Databricks targets the cybersecurity market with Lakewatch. Previously positioned as "the Data and AI company," the publisher takes a new step.
This next-generation SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), built directly on its analytical and AI foundation, promises a reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO) of up to 80% compared to traditional solutions.
A SIEM designed for the era of AI agents
Lakewatch's positioning states that in the face of attackers now using AI agents capable of operating at machine speed and scale, traditional security tools show their limitations. To address this, Databricks adopts a philosophy summarized as: "fight agents with agents."
Lakewatch unifies logs, events, IT, and business data in a governed environment, relying on open formats. The data remains stored in the client's cloud objects (S3, ADLS, or GCS) and is utilized directly in the lakehouse without duplication. The tool integrates AI agents as well as the "Genie" assistant to automate detection, sorting, natural language threat hunting, and incident response.
The break with traditional SIEMs
Traditional SIEMs face challenges. On one hand, their inability to ingest all telemetry due to cost reasons: ingestion-based billing or indexed volume forces security teams to operate with partial visibility. On the other hand, the fragmentation between security data and business data imposes costly copies and duplications.
Lakewatch reverses this model by "running security on the lakehouse." Instead of moving data to a SIEM warehouse, security operates directly on the governed lakehouse via Unity Catalog, where IT, security, and business data coexist. Pricing is indexed on software usage rather than stored data volume — a major economic shift that pressures historical players.
The tool is also built on the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework (OCSF), reducing proprietary lock-in on schemas and data, where many SIEMs still impose their internal formats and specific query languages.
An already structured ecosystem
To support this launch, Databricks announces an "Open Security Lakehouse Ecosystem" bringing together leading partners: Okta, Palo Alto Networks, 1Password, Wiz (integrated with Google Cloud), Zscaler, and Slack.
On the client side, Adobe, Dropbox, and the National Australia Bank are among the first adopters. Anthropic, for its part, contributes to enhancing the platform's cybersecurity capabilities through its integrated models.
Profound consequences for the market
The arrival of Lakewatch exerts direct pressure on the economic model and architecture of established SIEMs. By offering a data/AI foundation already massively deployed in enterprises, Databricks facilitates strategies for replacement or offloading analytical workloads to the lakehouse, threatening players like Splunk or Elastic on their turf.
In the medium term, Lakewatch accelerates the convergence between data, AI, and security platforms, potentially redefining the role of historical SIEMs, relegating some to mere log sources rather than central security operation systems.
A strategic launch before the IPO
This shift towards cybersecurity occurs in a particular context for Databricks. Valued at around $134 billion, the company is preparing for an IPO that could take place as early as 2026. Establishing a presence in a rapidly evolving SIEM market significantly strengthens its growth narrative for investors, adding a new growth driver to a platform already well established in large global enterprises.
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