I work for a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), and we provide the solution for our clients to improve their security posture in both IT and OT. The deployments are typically hybrid.
Senior Security Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
A stable, scalable, and valuable tool that provides excellent network monitoring
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is outstanding from a monitoring perspective."
- "Darktrace is a closed technology, meaning we know very little about how it works, including the architecture, which is significant. As a result, when we implement the system and find we're getting many false positives, we have minimal insight into why it's happening and what we can do to fix it. We don't know how the solution is configured, the criteria for threats to be determined, or the product's inner workings. We understand that they have to ensure privacy and their copyright, but we want to see some documentation or public research into the security Darktrace provides."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is outstanding from a monitoring perspective.
All of the features are valuable and provide excellent capability in the field.
What needs improvement?
Darktrace is a closed technology, meaning we know very little about how it works, including the architecture, which is significant. As a result, when we implement the system and find we're getting many false positives, we have minimal insight into why it's happening and what we can do to fix it. We don't know how the solution is configured, the criteria for threats to be determined, or the product's inner workings. We understand that they have to ensure privacy and their copyright, but we want to see some documentation or public research into the security Darktrace provides.
A relatively new module called Darktrace PREVENT provides digital protection to the company from the internet. However, the protection doesn't extend to the dark web, which limits its depth. PREVENT also offers phishing awareness training in the form of dummy attacks and some penetration testing, but it is very limited from my point of view.
The AI and Darktrace breach model must be enhanced to minimize false positives, as they can give our customers a negative impression of the solution. Some of them come to us and say they aren't getting what they expect from it, especially after a significant investment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I initially used the product in 2016, then returned to it in 2022 and have been using it for about a year. Over the years, the extension to the Darktrace portfolio has been tremendous, and they have made improvements in many areas, including reporting and autonomous response.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good; I rate the solution eight out of ten here.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable; I rate it eight out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Darktrace tech support is helpful, but there is room for improvement, especially around assistance for complex deployments. I rate them seven out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The deployment is straightforward. However, a complex network, such as one in the cloud and a DOCSIS ecosystem, can become extremely difficult. Generally, though, the deployment is straightforward, and in our case, we completed the whole setup in three to four hours.
Specifically, large, complex MPLS networks are exceedingly tricky when deploying Darktrace. We may need more experience or training, but it would be good to see some improvements here.
Our InfoSec team uses the solution, consisting of two to three staff members. Regarding endpoints protected by the product, there were around 400 in my old position and 2000 in my current organization.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm unfamiliar with the exact cost, but we have a yearly license and had to pay for Darktrace's services before the deployment. The product is very expensive, so some organizations can't afford to pay the total amount directly, meaning they often seek a partner or pay in installments, which increases the price more.
Darktrace requires direct billing to London, which isn't possible for organizations in Qatar, so they have to go through processes that increase the price even further. If they had an office in Dubai or Qatar, that could solve this payment issue.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution eight out of ten and highly recommend it.
From a technological perspective, Darktrace is an excellent company, and the rate at which they improved and continue to improve their product is impressive.
All the data is on the appliance on the customers' premises, and we have to open back doors to the analysts in London to access the devices, who have complete visibility into what's happening on the customer side. This is a significant negative point for Darktrace. They also have complete visibility into our email, which is a privacy concern for us.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
A stable and reliable cyber-security solution for network and email monitoring
Pros and Cons
- "It has helped the organization to detect any malware affecting the machines...The network monitoring and the email monitoring features are very valuable for us."
- "The main portal needs improvement as it is difficult to use."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is a security cover for our on-premises solution to improve our security rating. Also, we want to protect our emails.
How has it helped my organization?
It has helped the organization to detect any malware affecting the machines. For example, if any phishing email creates a factory view bug or some of the workstations have some weird activities, or if someone downloaded malware from the internet, then Darktrace sends us a warning notification to look into the details so that our machine does not get involved with the malware. This function has helped our organization.
What is most valuable?
The network monitoring and the email monitoring features are very valuable for us.
What needs improvement?
