CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Coalfire vs FRSecure

Coalfire sells advisory, audit and assessment services. FRSecure is an information security services company that helps organizations build security programs. CISO Tribune files both under Security consulting and advisory, Penetration testing and red team services and MDR and managed SOC. 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.

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Up to four companies side by side.

  • Coalfire
  • FRSecure
Coalfire vs FRSecure: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CoalfireCoalfire sells advisory, audit and assessment services.coalfire.comFRSecureFRSecure is an information security services company that helps organizations build security programs.frsecure.com
What it sells
  • Compliance Essentials[3]A SaaS platform that enterprises use to manage complex compliance programs and audit cycles.
  • Hexeon[3]A platform combining high-frequency offensive pen testing with strategic defensive risk management.
  • DivisionHex[3]A team of offensive, defensive and managed cybersecurity experts.
  • Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services[3]Services that cover the professional services layer of Coalfire.
  • AI Security and Trust Engineering[4]Services that help companies design, build and operate AI systems that meet compliance targets.
  • Incident Response[1][6][11]An organized approach to responding to a cybersecurity breach, incident, or attack.
  • Risk Assessment[1][2][4][6]An assessment designed to discover and quantify information security risk.
  • Penetration Testing[1][8]Emulated real-world attacks used to discover and exploit weaknesses.
  • PCI DSS[12]Review and advice on PCI DSS compliance from a Qualified Security Assessor Company.
  • Vendor Risk Management[7]Services that evaluate the risk that vendors present to an organization.
Categories
Headquarters
Chicago, United States[2]Not stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[7]
  • 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
Coalfire states that it helps boards and C-level executives identify their critical assets, potential vulnerabilities and which risks to address. Coalfire offers responsible AI governance for healthcare and regulated organizations. Coalfire provides independent audit support for CMS-regulated entities. Coalfire's AI Security and Trust Engineering services are aimed at companies that design, build and operate AI systems.FRSecure points to heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and financial as ones that often require providers to meet the more thorough audit standards. FRSecure states that organizations processing cardholder data involving any of the major card brands have PCI DSS requirements to meet. FRSecure describes its RPM program as intended for new or growing IR programs.
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 6, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both Coalfire and FRSecure; both are also filed under Penetration testing and red team services and MDR and managed SOC.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Coalfire is also filed under Compliance automation. FRSecure is also filed under Incident response and forensics.
  • Coalfire lists Compliance Essentials, Hexeon, DivisionHex, Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services and AI Security and Trust Engineering. FRSecure lists Incident Response, Risk Assessment, Penetration Testing, PCI DSS and Vendor Risk Management.
  • Coalfire is headquartered in Chicago, United States.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Coalfire under Security consulting and advisory as its primary category, along with Penetration testing and red team services, Compliance automation, and MDR and managed SOC. CISO Tribune files FRSecure under Security consulting and advisory as its primary category, along with Penetration testing and red team services, Incident response and forensics, and MDR and managed SOC. Both companies therefore share a primary category and two secondary ones, while Coalfire adds Compliance automation and FRSecure adds Incident response and forensics. Coalfire is headquartered in Chicago, United States.

Coalfire sells Compliance Essentials, a SaaS platform for managing compliance programs and audit cycles that supports coordinated assessments for over 75 frameworks. It also sells Hexeon, which combines high-frequency offensive pen testing with strategic defensive risk management, and AI Security and Trust Engineering services. Coalfire's advisory work covers PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO and FedRAMP, and it provides independent audit support for CMS-regulated entities. Coalfire names Premera as a client.

FRSecure sells Incident Response, Risk Assessment, Penetration Testing, PCI DSS and Vendor Risk Management services. FRSecure is a PCI DSS Qualified Security Assessor Company, and it uses a risk assessment methodology and platform called S2. For vendor risk, FRSecure uses SecurityStudio, and it offers red teaming that mixes social engineering with network-level testing. Both companies cover penetration testing, PCI DSS and vendor risk programs, but only Coalfire lists a compliance platform and AI engineering services, and only FRSecure lists ransomware response and forensics support.

What it sells: Coalfire

What Compliance Essentials does[3]
Compliance Essentials supports coordinated assessments for over 75 frameworks using Coalfire's proprietary controls mapping. Data is provided to Compliance Essentials by the organization's assessment users. Compliance Essentials carries the certifications ISO 27001:2022, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type 2.
What Hexeon does[3]
The Hexeon platform combines high-frequency offensive pen testing with strategic defensive risk management. Hexeon uses data collected by Coalfire offensive security teams, such as penetration testing findings, vulnerability data and other data concerning technical risk.
What Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services does[3]
Coalfire's Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services cover the professional services layer of the company. Coalfire's Advisory expertise specializes in GRC, AI cloud engineering, healthcare risk and FedRAMP. Coalfire assesses, simplifies and provides guidance across PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO, FedRAMP and 85+ frameworks.
What AI Security and Trust Engineering does[4]
Coalfire's AI Security and Trust Engineering services help companies design, build and operate AI systems that meet compliance targets. The services deploy AI agents to enhance security and compliance operations. Coalfire has a framework to secure AI systems end-to-end for compliance and risk mitigation.

