CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Booz Allen Hamilton vs Optiv

Booz Allen Hamilton builds advanced technology for government. Optiv sells cybersecurity services that advise on, deploy and operate security programs for organizations. CISO Tribune files both under Security consulting and advisory and Incident response and forensics. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Optiv
Booz Allen Hamilton vs Optiv: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Booz Allen HamiltonBooz Allen Hamilton builds advanced technology for government.boozallen.comOptivOptiv sells cybersecurity services that advise on, deploy and operate security programs for organizations.optiv.com
What it sells
  • Vellox Reverser[7]An autonomous malware reverse engineering and threat intelligence product.
  • Vellox Ranger[7]A detection engineering product that autonomously maps an environment.
  • Vellox LayerOne[7]A Vellox product that validates SI outputs.
  • OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)[9]A team of cybersecurity practitioners focused on OT/ICS threats.
  • aiSSEMBLE[5]An open-source SI development toolkit and integrated team approach.
  • Application Security[3][6]Services that protect applications, APIs and development pipelines.
  • Identity Security[2][3]Services for managing identities and securing access.
  • Co-Managed SIEM Service[5]A managed SIEM service with access to SIEM experts.
Categories
Headquarters
McLean, Virginia, United States[1]Not stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Public (NYSE: BAH)[1][2][3][4][12][13][14]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • August 24, 2026Booz Allen Hamilton completed its acquisition of the Ultra I&C Mission Solutions business, previously announced at a stated value of $720 million.[12]
  • February 17, 2026Booz Allen Hamilton entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Defy Security as a wholly owned subsidiary.[13]
  • October 21, 2026Optiv launched CyberBOT, a free cybersecurity awareness training program for classrooms, nonprofits and communities.[10]
  • August 5, 2026Optiv announced Optiv Agentic Security Operations, formerly Optiv MDR, a managed security operations model combining agentic AI and practitioner expertise.[9]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[14]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Not written yetOptiv describes services for small organizations just getting started and for large corporations well into security maturity. Optiv states that security teams are managing more tools, more telemetry and more AI-driven pressure than their operating models were built to absorb. Optiv states that it is tool agnostic and works within a client's existing technology environment. Optiv says it delivers expertise to organizations across every major industry.
Last verified
November 3, 2026November 4, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv; both are also filed under Incident response and forensics.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Optiv is also filed under Managed security service providers and Penetration testing and red team services.
  • Booz Allen Hamilton lists Vellox Reverser, Vellox Ranger, Vellox LayerOne, OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) and aiSSEMBLE. Optiv lists Application Security, Identity Security and Co-Managed SIEM Service.
  • Booz Allen Hamilton is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States.
  • Booz Allen Hamilton is a public company listed on NYSE as BAH.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Booz Allen Hamilton under Security consulting and advisory and Incident response and forensics, and files Optiv under Security consulting and advisory, Managed security service providers, Incident response and forensics, and Penetration testing and red team services. Booz Allen Hamilton sells the Vellox products Reverser, Ranger and LayerOne, along with an OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service offering and the open-source aiSSEMBLE toolkit. Optiv sells services that advise on, deploy and operate security programs, including Application Security, Identity Security and a Co-Managed SIEM Service. The overlap is in advisory and incident response work, while Booz Allen Hamilton lists its own named products and Optiv lists service lines.

Booz Allen Hamilton is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and is a public company listed on NYSE as BAH. Optiv is backed by KKR. Booz Allen Hamilton says it serves public- and private-sector clients, and it names its partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. Optiv names financial services, health care, government, energy and retail among its industries, and says it serves 73% of the Fortune 100.

On August 24, 2026, Booz Allen Hamilton completed its acquisition of the Ultra I&C Mission Solutions business. On February 17, 2026, Booz Allen Hamilton entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Defy Security. Optiv launched CyberBOT, a free cybersecurity awareness training program, on October 21, 2026. On August 5, 2026, Optiv announced Optiv Agentic Security Operations, formerly Optiv MDR.

