CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs CyberArk

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. CyberArk sells the Idira Identity Security Platform, which brings together modern privileged access management (PAM), machine identity security and agentic identity security. CISO Tribune files both under Identity governance and administration, Non-human identity security and Privileged access management. 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.

  • C1.ai
  • CyberArk
C1.ai vs CyberArk: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiCyberArkCyberArk sells the Idira Identity Security Platform, which brings together modern privileged access management (PAM), machine identity security and agentic identity security.cyberark.com
What it sells
  • AI-Native Identity Governance[1][2]Automates lifecycle, access requests, reviews, and compliance for human and non-human identities.
  • NHI & Identity Security[1][2]Discovers and alerts on identity and non-human identity risks across the workforce and agents.
  • Agent SSO & Runtime Governance[1][2]Enforces runtime guardrails and access controls for AI agents, with human-in-the-loop approval.
  • Apps & MCP Self Service[1][2]Provides on-demand self-service access to approved apps, MCPs, and AI tools.
  • Deploy Custom Agents[1][2]Lets organizations run autonomous agents across connected systems with guardrails.
  • Shadow AI Discovery[1][2]Finds unsanctioned AI tools, agents, MCP servers, and credentials in use.
  • Modern PAM[12]Provides discovery of privileged access and dynamic privileged access for human identities.
  • Secrets Management[1][3][12]Secures machine identities from secrets to workloads.
  • Agentic identity security[12]Discovers, controls and governs agentic identities at scale.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesPetach-Tikva, Israel[4]
Founded
Not stated on its pages1999[4]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesOwned by Palo Alto Networks since 2026[1][14]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • Northern Trust[5]
  • Healthfirst[6]
  • Carnival Corporation[7]
  • Aflac[8]
  • Webster Bank[9]
Recent news
  • October 13, 2026Workday announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's fiscal year 2027, ending January 31, 2027.[9]
  • June 2, 2026Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal third quarter 2026 revenue of $3.0 billion, including $388 million from CyberArk and Chronosphere combined.[10]
  • May 12, 2026Palo Alto Networks launched Idira, an identity security platform built on CyberArk's privileged access products, adding new capabilities for existing CyberArk customers.[11]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen October 24, 2026[14]
Who it fits
From its own pages, C1.ai sells to organisations that manage access for people, non-human identities, and agents, and to technical teams that extend the platform through APIs and Terraform. The pages describe governed access for infrastructure teams through the tools they already use. The pages cover on-premises technology such as Active Directory and back-office apps. A named energy-sector customer sought an identity governance solution after an external auditor recommended one to streamline user access reviews.From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organizations that want to secure human, machine and agentic identities on one platform. It names customers such as a group of dental practices, a government services organization and an organization with vault sprawl to control. Its pages address existing CyberArk customers moving to Idira.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and CyberArk are both filed under Identity governance and administration, Non-human identity security and Privileged access management.

Where they differ, field by field

  • C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration; CyberArk's is Privileged access management.
  • C1.ai is also filed under AI model and agent security.
  • C1.ai lists AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. CyberArk lists Modern PAM, Secrets Management and Agentic identity security.
  • CyberArk is headquartered in Petach-Tikva, Israel.
  • CyberArk was founded in 1999.
  • CyberArk is owned by Palo Alto Networks, since 2026.
  • CyberArk publicly names Northern Trust, Healthfirst, Carnival Corporation, Aflac and Webster Bank.

What it sells: CyberArk

What Modern PAM does[12]
Modern PAM provides discovery with continuous visibility and AI-driven analytics. It eliminates always-on standing privileges. A unified command center streamlines deployment through automation and embeds threat detection directly into privileged workflows.
What Secrets Management does[1][3][12]
The Idira platform includes discovery, risk analytics and modern secrets management. It includes governance and reporting for all vaults and workloads.
What Agentic identity security does[12]
Idira secures agentic identities alongside human and machine identities. Machine and agentic identities are often referred to as nonhuman identities.

Questions about C1.ai and CyberArk

What do C1.ai and CyberArk sell?
C1.ai sells AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. CyberArk sells Modern PAM, Secrets Management and Agentic identity security.
Are C1.ai and CyberArk in the same category?
They share Identity governance and administration, Non-human identity security and Privileged access management. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and CyberArk's is Privileged access management.
Where are C1.ai and CyberArk headquartered?
CyberArk is headquartered in Petach-Tikva, Israel.
When were C1.ai and CyberArk founded?
CyberArk was founded in 1999.
Who owns C1.ai and CyberArk?
CyberArk is owned by Palo Alto Networks, since 2026.
Which customers do C1.ai and CyberArk name?
CyberArk publicly names Northern Trust, Healthfirst, Carnival Corporation, Aflac and Webster Bank.
Who are C1.ai and CyberArk sold to?
From its own pages, C1.ai sells to organisations that manage access for people, non-human identities, and agents, and to technical teams that extend the platform through APIs and Terraform. From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organizations that want to secure human, machine and agentic identities on one platform.
What have C1.ai and CyberArk announced recently?
October 13, 2026: Workday announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's fiscal year 2027, ending January 31, 2027. June 2, 2026: Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal third quarter 2026 revenue of $3.0 billion, including $388 million from CyberArk and Chronosphere combined.

