When cybersecurity strategist Stephen Moore evaluates corporate security systems, he often is struck by how analysts charged with spotting potential threats still track key information by hand. They resort to handwritten notes, he said, because so many companies use myriad, unlinked systems to scan network traffic, email and devices for signs of trouble.

While the complex systems were developed in the last few years to combat the growing threat of data breaches, they have proved unwieldy. Now, a handful of large companies, from retailers like Gap to payroll services provider ADP to Jiffy Lube, are overhauling the way they handle security. The companies are changing how their security analysts work and finding ways to sift through data more efficiently. In many cases, they are spending more money to incorporate new artificial intelligence tools into the security process.