What it sells: Booz Allen Hamilton

What Vellox Reverser does[7]
Vellox Reverser is an autonomous malware reverse engineering and threat intelligence product. Vellox products pair machine-speed automation with models trained on adversary tradecraft.
What Vellox Ranger does[7]
Vellox Ranger is a detection engineering product that autonomously maps an environment to surface and stop adversary activity. Vellox products pair machine-speed automation with models trained on adversary tradecraft.
What Vellox LayerOne does[7]
Vellox LayerOne validates SI outputs for accuracy, compliance, and trust. Vellox products pair machine-speed automation with models trained on adversary tradecraft.
What OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) does[9]
Booz Allen's OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) offering consists of a team of trained cybersecurity practitioners focused on identifying and responding to active and emerging threats. For DOW clients, Booz Allen tailors its SOC requirements to the More Situational Awareness for Industrial Control Systems (MOSAICS) framework where applicable.

What it sells: Optiv

What Application Security does[3][6]
Optiv's application security services protect applications, APIs and development pipelines by identifying vulnerabilities and improving secure coding practices throughout the software lifecycle. Optiv AppSec services help organizations design and build application security programs.
What Identity Security does[2][3]
Optiv's identity security services secure access across an organization. Identity Security covers managing identities, enforcing least privilege and improving authentication, governance and visibility.
What Co-Managed SIEM Service does[5]
Optiv's co-managed SIEM service helps monitor security events with just-in-time threat intelligence. In the service, the SIEM sends alerts to threat analysts in the SOC for human analysis.

Questions about Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv

What do Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv sell?
Booz Allen Hamilton sells Vellox Reverser, Vellox Ranger, Vellox LayerOne, OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) and aiSSEMBLE. Optiv sells Application Security, Identity Security and Co-Managed SIEM Service.
Are Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv in the same category?
Yes. Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv headquartered?
Booz Allen Hamilton is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States.
Who owns Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv?
Booz Allen Hamilton is a public company listed on NYSE as BAH.
Who are Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv sold to?
Optiv describes services for small organizations just getting started and for large corporations well into security maturity.
What have Booz Allen Hamilton and Optiv announced recently?
August 24, 2026: Booz Allen Hamilton completed its acquisition of the Ultra I&C Mission Solutions business, previously announced at a stated value of $720 million. October 21, 2026: Optiv launched CyberBOT, a free cybersecurity awareness training program for classrooms, nonprofits and communities.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

Booz Allen Hamilton builds advanced technology for government.

Booz Allen serves public- and private-sector clients, both U.S. and international. Booz Allen has completed its acquisition of the Ultra I&C Mission Solutions business, which now operates as the commercial product and solutions component of Booz Allen's defense technology business. Booz Allen cites a 110-year heritage and over a decade of hands-on SI expertise.[5]

Booz Allen is helping government and industry close the cybersecurity speed gap. Booz Allen builds cyber tech to close the speed gap between SI-powered adversaries and traditional cyber defenses. Booz Allen's work includes hunting threats across critical networks, responding to real intrusions, and running red team exercises. Booz Allen builds defensive solutions for global customers, from national missions to critical infrastructure. The Booz Allen Cyber Weapon Index measures SI models' ability to autonomously execute cyberattacks.[7][8]

Vellox products pair machine-speed automation with models trained on adversary tradecraft. Vellox Reverser is an autonomous malware reverse engineering and threat intelligence product. Vellox Ranger is a detection engineering product that autonomously maps an environment to surface and stop adversary activity. Vellox LayerOne validates SI outputs for accuracy, compliance, and trust.[7]

Booz Allen works alongside the Global 2000 on technology and security. Booz Allen secures healthcare environments, from clinical operations to R&D. Booz Allen helps financial institutions stay ahead of threats, reduce risk, and meet regulatory demands. Booz Allen protects smart factories, legacy systems, and connected products. Booz Allen embeds trust, governance, and security into every phase of the AI lifecycle, from development to deployment. Booz Allen secures infrastructure across cloud, OT, and smart manufacturing environments. Booz Allen offers integrated governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions. Booz Allen's incident response and threat management work includes containment, forensic analysis, and recovery support.[8][10]