About C1.ai

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. C1 Agents complete multi-step jobs across connected systems, with human approval for sensitive changes. C1.ai connects to SaaS, cloud infra providers, on-prem systems, and MCP servers.[2]

On the governance side, C1.ai turns HR and directory events into day-one account and access changes across supported systems. C1.ai provisions users the access they need based on conditions and policy. C1.ai applies policy-based provisioning and routing to any connected system. C1.ai covers user access reviews and separation-of-duties (SoD) conflict detection. C1.ai gives people and agents self-service access to approved applications and AI tools, with policy applied before fulfillment.[1][2][3]

For self-service, C1.ai makes approved apps, MCP servers, AI tools, roles, and permissions discoverable from one catalog. People and agents can request access from the web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, MCP, API, or CLI. C1.ai auto-approves routine access and routes sensitive requests using identity, role, resource, and risk context. C1.ai expires just-in-time access automatically so temporary permissions do not become standing access.[4]

For cloud infrastructure, C1.ai provides engineers and agents with precisely scoped cloud access. C1.ai reads cloud providers' resource trees, preserving the parent-child relationships each platform uses natively. C1.ai resolves inherited permissions in real time. C1.ai provisions, adjusts, and revokes access automatically as roles change, teams shift, or agents are redeployed.

Every action in the console is available via API, and C1.ai operates as an MCP server. C1.ai governs human, service, workload, and AI agent identities from one control plane. C1.ai logs every action with full context: subject, actor, delegation chain, purpose, resource, policy, and outcome. C1.ai supports policies as Terraform, AI-written CEL and functions, and validation via API. Technical teams extend C1.ai with APIs, custom functions, CLI, webhooks, and an AI integration builder, and manage it with Terraform.[2][6]

C1.ai includes 300+ connectors, built on Baton, which is open source under Apache 2.0, that integrate IdPs, directories, SaaS apps, cloud infrastructure, and on-prem systems into one identity graph. The connectors can be hosted or self-hosted. The identity graph ingests identity, permission, and resource data from all of your systems. C1.ai visualizes access paths for users, non-human identities, applications, and resources. C1.ai addresses access risks such as orphaned accounts, inactive users, and high-risk users. C1.ai offers built-in remediation options such as downgrading access, offboarding accounts, and securing service accounts. C1.ai connects to non-cloud infrastructure, including LDAP, Postgres, and Microsoft SQL. C1.ai covers on-premises technology such as Active Directory and homegrown and back-office apps.[1][6][7]

IGS Energy started looking for a partner after an external auditor recommended an identity governance solution to streamline user access reviews.[1][2][8]

C1.ai on the record

Sources

C1.ai full record

  1. [1]conductorone.comConductorOne (C1.ai) · conductorone.com · undated page, accessed November 2, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]C1.ai | Put AI to WorkC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]AI-Native Identity Governance Solutions | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Self-Service Access for Apps, MCPs, and AI Tools | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Infrastructure Access - C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Headless Identity Infrastructure | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Identity Graph - C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Automating access management and reducing risk for IGS Energy’s hybrid environment | C1.aiC1.ai · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Workday to Acquire C1.ai, a Leading Agentic Identity Platform for People and AgentsC1.ai · published October 13, 2026 · Tier A

CyberArk full record

  1. [1]Palo alto networks completes acquisition of cyberark to secure the ai eraPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published February 11, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]CyberArk is now Idira Frequently Asked QuestionsCyberArk (Idira Team) · community.cyberark.com · published September 21, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]IdiraPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Zk2532806CyberArk Software Ltd. via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · undated page, accessed May 1, 2025 · Tier A
  5. [5]Northern trustPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]HealthfirstPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Carnival corporationPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AflacPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Webster bankPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Palo alto networks reports fiscal third quarter 2026 financial resultsPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published June 2, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Palo alto networks introduces idira the next generation identity security platform built for the ai enterprisePalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published May 12, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Idira | The Identity Security Platform - Palo Alto NetworksCyberArk · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]CyberArk Introduces First Identity Security Solution Purpose-Built to Protect AI Agents with Privilege ControlsBusiness Wire · published November 4, 2025 · Tier A
  14. [14]Palo Alto Networks (CyberArk) Reviews - GartnerGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C

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