As cyber threats continue to grow in volume and complexity, organisations and managed service providers (MSPs) are faced with a growing stream of alerts. Sorting through these to identify the true risks takes time, expertise and resources. Being faced with a flood of notifications means false positives are not just a nuisance, they are a serious problem. They waste valuable time, drain analysts’ focus and contribute to alert fatigue.
What is alert fatigue?
On average, each false alert takes approximately 15 minutes to investigate. This wastes time that could be better spent on responding to major incidents. This continuous information overload not only exhausts security analysts mentally but it also creates blind spots that attackers can exploit. Genuinely critical alerts are at risk of being buried under the mass of irrelevant notifications, turning alert noise into yet another threat.
Today, the challenge isn’t about detecting more, it’s about detecting smarter. With attackers now using AI to enhance phishing attacks and develop more malware, the pressure is on. According to IBM, only 9% of organisations monitor 100% of their attack surface. This means there is lots of room to improve, especially at a time when both businesses and MSPs face constant pressure to optimise resources, scale their operations and maintain continuous protection.
How to solve this problem with AI and expert insight
Despite its proven value, only 28% of cybersecurity professionals currently use AI to reduce false positives. That is a missed opportunity. The most effective approach blends artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) with human expertise. This combination allows irrelevant alerts to be filtered out and genuine threats to be prioritised, enabling teams to respond faster and more effectively.
Key benefits of AI-driven cybersecurity
AI helps cut through the noise to find real threats. AI/ML has the ability to detect deviations in behaviour with precision, significantly reducing false positives. With less noise, teams can then focus on what truly matters, which is identifying and responding to real threats.
A speedy response is vital. MSPs that offer continuous monitoring, combined with risk scoring algorithms, will be able to act in real time, contain incidents faster and minimise impact, even in resource-constrained environments.
In addition, access to expert ‘human’ insight, for SMEs or teams without large resources, through specialised partners ensures that incidents are properly validated and contextualised. This provides a strong response and avoids the need to scale internal resources.
AI-powered platforms centralise data, identify hidden patterns, anticipate incidents and support compliance efforts so you gain complete visibility and control. Security leaders are then equipped with the insights and confidence they need to make informed, timely decisions.
MDR as a cure for alert fatigue
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services extend the benefits of AI and human insight by providing continuous, 24/7 monitoring. This combination will actively shield analysts from being flooded by alerts because instead of manually sifting through logs, internal teams only get the alerts that need their attention. This is also often with initial containment actions already taken.
For smaller organisations, MDR provides enterprise-grade protection without the expense of building a full in-house SOC. For MSPs, it is a way to expand service offerings without overloading their own teams. In both cases, the result is the same. Organisations get reduced alert fatigue and are able to better focus on proactive defence.
Reactive security, where the organisation waits for alerts before deciding what to do, no longer works where attacks are always changing and can happen in minutes. MDR correlates data across the entire IT environment, integrating global threat intelligence and applies AI-driven analysis to stop attacks earlier in their lifecycle.
Taking this proactive stance means critical alerts will not be buried under the noise of false alarms. They are prioritised, contextualised and acted upon before they get the chance to escalate into full-blown incidents.
Alert fatigue is more than a productivity drain; it is a cybersecurity vulnerability. And as threats evolve, the volume of alerts will only grow. Without intelligent filtering and prioritisation, the noise will become overwhelming.
The solution lies in getting the balance of AI efficiency and human expertise right. AI cuts down the flood of false notifications, while the human insight ensures that the remaining alerts are understood, validated and acted on appropriately. This combination enables a scalable, modern defence strategy that keeps teams focused, reduces stress and ensures that when the next major threat appears, it won’t get lost in the noise.
