CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

C1.ai vs Symmetry Systems

C1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime. Symmetry Systems sells a Data + AI Security Platform that discovers, classifies, protects, and monitors sensitive data. 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
  • Symmetry Systems
C1.ai vs Symmetry Systems: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
C1.aiC1.ai gives agents policy-controlled access to models, tools, and credentials at runtime.c1.aiSymmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems sells a Data + AI Security Platform that discovers, classifies, protects, and monitors sensitive data.symmetry-systems.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.
  • DataGuard[1][8]A data security product from Symmetry Systems.
  • DataEnforce[1][4]Remediates misconfigurations, revokes excess permissions, and enforces policy.
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 pagesOwned by Zscaler
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.From its own pages, Symmetry Systems sells to federal agencies and contractors that need data discovery, classification, monitoring and reporting across cloud and on-premises environments. Symmetry Systems describes an air-gapped DSPM for defense, federal and healthcare environments. Symmetry Systems runs a partner program for managed security services providers. Symmetry Systems offers separate instances per region, and a deployment where classification compute runs inside the customer's VPC or on-prem network. Symmetry Systems offers a managed service for data security.
Last verified
November 2, 2026October 23, 2026

Where they overlap

  • C1.ai and Symmetry Systems are both filed under Non-human identity security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration; Symmetry Systems's is Data security posture management.
  • C1.ai is also filed under Privileged access management and AI model and agent security. Symmetry Systems is also filed under AI governance and 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. Symmetry Systems lists DataGuard and DataEnforce.
  • Symmetry Systems is owned by Zscaler.

What it sells: Symmetry Systems

What DataEnforce does[1][4]
DataEnforce automatically remediates misconfigurations, revokes excess permissions, and enforces policy. DataEnforce does this without requiring a separate DLP or PAM tool.

Questions about C1.ai and Symmetry Systems

What do C1.ai and Symmetry Systems 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. Symmetry Systems sells DataGuard and DataEnforce.
Are C1.ai and Symmetry Systems in the same category?
They share Non-human identity security. C1.ai's primary category is Identity governance and administration and Symmetry Systems's is Data security posture management.
Who owns C1.ai and Symmetry Systems?
Symmetry Systems is owned by Zscaler.
Who are C1.ai and Symmetry Systems 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, Symmetry Systems sells to federal agencies and contractors that need data discovery, classification, monitoring and reporting across cloud and on-premises environments.
What have C1.ai and Symmetry Systems 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

Symmetry Systems full record

  1. [1]symmetry-systems.comSymmetry Systems · symmetry-systems.com · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Symmetry systems launches symmetry aiguardSymmetry Systems · symmetry-systems.com · published February 25, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Data-Centric Security Roadmap Template for Modern CISO'sSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Symmetry Systems - The Data+AI Security Company.Symmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Data Security Posture Management Solution - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Zero Trust and Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Security Compliance Statement - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Data Security Posture Management as a Service - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Symmetry for Managed Security Services Providers - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]How DataGuard helps with FedRAMP compliance - Symmetry SystemsSymmetry Systems · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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