The main portal needs improvement as it is difficult to use. But it's straightforward to follow compared to other VPN portals, for example, Azure. You don't have to bug the customer support team quite often.
They can add the EDR and follow-up options in the next release. For instance, if something happens, we get a notification. If a follow-up option is available, we can create a case and then understand how to record the evidence.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Darktrace for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I rate it nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. I rate it a nine out of ten. Presently, 150 users are using the solution, and we wish to increase the number of users in the future.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is slow, but not that bad. I rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I do not know much about it, as an engineer from Darktrace did the setup for us.
What about the implementation team?
The engineer from Darktrace set it up about two years ago.
What was our ROI?
There has been a return on investment using the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay 8,000 a year. The pricing is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
If any company has enough budget to put another layer between the internet and the on-prem device, they should consider Darktrace.
I rate the product a nine and a half out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Darktrace
January 2026
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Assistant Manager - IT and Innovation at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
We can integrate it with our firewall to automatically block things
Pros and Cons
- "We allow customers to access our Wi-Fi as guests, and some of them were going to restricted sites. Darktrace showed us what they were doing so we could block them."
- "I was under impression that Darktrace's automatic blocking would be an out-of-the-box feature, but we had to integrate it with our firewall to get it to block automatically. The salesperson should be upfront and explain that you need to integrate it with your network. I would also like to see more reporting on risk. Banks in my region want to see at a glance the risk level of various assets."
What is our primary use case?
We use Darktrace to monitor our network and block URLs from certain countries. Darktrace is integrated with our firewall, so the blocking is automatic.
How has it helped my organization?
We allow customers to access our Wi-Fi as guests, and some of them were going to restricted sites. Darktrace showed us what they were doing so we could block them.
What is most valuable?
Darktrace blocks any new scanning tools that are detected on your system.
What needs improvement?
I was under impression that Darktrace's automatic blocking would be an out-of-the-box feature, but we had to integrate it with our firewall to get it to block automatically. The salesperson should be upfront and explain that you need to integrate it with your network. I would also like to see more reporting on risk. Banks in my region want to see at a glance the risk level of various assets.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used Darktrace for about six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Darktrace is highly stable. We haven't had any downtime except for a power outage last year.
How are customer service and support?
We reported one case, and Darktrace support responded right away. They assigned us an account executive who contacts us at least once monthly to discuss any outstanding issues.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Darktrace was pretty straightforward. We had to open the port that is plugged into the switch. The whole process was done in under five minutes. You plug in the device and turn it on.
What was our ROI?
Darktrace has helped us identify gaps in our system.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Darktrace is pricey, but the price is reasonable for what the solution does, and it's comparable to other products.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Darktrace 8.5 out of 10. I recommend doing a proof of concept to see what you're getting. We got good results. During the POC, Darktrace showed us lots of things we didn't know about.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Cybersecurity Manager at a aerospace/defense firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Useful AI network threat detection, highly reliable, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Darktrace is the AI that detects abnormal network activity."
- "Although we haven't detected any network threats since implementing Darktrace, we are unsure of its efficacy. It would be beneficial if the solution could offer additional details to the user regarding any potential or prevented threats. Additionally, there could be better search tools and integration."
What is our primary use case?
Darktrace is used for network security.
The solution can be deployed in the cloud and on-premise.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Darktrace is the AI that detects abnormal network activity.
What needs improvement?
Although we haven't detected any network threats since implementing Darktrace, we are unsure of its efficacy. It would be beneficial if the solution could offer additional details to the user regarding any potential or prevented threats. Additionally, there could be better search tools and integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Darktrace for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been good in my usage.
I rate the stability of Darktrace an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have serval engineers that use Darktrace.
I rate the scalability of Darktrace an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support has been good. When we contacted them we received a helpful response.
I rate the support of Darktrace an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used many similar solutions before Darktrace. We choose Darktrace because of the AI. We can develop many use cases with the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Darktrace is straightforward. We are using Slunk and the implementation is simple.
What about the implementation team?
We used a third party for parts of the implementation of Darktrace.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is an annual license to use Darktrace.
