
“The Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM platform supports a wide range of use cases including compliance, log management, [and] threat hunting … centralizes all security data and uses ML data models designed specifically for security.”
“The Al-driven approach is important in the security landscape, and vendors that can offer strong, tested Al solutions will be important to watch. Palo Alto Networks’ Precision Al system is designed to achieve near 100% accuracy in detecting and preventing cyber threats, including sophisticated threats. The evolving security landscape is making Al integration an attractive way to address complex security problems through analysis of massive amounts of data.”
“Despite being the newest NG-SIEM on the market … already boasting TDIR lifecycle management capabilities — from detection and alerting through to remediation response actions — that equal or surpass nearly every other competing solution.”
“Cortex XSIAM has transformed our security operations the way our previous SIEM could not. XSIAM has enabled automation and orchestration to our detection, investigation, and response workflows — which has been a massive improvement over the productivity and the security posture for LOLC.”
“The capabilities of XDR and XSOAR have served us well. We view XSIAM as the next frontier in moving towards a next-generation SOC as it integrates various features in a single unified platform. With XSIAM, we expect greater automation and greater empowerment to our Cyber Operations team.”
“The Cortex portfolio has really helped our SOC mature. With so many threats coming in, having that toolset has really been a big benefit for us.We had a vision to build, manage and maintain the best state cyber operations center in the United States. Working with Palo Alto Networks, we’ve been able to bring that forward.”