What it sells: FRSecure

What Incident Response does[1][6][11]
FRSecure describes incident response as an organized approach to rapidly responding to the aftermath of a cybersecurity breach, incident, or attack. FRSecure assists in the identification, containment, and recovery of ransomware. FRSecure incident response team assists with forensics when a compromise is suspected.
What Risk Assessment does[1][2][4][6]
FRSecure offers a risk assessment designed to discover and quantify information security risk. FRSecure uses a risk assessment methodology and platform called S2.
What Penetration Testing does[1][8]
Penetration testing from FRSecure uses emulated real-world attacks to discover and exploit weaknesses in systems, configurations, and processes. FRSecure experts follow Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) methodology during penetration testing. FRSecure offers pen tests that expose vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems, networks, firewalls, devices, and web applications.
What PCI DSS does[12]
As a PCI DSS Qualified Security Assessor Company, FRSecure provides the expertise necessary to review and advise organizations on PCI DSS compliance. FRSecure certified professionals can help an organization define its PCI DSS environment, determine compliance gaps, and provide necessary attestations of compliance. FRSecure gap analysis identifies gaps in credit card processing and customer data storage methods that need to be addressed.
What Vendor Risk Management does[7]
FRSecure uses SecurityStudio for vendor risk management. FRSecure offers three different levels of vendor risk management services depending on needs and the number of vendors.

Questions about Coalfire and FRSecure

What do Coalfire and FRSecure sell?
Coalfire sells Compliance Essentials, Hexeon, DivisionHex, Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services and AI Security and Trust Engineering. FRSecure sells Incident Response, Risk Assessment, Penetration Testing, PCI DSS and Vendor Risk Management.
Are Coalfire and FRSecure in the same category?
Yes. Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Coalfire and FRSecure headquartered?
Coalfire is headquartered in Chicago, United States.
Who are Coalfire and FRSecure sold to?
Coalfire states that it helps boards and C-level executives identify their critical assets, potential vulnerabilities and which risks to address. FRSecure points to heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and financial as ones that often require providers to meet the more thorough audit standards.

About Coalfire

Coalfire sells advisory, audit and assessment services.[1][3]

Coalfire's Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services cover the professional services layer of the company. Coalfire's Advisory expertise specializes in GRC, AI cloud engineering, healthcare risk and FedRAMP. Coalfire assesses, simplifies and provides guidance across PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO, FedRAMP and 85+ frameworks.[3]

Compliance Essentials supports coordinated assessments for over 75 frameworks using Coalfire's proprietary controls mapping. Data is provided to Compliance Essentials by the organization's assessment users. Compliance Essentials carries the certifications ISO 27001:2022, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type 2.[3]

The Hexeon platform combines high-frequency offensive pen testing with strategic defensive risk management. Hexeon uses data collected by Coalfire offensive security teams, such as penetration testing findings, vulnerability data and other data concerning technical risk.[3]

Coalfire's AI Security and Trust Engineering services help companies design, build and operate AI systems that meet compliance targets. Coalfire's AI Security and Trust Engineering services deploy AI agents to enhance security and compliance operations. Coalfire has a framework to secure AI systems end-to-end for compliance and risk mitigation. Coalfire's Secure Agent Construct maps to AWS services to implement proper isolation, permissions, and feedback loops.[1][4]

For healthcare and federal programs, Coalfire offers end-to-end advisory for entities within the CMS environment, including readiness assessments and System Security and Privacy Plan development. Coalfire provides independent audit support for CMS-regulated entities, helping organizations demonstrate compliance with ARC-AMPE-AE and related federal security and privacy requirements. Coalfire conducts Privacy Impact Analyses for CMS entities and their contractors. Coalfire delivers automated and manual accessibility testing that meets federal standards. Coalfire provides HITRUST support across the full lifecycle, including gap assessments, policy development, remediation guidance, interim assessments and recertification. Coalfire delivers a workshop-based vendor risk program design built on three pillars: vendor criticality categorization, policy and procedure enhancement, and an SCRM tabletop exercise.[5]

Coalfire offers a unified approach to AI compliance across HITRUST and ISO 42001. The unified AI compliance offering combines readiness assessments, documentation development, remediation support, coordinated assessments, and continuous AI compliance monitoring. Coalfire provides responsible AI governance for healthcare and regulated organizations. Coalfire vCISO services provide program oversight, roadmap development, executive and board reporting, risk leadership, and incident readiness support. Coalfire advisors lead executive tabletop exercises, conduct business impact analysis, and build downtime continuity plans. Coalfire training offerings include incident response training, compliance and privacy training, and executive and board tabletop exercises.[5]

Coalfire helps boards and C-level executives identify their critical assets, potential vulnerabilities, and what risks to address based on business objectives. Dr. Adrian Mayers, Global CISO at Premera, is a Coalfire client. Coalfire released a SOC2 Type 2 report covering the examination period of 3/1/2025 to 2/28/2026. The Coalfire Cybersecurity team and DivHex are finalizing certification to the CyberEssentials Plus standards.[1][3][5][6]

Coalfire on the record

Sources

Coalfire full record

  1. [1]coalfire.comCoalfire · coalfire.com · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Coalfires managed and transformation services will deliver security at scaleCoalfire · coalfire.com · published August 4, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Coalfire Trust Center | Powered by ConveyorCoalfire · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Coalfire AI Security and Trust Engineering™ | CoalfireCoalfire · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Healthcare Advisory Services | CoalfireCoalfire · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Cybersecurity and Compliance Services | CoalfireCoalfire · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Coalfire Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & FeaturesG2 · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C

FRSecure full record

  1. [1]frsecure.comFRSecure · frsecure.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Information Security and Compliance Experts | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]SOC 2 Compliance Support Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Cybersecurity Gap Assessment Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Information Security Consulting & Management Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cyber Vendor Risk Management (VRM) Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Penetration Testing Services: External, Internal, Web App, & MoreFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Social Engineering Attack Prevention | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessment Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Cyber Incident Response Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PCI DSS Compliance Consulting Services | FRSecureFRSecure · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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