What other advice do I have?
One person can handle the maintenance of Darktrace.
I recommend the solution to others.
I rate Darktrace an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico at a real estate/law firm with 501-1,000 employees
Great autonomous support, offers an easy setup, and has responsive support
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is helpful and responsive."
- "The pricing is a bit high for the region."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for IT. Customers use it for banks or construction sites, depending on our customers. We haven't had an OT implementation yet. However, we have interest from two companies.
What is most valuable?
The autonomous response is great. It blocks basically everything that is outside the normal, and what's happening 24/7. When we don't have anybody looking, it's great. The visibility that it gives you into any incident is great. You can see everything. I would say these two are the biggest aspects we really appreciate.
It is easy to set everything up.
The solution is stable.
Users can scale the product.
Technical support is helpful and responsive.
What needs improvement?
We need more integrations with other customers and other platforms. For example, we need integrations with the major players. We'd like to see them integrate with Sophos and integrate with other vendors.
The pricing is a bit high for the region.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started dealing with the solution about three years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Most of our customers are mid-level companies.
It's scalable, depending on the size and the range. For example, if we have to change appliances, the number of devices duplicates. If we measure an appliance for 300 devices and then the customer has 600 or 1,000, then we have to see if the box is viable. If not, we have to change the box. That said, it's very much scalable in terms of capacity.
How are customer service and support?
We're happy with technical support. Recently, we had an incident with a client, a customer. We contacted support, and they gave quick feedback. I'm good with the level of service.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are basically a reseller of solutions, so we resell Darktrace, Check Point, Fortinet, and Imperva, for example.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very easy to set up. In one hour, you have everything set up and ready to run.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is a little bit expensive for customers in Africa. They're not so accustomed to paying for solutions that are so costly. It's been really tricky to sell and make a margin off of the sale as a reseller.
In terms of the exact cost, it depends on the features. It also depends on the size of the customer. In the ballpark, we're talking about $30K, $50K, and up. It can even be as much as $50K or $100K.
You could have a customer that's paying $50K over three years. Then, as a reseller, you have an extra margin that you have to add.
What other advice do I have?
We are not necessarily using the latest version of the solution right now.
It's totally different from any other solution a customer may have used. You have visibility, and it will find anything that you miss with other solutions. I would advise new users to start using it as soon as possible. Buy it. It's totally better than other solutions.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Network Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Learns patterns and identifies malicious behavior with AI capabilities
What is most valuable?
Darktrace learns patterns and can identify malicious behavior based on that learning. It learns what tasks users perform, what data they access, and similar activities. Unlike an EDR, which uses patterns and signatures to identify existing threats, Darktrace uses AI to learn and recognize patterns. This provides a different approach to monitoring and detecting anomalies.
What needs improvement?
Pricing could be cheaper.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Darktrace as an end user for three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes a couple of hours.
What about the implementation team?
We did in-house because we've got skill levels, but differently depending from time to time, depending on
What was our ROI?
The benefit is the security. You probably have a security case, an alarm system, and one or two locks. You don't rely on one security device; you have different layers. Darktrace is just one of those layers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is very expensive.
I rate the product’s pricing a ten out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I am the sole administrator and monitor of Darktrace because we have a small IT team. However, Darktrace monitors our entire organization. In a larger company with many IT departments, multiple people might monitor Darktrace and engage with it. Our finance company has a small IT department.
Darktrace adapted to the evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats by leveraging proprietary technology and machine learning algorithms. Their unique approach and cutting-edge solutions have established them as a leading company.
It's difficult to gauge the effectiveness of Darktrace because we don't fully understand how it operates; we only see the alerts it generates. If we create an event on the network, Darktrace will alert us so we know it works in those scenarios. If something new and unknown happens on the network, it's unclear whether Darktrace will detect it. We're paying a lot of money, hoping it does, as Darktrace is a proprietary technology. It might work, or it might not detect some threats. We don't have full visibility or a map of its coverage.
