CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Delinea

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Delinea is an identity security control plane that extends privileged access management (PAM) into continuous authorization across human, machine and AI identities. 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.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • C1.ai
  • Delinea
C1.ai vs Delinea: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiDelineaDelinea is an identity security control plane that extends privileged access management (PAM) into continuous authorization across human, machine and AI identities.delinea.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.
  • Secret Server[1][4][5]Secret Server vaults secrets with automated rotation and session monitoring.
  • Delinea Fastpath[3]Governs access across ERP and business applications.
  • Privileged Remote Access[1][4][7]Provides remote access to critical systems.
  • Delinea Analytics[9]Detects deviations from normal user activity and scores user risk.
  • Delinea Vault[6]Rotates database credentials for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL Server on a schedule.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot 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
  • 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]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
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.Delinea addresses the energy and utility sector and educational institutions. Delinea describes remote workers and third-party vendors as the users of its browser-based remote access solution. Delinea describes developers and remote teams as people who need access to sensitive systems and data during digital transformation projects. Delinea Analytics is described as providing visibility to IT and security teams.
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 3, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Delinea 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; Delinea's is Privileged access management.
  • C1.ai is also filed under AI model and agent security. Delinea is also filed under Identity threat detection and response.
  • C1.ai lists AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. Delinea lists Secret Server, Delinea Fastpath, Privileged Remote Access, Delinea Analytics and Delinea Vault.

What it sells: Delinea

What Secret Server does[1][4][5]
Secret Server keeps privileged account credentials in an encrypted vault that enforces password management controls. Secret Server identifies and inventories privileged accounts across an environment automatically. Secret Server records and monitors privileged sessions with audit trails and customizable reports.
What Privileged Remote Access does[1][4][7]
Delinea Privileged Remote Access (PRA) provides remote access to critical systems. Privileged Remote Access is a VPN-less, browser-based RDP and SSH solution for managing remote workers and third-party vendors. Privileged access can be managed and monitored through Privileged Remote Access.
What Delinea Analytics does[9]
Delinea Analytics continuously learns the behavior of each user and creates a unique baseline for every identity. Delinea Analytics assigns automated risk scores based on behavioral patterns. Delinea Analytics lets teams adjust risk scoring, thresholds and alerts.
What Delinea Vault does[6]
Delinea Vault rotates database credentials for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL Server on a schedule. Delinea Vault updates the database and the secret store at the same time.

Questions about C1.ai and Delinea

What do C1.ai and Delinea 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. Delinea sells Secret Server, Delinea Fastpath, Privileged Remote Access, Delinea Analytics and Delinea Vault.
Are C1.ai and Delinea 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 Delinea's is Privileged access management.
Who are C1.ai and Delinea 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. Delinea addresses the energy and utility sector and educational institutions.
What have C1.ai and Delinea 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.

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

Delinea full record

  1. [1]delinea.comDelinea · delinea.com · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Delinea Platform | Identity Security Powered by Iris AIDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Privileged Identity Security | AI Agents, AI Governance, and PAMDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Digital Transformation Security Solution: Safeguard IdentitiesDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Secret Server Enterprise Password Vault for PAMDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Privileged Access Management (PAM) for Databases | SolutionDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Delinea Platform Pricing | Options for Every OrganizationDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Just-in-Time and Zero Standing Privilege SolutionsDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Delinea Analytics Provides Actionable Security InsightsDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]PAM for DevOps Teams | Align DevOps with your Security GoalsDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Service Account Management Software and ToolsDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PAM for Banks and Financial Institutions | Data ProtectionDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Credential Manager | Easy-to-Use, Enterprise-Grade VaultDelinea · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Delinea Secret Server Reviews & Product DetailsG2 · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C
  15. [15]Delinea Reviews - Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.