CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Exaforce

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Exaforce sells a platform built on a unified data layer and real-time knowledge graph, with agents that help security teams detect, triage, investigate, and respond to threats. CISO Tribune files both under AI model and agent security. 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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  • C1.ai
  • Exaforce
C1.ai vs Exaforce: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiExaforceExaforce sells a platform built on a unified data layer and real-time knowledge graph, with agents that help security teams detect, triage, investigate, and respond to threats.exaforce.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.
  • Exabot Triage[1][4]Investigates security alerts and classifies them.
  • Exabot Investigate[1][6]Supports natural language search and visual exploration for investigations.
  • Exabot Respond[1][7]Executes response across endpoint, identity, IaaS, SaaS, and email.
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 pagesPrivately held
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
  • 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.Not written yet
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 6, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Exaforce are both filed under AI model and agent security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration; Exaforce's is AI SOC analysts.
  • C1.ai is also filed under Non-human identity security and Privileged access management. Exaforce is also filed under MDR and managed SOC and SIEM.
  • C1.ai lists AI-Native Identity Governance, NHI & Identity Security, Agent SSO & Runtime Governance, Apps & MCP Self Service, Deploy Custom Agents and 1 more. Exaforce lists Exabot Triage, Exabot Investigate and Exabot Respond.
  • Exaforce is privately held.

What it sells: Exaforce

What Exabot Triage does[1][4]
Exabot Triage investigates security alerts across SIEM, EDR, phishing tools, and Exaforce detections. Exabot Triage classifies alerts as False Positive, Benign, or Needs Investigation.
What Exabot Investigate does[1][6]
Exabot Investigate supports natural language search, visual exploration, and simplified queries across data sources. Exabot Investigate operates independently of any SIEM. Query Builder in Exabot Investigate combines behavioral events and configuration context into a single query.
What Exabot Respond does[1][7]
Exabot Respond executes response across endpoint, identity, IaaS, SaaS, and email, with out-of-the-box playbooks for common scenarios. Customers can build custom workflows in a visual drag-and-drop builder using nodes for conditions, actions, approvals, AI reasoning, loops, and branching. Automation Agents can run workflows autonomously or with human approvals.

Questions about C1.ai and Exaforce

What do C1.ai and Exaforce 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. Exaforce sells Exabot Triage, Exabot Investigate and Exabot Respond.
Are C1.ai and Exaforce in the same category?
They share AI model and agent security. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and Exaforce's is AI SOC analysts.
Who owns C1.ai and Exaforce?
Exaforce is privately held.
Who are C1.ai and Exaforce 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.
What have C1.ai and Exaforce 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

Exaforce full record

  1. [1]exaforce.comExaforce · exaforce.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Exaforce unveils 75 million in series a funding to revolutionize security and operations with agentic aiExaforce · exaforce.com · published April 17, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Exaforce — Agentic SOC and MDRExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Agentic AI SOC Platform Overview | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Find an MDR Partner | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Exabot Investigate | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Exabot Respond | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Identity Attack Surface | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]SaaS Attack Surface | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Insider Attack Surface | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Agentic AI SOC Platform & MDR Solutions | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Exaforce MCP Connector for ClaudeExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]AI for SOC | ExaforceExaforce · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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