Booz Allen has a cyber-physical defense (CPD) team that specializes in the security and defense of systems in critical infrastructure organizations and weapon/space platforms. Booz Allen works with business clients throughout their OT cybersecurity journey, from assessments and strategy development to engineering, remediation, and threat detection. Booz Allen's OT/ICS SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) offering consists of a team of trained cybersecurity practitioners focused on identifying and responding to active and emerging threats. For DOW clients, Booz Allen tailors its SOC requirements to the More Situational Awareness for Industrial Control Systems (MOSAICS) framework where applicable. Booz Allen's tailored solutions enable enterprise-wide cyber threat detection analytics that are vendor and technology agnostic. Booz Allen has implemented anomaly and threat detection solutions across OT networks, including large enterprise IT, OT/ICS enclaves, and fleet/weapon system maintenance networks. Booz Allen secures data and networks, weapons systems, space systems, industrial control systems, medical devices, autonomous vehicles, mobile technology, and cloud-based systems. Booz Allen's solutions use digital twins and cyber-physical test beds for vulnerability discovery and threat mitigation. Booz Allen helps clients implement federal guidance such as Space Policy Directive 7 (SPD-7), which builds on PNT executive order 13905.[9][10]

Booz Allen helps clients define and implement an agency-specific strategy, build and deploy mission-specific applications, and scale and integrate capabilities into enterprise operations. Booz Allen delivers targeted services such as identifying promising use cases, training the workforce, and implementing SI governance. Booz Allen provides support for federal SI programs including data and model management, SI engineering, and platform management and security. aiSSEMBLE is Booz Allen's open-source SI development toolkit and integrated team approach to standardize the design, development, and delivery of SI solutions. aiSSEMBLE provides patterns for common design requirements, configurable templates to create data/ML pipelines, toolkits to standardize the ML lifecycle, and the auto-creation of containers and Kubernetes configurations for deployment.[5]

Booz Allen has been a partner of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since its inception and of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for decades. Booz Allen aids DHS with advanced analytics to secure ports and counter threats.[6][9][11]

Booz Allen Hamilton on the record

Sources

Booz Allen Hamilton full record

  1. [1]Booz allen develop prototype system space forces space basedBooz Allen Hamilton Newsroom · newsroom.boozallen.com · published May 4, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]boozallen.comBooz Allen Hamilton · boozallen.com · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]About UsBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Booz AllenBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Super Intelligence ServicesBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Board of DirectorsBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]CybersecurityBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Global CommercialBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Cyber-Physical Defense OperationsBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Resilient Positioning, Navigation, and TimingBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Homeland Security & Law EnforcementBooz Allen Hamilton · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Booz Allen Completes Acquisition of Ultra I&C Mission Solutions BusinessBooz Allen Hamilton · published August 24, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Booz Allen to Expand Global Commercial Business with Acquisition of Defy SecurityBooz Allen Hamilton · published February 17, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Booz Allen Hamilton Reviews & Provider DetailsG2 · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C

Optiv full record

  1. [1]Optiv sells advisory consulting and transformation act business vobisOptiv · optiv.com · published June 2, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]About Us | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Optiv Services | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Optiv | Cybersecurity Consultants and SolutionsOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Co-Managed SIEM Services Improve Security | Optiv | Learn MoreOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Threat & Vulnerability Remediation Solutions | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cybersecurity Solutions | Innovation and Risk Reduction | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Our Leadership Team | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Optiv Introduces Agentic Security Operations, Redefining Managed Security Services with the Power of Google Security Operations and Extensive Wiz IntegrationPRNewswire · published August 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Optiv Launches CyberBOT®, A Free Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program for Classrooms, Nonprofits and Communities | OptivOptiv · published October 21, 2026 · Tier A

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.