In a time when cybersecurity threats continue to evolve at an unprecedented rate, CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. is pushing the boundaries of what the enterprise can expect from cloud-based security solutions.

CrowdStrike is known for its innovative approach, and at this week’s Fal.Con event, the company didn’t disappoint. This year’s event marked “the most product announcements we’ve had over the seven years of Fal.Con, the most customers we had at one event, and really it’s our best-selling event of the year,” said George Kurtz (pictured), the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer.

The excitement was palpable, with particular attention given to the introduction of Charlotte AI, a groundbreaking artificial intelligence tool for security operations.

Kurtz spoke with theCUBE industry analyst Dave Vellante at the Fal.Con event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the company’s new announcements, its focus on AI and the Charlotte AI demo. (* Disclosure below.)

Charlotte AI aims to be a game-changer in security operations efficiency

Kurtz was enthusiastic when discussing Charlotte AI, which is aimed at improving the efficiency of security operations.

“It’s taking the collective knowledge of CrowdStrike and empowering that SOC analyst not only with our knowledge, but to actually do work,” he said.

The demo showcased real-time query responses and reduced what usually takes security analysts eight hours down to a mere eight minutes. When questioned about its authenticity, Kurtz stated, “What we demonstrated exists today; it’s delivering value.”

AI has come a long way, and according to Kurtz, CrowdStrike started focusing on large language models “over a year ago.” Generative AI is a newer technology, one that the company is embracing fully.

“We’ve got a data science team that is very robust; we spent a lot of time in this area,” Kurtz explained. “We looked at this and said, ‘Hey, this can be really useful.'”

For companies considering Charlotte AI, the pricing model would be very familiar to their existing customers.

“The way we sell our technology today is by the number of endpoints or workloads,” Kurtz explained. “Per endpoint, it’s going to be less than a cup of coffee per month. There’ll be a list price, and then the more you buy, the cheaper it gets.”

AI is essential to outpace cyber adversaries

On the topic of cloud security, which has been a significant aspect of CrowdStrike’s strategy, Kurtz pointed out the necessity of adapting to the complexities that cloud technologies bring.

“With each level of complexity comes risk, and you have to have the right security controls and products in place to address those,” he said, revealing that CrowdStrike aims to be the “most comprehensive code to cloud security stack in the industry today.”

While AI is significantly influencing the cybersecurity landscape, concerns about the rapid pace of AI development are rising. When asked about the calls to slow down AI, Kurtz’s response was decisive.

“The adversaries are already using it,” he said. “As defenders, we have to use this technology and put it in our arsenal.”

The competition is always an intriguing subject in any industry, but especially in cybersecurity. Addressing CrowdStrike’s performance compared to Microsoft’s Defender, Kurtz opined that while Microsoft might be “good enough,” their solutions have a high degree of overlap with CrowdStrike’s more comprehensive offerings.

“We have many customers that overlap; they might actually have Defender, but they still have CrowdStrike,” he stated.

CrowdStrike’s journey has been long, but the company has successfully managed to stay ahead of the curve, thanks to its unwavering focus on innovation and a keen understanding of the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity. With new tools like Charlotte AI and a comprehensive cloud security stack, CrowdStrike is poised to redefine what businesses can expect from their cybersecurity providers.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Fal.Con event:

(* Disclosure: CrowdStrike sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither CrowdStrike nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE