In recent years, we've observed a notable trend: sophisticated security operations centers (SOCs) are increasingly making the switch from Darktrace to Clear NDR by Stamus Networks. This migration isn't happening by accident. Through analysis of security teams across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and government sectors, we've identified recurring themes that drive this transition.

In this article we explore the key factors motivating security professionals to reevaluate their NDR strategies and why many are concluding that Clear NDR provides a superior approach to network detection and response with a licensing and pricing model that is significantly more attractive than Darktrace.

The Evolving NDR Landscape

Before diving into specific drivers, it's worth noting the evolution of the NDR market itself. When Darktrace emerged, it pioneered the application of machine learning to network security, offering a novel approach to threat detection at a time when traditional intrusion detection systems were struggling with modern threats.

However, the market has matured significantly since then. SOC teams have gained years of operational experience with anomaly-based detection systems and have developed a more nuanced understanding of both their strengths and limitations. Meanwhile, solutions like Clear NDR have entered the market, addressing many of the pain points experienced with ML-based systems.

7 Reasons SOC Teams are Making the Switch to Clear NDR

There are seven primary reasons security operations teams are switching from Darktrace to Clear NDR. They are:

• Detection transparency
• No training period tax or inaccurate baseline
• Alert quality, fidelity, and actionability
• Flexibility, extensibility, and customization
• Rich and comprehensive evidentiary data
• Focused innovation and NDR specialization
• Predictable and transparent pricing

We describe more details on each of these below

1. The Demand for Detection Transparency

Perhaps the most frequently cited reason for switching is the fundamental difference in detection transparency between the two solutions.

"With Darktrace, we often couldn't explain to executives or auditors exactly why an alert triggered," explains the SOC manager of a mid-sized financial institution. "It was essentially a black box that we had to trust. Clear NDR gives us complete visibility into detection logic and provides all the supporting evidence we need to understand, validate, and explain each alert."

This transparency difference affects everything from analyst efficiency to compliance reporting:

• Investigation Efficiency: Clear NDR's transparent detections include all supporting evidence, significantly reducing investigation time
• Training New Analysts: Junior team members can learn and grow more effectively when they can see detection logic and supporting evidence
• Compliance Requirements: Organizations with strict compliance mandates need detailed evidence trails that black-box solutions struggle to provide

2. Eliminating the Training Period Tax and Inaccurate Baselining

Another major motivation for switching is the immediate value Clear NDR provides compared to Darktrace's extended baseline period.

And anomaly detection works well only if the baseline it learns from is clean - that is, if the network is already compromised, the anomaly detection will accept this as “normal.”

"When we deployed Darktrace, we essentially had a very expensive paperweight for the first couple of months while it learned our environment," says a Security Operations Manager at a global manufacturing company. "With Clear NDR, we had actionable detections within hours of deployment, including several serious issues that had evaded our previous solution."

This difference stems from Clear NDR's multi-layered detection approach:

• Day one value from algorithmic, heuristic, and signature-based detections
• No extended learning period before becoming effective
• No risk of baselining behavior on a compromised network
• Immediate visibility into malicious activity, policy violations, and network hygiene issues

3. Alert Quality, Fidelity and Actionability

SOC teams consistently report improvements in alert quality after switching to Clear NDR.

"The signal-to-noise ratio with Clear NDR is dramatically better," notes a SOC Analyst from a healthcare system. "With Darktrace, we spent too much time investigating alerts that turned out to be benign anomalies. Clear NDR's Declarations of Compromise give us high-confidence alerts with all the context we need to respond effectively."

And with those low-quality and unreliable alerts, users may find their automated remediation or blocking action can inadvertently disrupt their critical network operations.

Users highlight several key differences in alert quality:

• Clear NDR's multi-layered approach reduces false positives while maintaining detection coverage
• Rich contextual information accompanies each alert, making triage faster and more accurate
• High-fidelity Declarations of Compromise™ identify the most serious threats requiring immediate attention
• High-fidelity Declarations of Policy Violation™ identify the most egregious policy violations that demand immediate attention

4. Flexibility, Extensibility, and Customization

As security teams mature, they increasingly value the ability to customize detection capabilities to their specific environments and threats.

"One of our biggest frustrations with Darktrace was the inability to create custom detection rules," explains a Threat Research Team Lead at a European government agency. "Clear NDR allows us to develop our own detection algorithms, escalate organization-specific alerts to Declarations of Compromise, and import our own threat intelligence feeds, giving us the flexibility to address our unique security requirements."

This customization capability provides several advantages:

• Organization-specific detections for proprietary applications and workflows
• Custom threat hunting rules based on internal intelligence
• Detection tuning to match organizational risk tolerance and priorities
• Import custom threat intelligence feeds developed in house or by third parties

5. Rich and Comprehensive Evidentiary Data 

Advanced security teams require access to rich network data for investigations, threat hunting, and forensic analysis.

"The depth of data available in Clear NDR transformed our investigation capabilities," says a Senior Security Analyst at a major SaaS vendor. "Instead of just knowing something anomalous happened, we can see complete protocol transactions, full flow records, and host profiles that give us everything we need to understand what occurred."

This data richness creates several operational advantages:

• Faster incident response with all relevant data immediately available
• More effective threat hunting with access to granular network data
• Reduced tool sprawl as teams can rely on comprehensive data from a single platform

6. Predictable, Transparent Pricing

Financial considerations also play a significant role in the decision to switch NDR solutions.

"Our Darktrace renewal quote included a 40% price increase based on 'newly discovered devices' on our network," recounts a CIO from the financial services sector. "Clear NDR's transparent, line-rate based pricing model eliminated these surprises and actually reduced our total cost while providing superior capabilities."

The pricing differences that teams highlight include:

• Predictable renewal costs with Clear NDR's line-rate based model
• No surprises based on endpoint or user count
• All features included without additional licensing costs
• No charges for API access or integrations

7. Focused Innovation and Specialization

Finally, many organizations mention Stamus Networks' dedicated focus on NDR as a factor in their decision to switch.

"We noticed that Darktrace seemed increasingly distracted, expanding into multiple product categories while innovation in their NDR solution slowed," observes a VP of Security Engineering at a retail organization. "Stamus Networks is laser-focused on NDR excellence, and it shows in the quality and pace of innovation in Clear NDR."

This focus manifests in several ways:

• More frequent updates addressing emerging threats and techniques
• Deeper network security expertise in product development
• Greater responsiveness to customer feature requests
• Clear product roadmap centered on NDR excellence

The Migration Experience: Smoother Than Expected

Many security leaders initially worry about the complexity of switching NDR providers, but those who have made the transition report a smoother process than anticipated.

"We were concerned about potential coverage gaps during the transition, but running Clear NDR in parallel with Darktrace for two weeks showed us that Clear NDR was actually detecting more threats from day one," shares a Security Engineering Manager from a manufacturing company. "The deployment was straightforward, and the Stamus Networks team provided excellent support throughout the process."

Stamus Networks recommends that organizations follow a similar migration path:

• Parallel deployment of Clear NDR alongside Darktrace
• Comparative evaluation of detection capabilities
• Integration with existing security tools and workflows
• Full transition once comfortable with the new solution

ROI Beyond Cost Savings

While reduced total cost of ownership is important, organizations that switch to Clear NDR report ROI across multiple dimensions:

• Operational efficiency: Substantial reduction in time spent investigating alerts
• Detection effectiveness: Identification of threats that evaded previous solutions
• Analyst satisfaction: Improved team morale with fewer false positives and better tooling
• Compliance improvements: Enhanced ability to document and explain security events
  
  

Is It Time to Reevaluate Your NDR Strategy?

If your organization is currently using Darktrace or considering an NDR solution, these questions may help assess whether Clear NDR might be a better fit for your security team:

• Is your team spending too much time investigating alerts that turn out to be benign?
• Do you struggle to explain to executives or auditors exactly why your alerts triggered?
• Are you limited by the inability to create custom detection rules?
• Has your renewal quote included unexpected price increases?
• Do you need immediate value rather than an extended baseline period?
• Would your team benefit from richer network data for investigations and threat hunting?
• Is transparent, predictable pricing important to your organization?

If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, it may be worth evaluating Clear NDR as an alternative to your current solution.

Conclusion: A Clear Direction for Modern SOCs

The trend of sophisticated security teams switching from Darktrace to Clear NDR reflects a broader evolution in network security requirements. As SOC teams become more mature and experienced, they increasingly demand solutions that provide transparency, flexibility, rich data, and predictable costs.

Our co-founder and CTO, Eric Leblond explains why Clear NDR is different:

"We built Clear NDR because we fundamentally believe security teams deserve clarity, not mystery,” said Leblond. “Unlike black-box solutions, Clear NDR provides complete visibility into detection logic and delivers rich, actionable evidence. We empower analysts with control and understanding, not just vague ‘model breaches’."

While Darktrace pioneered the application of machine learning to network security, Clear NDR represents the next evolution—combining advanced detection capabilities with the transparency, evidence, and control that modern security teams require.

For organizations considering their NDR strategy, the experiences of these security teams offer valuable insights into the practical differences between these solutions and the potential benefits of making a change.

Want to see if Clear NDR is right for your security team?

Request a demo at https://www.stamus-networks.com/demo

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