Darktrace can be expensive, depending on the use case. It's like comparing different types of cars: some people need a two-seater, while others need a ten-seater. Darktrace is more like a seven-seater—very specific and not suitable for everyone.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager Information Systems / Technology at a wellness & fitness company with 201-500 employees
Easy to implement with a nice interface and very good at identifying intrusions
Pros and Cons
- "We liked their approach to identifying intrusions or network anomalies using AI."
- "Upper management wasn't sold on the value proposition."
What is our primary use case?
We were trying to justify Darktrace, and I was starting to do an analysis of the different solutions. We did a POC and haven't made a decision as to if we will use it or not.
We were just trying to validate their claims of AI-driven preventive network issues. They showed us a number of things, and we were able to show or verify that, yes, the things that they pointed out we were glad they caught. Nothing turned out to be a true intrusion, however, the stuff that they showed us were things that we were happy to see on our network. They discovered traffic on our network that was anomalous. We were just looking to see if they could point us to anomalous traffic, and they did.
What is most valuable?
We liked their approach to identifying intrusions or network anomalies using AI.
We liked their interface and the graphics that they deployed to present the information. It was really good, and we were happy with the overall quality of the product, which was very, very robust.
The implementation was easy.
What needs improvement?
We didn't really notice any downsides to the product. We were very impressed with it. It was a matter of timing and cost. Upper management wasn't sold on the value proposition.
For how long have I used the solution?
We had demoed Darktrace for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It ran pretty fast. Its interface was quick, and it did not impact our network traffic. It didn't slow down anything on our network. It was stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We had a sense that it was going to handle our network without many problems. We have a few hundred endpoints of all types, and there was no problem. We had three users on the solution.
Since we weren't really entirely familiar with the product we were, I'd say we were probably using 10% to 20% of its capabilities.
How are customer service and support?
When we originally initially configured and set it up, we used some support, and we were happy with them. We thought they were very confident and good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We haven't demoed anything else before or since.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was actually pretty easy, as I recall. The hardest thing was finding space on our rack. That said, once we had that up and running, it was pretty straightforward.
We needed one or two people to deploy the solution. Two and a half people were on the deployment full-time.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment on our own, with Dartrace assisting us remotely.
What was our ROI?
We only demoed the solution for a few months and therefore did not witness an ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost was reasonable. They were pitching us a five-year contract at a fairly reduced rate annually. The product cost was on the lower side. I'd rate it a two or three out of five in terms of the expense involved. There were no hidden or extra fees involved.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We started looking at some other things yet didn't really dig very deep. When we were initially looking at Darktrace, they were the only game in town for us. They seemed to be unique after the fact.
What other advice do I have?
We were end-users.
I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Security Manager at a construction company with 51-200 employees
Beneficial viability, simple installation, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Darktrace are its full capabilities. You have visibility of everything."
- "Darktrace could improve by being more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
Darktrace is an appliance that has been installed in our network, and it is connected to the database SaaS applications and they're collecting the data from there.
We are using Darktrace for tracking our network and if any suspicious activity happens, we will be notified or we can check it on our tenant.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Darktrace are its full capabilities. You have visibility of everything.
What needs improvement?
Darktrace could improve by being more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Darktrace for approximately six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Darktrace is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Darktrace is good.
We have approximately 350 users using the solution in my company. Everyone is using it.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Darktrace is responsive and speedy.
I rate the support of Darktrace a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
Darktrace is simple to install and the full process took approximately three weeks.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment of Darktrace was done by the vendor.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Darktrace is high and could be reduced. We pay approximately $30,000 to $54,000 annually.
The cost of the solution is high making it an issue for smaller companies. We are a small organization and it is difficult to afford. We are not a large organization. For this reason, the solution's price must be reduced. Having 350 users is not a large organization. It's a small organization and paying approximately $30,000 to $54,000 annually, is a lot. However, sometimes we had too many services to have more visibility and be secure, this is the idea why we went with Darktrace without negotiating the prices.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend Darktrace to others, it is a helpful service you will have full visibility of what's happening on your network, emails, and SaaS applications.
I rate Darktrace an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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