CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Obsidian Security

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Obsidian Security sells real-time visibility, continuous governance and runtime enforcement over agents, identities and integrations across third-party apps. 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.

Change the companies

Up to four companies side by side.

  • C1.ai
  • Obsidian Security
C1.ai vs Obsidian Security: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiObsidian SecurityObsidian Security sells real-time visibility, continuous governance and runtime enforcement over agents, identities and integrations across third-party apps.obsidiansecurity.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.
  • Continuous GovernanceChecks each requirement, written once, in each connected app that exposes the data it needs.
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[1]
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]
  • August 4, 2026Obsidian Security said it raised $85 million in a Series D funding round that valued the company at $1.1 billion.[15]
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.From its own pages, Obsidian Security sells to security teams that must defend actions by identities they can barely enumerate, across apps they did not build, on infrastructure they do not control. Obsidian Security describes security teams at large financial services and technology companies adopting its product to detect account takeovers, SaaS threats and privilege misuse. Obsidian Security addresses enterprises whose data lives in third-party enterprise apps they do not own. Obsidian Security addresses organisations whose employees connect AI agents to business apps through MCP. Obsidian Security addresses organisations where each team picks its own AI agent tool.
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 4, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Obsidian Security 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; Obsidian Security's is SaaS security posture.
  • C1.ai is also filed under Non-human identity security and Privileged access management. Obsidian Security is also filed under Workforce AI usage security and 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. Obsidian Security lists Continuous Governance.
  • Obsidian Security is privately held.

What it sells: Obsidian Security

What Continuous Governance does
The control model includes mappings to NIST, CIS, ISO 27001, and GDPR. Supported controls are checked continuously, and changes are shown. Fixes are routed through Jira, ServiceNow, and other supported tools.

Questions about C1.ai and Obsidian Security

What do C1.ai and Obsidian 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. Obsidian Security sells Continuous Governance.
Are C1.ai and Obsidian Security in the same category?
They share AI model and agent security. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and Obsidian Security's is SaaS security posture.
Who owns C1.ai and Obsidian Security?
Obsidian Security is privately held.
Who are C1.ai and Obsidian 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, Obsidian Security sells to security teams that must defend actions by identities they can barely enumerate, across apps they did not build, on infrastructure they do not control.
What have C1.ai and Obsidian 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. August 4, 2026: Obsidian Security said it raised $85 million in a Series D funding round that valued the company at $1.1 billion.

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

Obsidian Security full record

  1. [1]obsidiansecurity.comObsidian Security · obsidiansecurity.com · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Unlocking ai potential securelyObsidian Security · obsidiansecurity.com · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Secure AI. Fearless Innovation. | ObsidianObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]The Obsidian Security PlatformObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Obsidian Security – Who We AreObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]The Data Behind Better SecurityObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Network EffectsObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Automate Third-Party Application ComplianceObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Runtime Policy Decision Engine for AI Agents | Obsidian SecurityObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]MCP Security Proxy for AI Agents | Obsidian SecurityObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]MCP Security: Audit and Control Every MCP ServerObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Continuous Third-Party App Governance | Obsidian SecurityObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Third-Party Application Security | Obsidian SecurityObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Flexible SaaS Security Pricing | ObsidianObsidian Security · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Obsidian Security raises funding at $1.1 billion valuation on AI security demand | ReutersReuters · published August 4, 2026 · Tier B

Spot a factual error? Request a correction.