CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Coalfire vs Grant Thornton

Coalfire sells advisory, audit and assessment services. Grant Thornton sells cybersecurity advisory services that help security and privacy programs operate continuously through connected initiatives. CISO Tribune files both under Security consulting and advisory. 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
  • Grant Thornton
Coalfire vs Grant Thornton: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CoalfireCoalfire sells advisory, audit and assessment services.coalfire.comGrant ThorntonGrant Thornton sells cybersecurity advisory services that help security and privacy programs operate continuously through connected initiatives.grantthornton.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.
  • Technology Modernization[2][6]Advisory work on updating an organization's technology.
  • Outsourcing Services[5]Outsourcing services that keep clients focused on their core.
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 pages
  • November 2, 2026Grant Thornton Advisors announced, together with New Mountain Capital and CBIZ, that it completed its $5 billion acquisition of CBIZ.[13]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[7]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[3]
  • 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.From its own pages, Grant Thornton sells audit services to private equity-backed and owner-managed companies. Not-for-profit and higher education organizations are named as audit clients. Grant Thornton's cybersecurity advisory services are aimed at security and privacy programs. Adopters of blockchain, digital assets and Web3 are named as a group Grant Thornton serves. Grant Thornton's buy-side diligence draws on partnership with private equity investors.
Last verified
November 2, 2026October 14, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both Coalfire and Grant Thornton.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Coalfire is also filed under Penetration testing and red team services, Compliance automation and MDR and managed SOC.
  • Coalfire lists Compliance Essentials, Hexeon, DivisionHex, Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services and AI Security and Trust Engineering. Grant Thornton lists Technology Modernization and Outsourcing Services.
  • Coalfire is headquartered in Chicago, United States.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Coalfire under Security consulting and advisory, penetration testing and red team services, compliance automation, and MDR and managed SOC, with Security consulting and advisory as its primary category. CISO Tribune files Grant Thornton under Security consulting and advisory only, and that is also its primary category. 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 for companies that design, build and operate AI systems. Coalfire names Premera as a client, and it released a SOC2 Type 2 report covering the examination period of 3/1/2025 to 2/28/2026.

Grant Thornton sells cybersecurity advisory services that help security and privacy programs operate continuously through connected initiatives, along with data privacy consulting and identity governance and access management capabilities. On November 2, 2026, Grant Thornton Advisors announced, together with New Mountain Capital and CBIZ, that it completed its $5 billion acquisition of CBIZ.

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: Grant Thornton

What Technology Modernization does[2][6]
Grant Thornton's technology modernization team applies deep technology, data, cloud and automation experience with proven partners to find the path to client goals. Offerings named include IT strategy, application portfolio strategy and IT cost optimization.

Questions about Coalfire and Grant Thornton

What do Coalfire and Grant Thornton sell?
Coalfire sells Compliance Essentials, Hexeon, DivisionHex, Advisory, Audit, and Assessment services and AI Security and Trust Engineering. Grant Thornton sells Technology Modernization and Outsourcing Services.
Are Coalfire and Grant Thornton in the same category?
Yes. Security consulting and advisory is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Coalfire and Grant Thornton headquartered?
Coalfire is headquartered in Chicago, United States.
Who are Coalfire and Grant Thornton sold to?
Coalfire states that it helps boards and C-level executives identify their critical assets, potential vulnerabilities and which risks to address. From its own pages, Grant Thornton sells audit services to private equity-backed and owner-managed companies.
What have Coalfire and Grant Thornton announced recently?
November 2, 2026: Grant Thornton Advisors announced, together with New Mountain Capital and CBIZ, that it completed its $5 billion acquisition of CBIZ.

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

Grant Thornton full record

  1. [1]Cyber & Privacy | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed October 14, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Audit & Assurance, Tax and Advisory Services | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 1, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Grant Thornton Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2G2 · undated page, accessed November 1, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]2026 AI Impact Survey Report | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Advisory Services | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Technology Modernization | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Transaction Advisory | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Audit & Assurance Services | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Financial Statement Audits | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Audit Technology Services | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Tax Technology & Transformation | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]About Grant Thornton | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Newsroom | Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton · published November 2, 2026 · Tier A

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