How Sunrun Transformed Security Operations with AiStrike

Case study
October 28, 2025

How Sunrun Transformed Security Operations with AiStrike

AiStrike
Transforming to an AI-Powered Self-Improving SOC
Table of Contents

Sunrun Inc. is the largest residential solar and battery storage provider in the U.S., with over 10,000 employees supporting hundreds of thousands ofcustomers nationwide. As a public company in the energy sector, Sunrun’s IT security team is responsible for safeguarding critical systems, sensitive data, and customer trust across a complex hybrid environment.

Challenge : High Costs, Blind Spots, and Alert Fatigue

To keep up with daily alert volumes, Sunrun had outsourced Tier 1 alert triage and SIEM rule maintenance to a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) vendor. On paper, the model promised efficiency, but over time the results fell short of expectations:

Escalation Overload:

Nearly one in three alerts was escalated as an “incident,” stretching Sunrun’s lean team thin. Many of these were repeats or false positives, creating noise that distracted from true threats.

Detection & Coverage Gaps :

With limited detection engineering support, SIEM rules stagnated and key data sources weren’t integrated. This left blind spots that made it harder to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Limited Posture Improvement:

Minimal rule tuning and optimization meant the overall security posture saw little long-term improvement, despite significant ongoing spend.

High Cost, Limited Value:

The MDR service was costly, and the limited return on investment made it increasingly difficult to justify. With budgets tightening, Sunrun aimed to reduce spend while unlocking greater value from its existing investment in SIEM, SOAR, CNAPP, and threat intelligence tools.

Why Sunrun Chose AiStrike

As Sunrun looked for alternatives to its MDR provider, the team evaluated 
several options:

Building an internal SOC team 
with Tier 1 analysts to provide
24x7 coverage.
Expanding AI features 
from their existing
SIEM provider.
Trialing other AI SOC vendors 
promised efficiency,
delivered less.
AiStrike stood out because it went far beyond AI-assisted triage. It delivered end-to-end SOC automation in a single SaaS platform — spanning detection, investigation, response, and proactive threat hunting.

What made AiStrike different

Comprehensive SOC Fabric
Automation that covers the entire SOC lifecycle: detection engineering, investigation, response, and threat hunting.
Built-in SOAR + Case Management
A unified system of record, eliminating the need for separate tools.
Human-in-the-Loop Learning
Continuous improvement as AiStrike tunes detections and investigations with analyst feedback.
Threat Exposure Analysis
Intelligence from 100+ sources (Mandiant, Unit 42, Verizon DBIR, and more) drives proactive detections against emerging threats.
Agentless SaaS Deployment
Fast, seamless onboarding; operational in just two weeks without heavy infrastructure or agents.

For Sunrun, AiStrike wasn’t just a replacement for MDR — it represented a complete transformation of their SOC operating model.

Implementation: Fast, Seamless, and Scalable

Sunrun needed a solution that could be deployed quickly without disrupting existing workflows. AiStrike’s SaaS-first, agentless design made this possible.

Deployment Highlights:

Rapid Integration 

Connected with Sunrun’s SIEM and CNAPP platforms as primary alert sources.
Seamless Notifications
Integrated with email and Slack to deliver real-time case alerts and streamline analyst workflows.
Context Enrichment
Pulled in data from cloud infrastructure, vulnerability management, identity, and asset sources for deeper investigations.
Time-to-Value
Integration completed in one week; AiStrike was fully operational in two weeks.

The process was straightforward, and the impact was visible almost immediately.

Customer Perspective: A Shift from Noise to Control

For Sunrun’s lean security team, the difference between MDR and AiStrike was night and day. What had once been an endless cycle of noisy escalations quickly became a streamlined, controlled process with clear outcomes.

In Their Words:

“ When we relied on MDR, most of our time was spent chasing false positives and justifying costs. With AiStrike, that changed almost immediately. Every alert is now investigated, and instead of hundreds of escalations, we only see the handful that truly matter. We’ve cut costs in half, improved coverage, and gained a single place to investigate and respond. For the first time, our SOC feels efficient, proactive, and future-ready.  ”
Varun Singhal
Director of Information Security, Sunrun

Results: From Firefighting to Proactive Defense

Within weeks of going live, Sunrun began to see a measurable transformation in its SOC operations.

Key Outcomes:

50%+ Cost Reduction
Lower spend compared to the MDR provider, while delivering broader coverage.
80% Fewer Escalations
Noise dropped dramatically, enabling analysts to focus on actionable incidents.
MTTA Under 30 Minutes
Automated case creation and Slack/email notifications cut acknowledgment times from hours to  minutes.
Improved Detection Fidelity
New detections created for unmonitored log sources, closing critical gaps.
Consolidated Reporting & Compliance
Built-in case management and NotebookLM integration gave Sunrun visibility into MTTA, MTTR, and
compliance gaps.

With AiStrike, Sunrun’s lean team shifted from reactive firefighting to proactive defense — operating with confidence, efficiency, and control.

Partnership: More Than a Vendor Relationship

Transitioning from an MDR model to an AI SOC platform could have been daunting, but AiStrike made it seamless. Beyond technology, Sunrun found a partner invested in their success.

What Stood Out :

Rapid Time-to-Value
From contract to fully operational in two weeks.
Close Collaboration
AiStrike worked side by side with Sunrun’s team to fine-tune integrations and workflows.
Responsive Support
Quick to adapt, address feedback, and add new enhancements.
Visionary Roadmap
A clear direction for advancing SOC automation, including proactive detection optimization and
exposure analysis.

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