CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Grip Security

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Grip Security sells a SaaS Security Control Plane that helps organizations pinpoint, prioritize, and mitigate SaaS identity risks, including shadow SaaS, shadow AI, and rogue cloud accounts. CISO Tribune files both under Non-human identity 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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Up to four companies side by side.

  • C1.ai
  • Grip Security
C1.ai vs Grip Security: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiGrip SecurityGrip Security sells a SaaS Security Control Plane that helps organizations pinpoint, prioritize, and mitigate SaaS identity risks, including shadow SaaS, shadow AI, and rogue cloud accounts.grip.security
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.
  • Grip SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP)Helps pinpoint, prioritize, and mitigate SaaS identity risks, including shadow SaaS, shadow AI, and rogue cloud accounts.
  • Grip Extend[8][14]A browser extension that addresses user managed identities across SaaS.
  • Grip SaaS Security Posture ManagementDelivers ongoing control over SaaS misconfigurations, security drift, and compliance gaps.
  • Grip ITDR 2.0Identity threat detection and response across SaaS.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pages2021[2]
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
  • G2: listed, seen November 5, 2026[3]
  • 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.From its own pages, Grip sells to CISOs who raise visibility, risk, and access control as their concerns. Grip says its ITDR 2.0 product is aimed at SecOps teams. Grip's pages describe SaaS adoption by enterprises of all sizes and industries. Grip says its workflows suit existing control points such as CASB, endpoint protection, and IAM/SSO.
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 2, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Grip Security are both filed under Non-human identity security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration; Grip Security's is SaaS security posture.
  • C1.ai is also filed under Privileged access management and AI model and agent security. Grip Security is also filed under Workforce AI usage 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. Grip Security lists Grip SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP), Grip Extend, Grip SaaS Security Posture Management and Grip ITDR 2.0.
  • Grip Security was founded in 2021.

What it sells: Grip Security

What Grip SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP) does
Grip SSCP uses identity as the key control point. It creates a unified risk profile based on user adoption, data used, user roles, privileges, and app data sensitivity. Grip SSCP automates mitigation and remediation processes.
What Grip Extend does[8][14]
Grip Extend identifies credential risks including reused, weak, or compromised passwords. It detects shared accounts and flags SaaS apps without MFA. It is integrated with Grip's SaaS Security Control Plane.
What Grip SaaS Security Posture Management does
Grip says it automates discovery and visibility so customers know what risks exist. Grip continuously maps SaaS-to-SaaS integrations, third- and fourth-party connections, and OAuth tokens.
What Grip ITDR 2.0 does
Grip ITDR 2.0 detects identity threats in real time across all SaaS. It detects malicious OAuth grants between apps and installation of malicious browser extensions. It enables one-click and automated threat responses.

Questions about C1.ai and Grip Security

What do C1.ai and Grip Security 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. Grip Security sells Grip SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP), Grip Extend, Grip SaaS Security Posture Management and Grip ITDR 2.0.
Are C1.ai and Grip Security in the same category?
They share Non-human identity security. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and Grip Security's is SaaS security posture.
When were C1.ai and Grip Security founded?
Grip Security was founded in 2021.
Who are C1.ai and Grip Security 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, Grip sells to CISOs who raise visibility, risk, and access control as their concerns.
What have C1.ai and Grip Security 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

Grip Security full record

  1. [1]grip.securityGrip Security · grip.security · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Grip security raising 41 million series b led by third point venturesGrip Security · grip.security · published August 22, 2023 · Tier A
  3. [3]Grip Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]SaaS Identity Security | Grip SaaS Security Control PlaneGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Grip Security | The SaaS & AI Security Control PlaneGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]SaaS Security Control Plane (SSCP)Grip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]ITDR 2.0: Advanced Identity Threat Detection and ResponseGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Gain Complete SaaS Visibility | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Streamline SaaS Risk Prioritization | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Efficient SaaS Risk Mitigation | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]SaaS Security Posture Management | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]AI SaaS Security & Governance Control Plane | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Saas Security & Tech Integrations | Grip SecurityGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Grip Extend User Security | Browser ExtensionGrip Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A

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