CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

CyberArk vs Descope

CyberArk sells the Idira Identity Security Platform, which brings together modern privileged access management (PAM), machine identity security and agentic identity security. Descope sells the Descope customer and agentic IAM platform, which uses visual workflows, SDKs, and APIs to create and customize identity journeys for customers, partners, AI agents, and MCP servers. 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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  • CyberArk
  • Descope
CyberArk vs Descope: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CyberArkCyberArk sells the Idira Identity Security Platform, which brings together modern privileged access management (PAM), machine identity security and agentic identity security.cyberark.comDescopeDescope sells the Descope customer and agentic IAM platform, which uses visual workflows, SDKs, and APIs to create and customize identity journeys for customers, partners, AI agents, and MCP servers.descope.com
What it sells
  • Modern PAM[12]Provides discovery of privileged access and dynamic privileged access for human identities.
  • Secrets Management[1][3][12]Secures machine identities from secrets to workloads.
  • Agentic identity security[12]Discovers, controls and governs agentic identities at scale.
  • Descope Flows[1][13]A visual, workflow-based identity journey builder.
  • Agentic Identity Hub[2][5][13]Identity infrastructure for AI agents and MCP servers.
  • SSO Setup Suite[13]A self-service wizard to configure SSO and SCIM.
Categories
Headquarters
Petach-Tikva, Israel[4]Not stated on its pages
Founded
1999[4]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Owned by Palo Alto Networks since 2026[1][14]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
  • Northern Trust[5]
  • Healthfirst[6]
  • Carnival Corporation[7]
  • Aflac[8]
  • Webster Bank[9]
Not stated on its pages
Recent news
  • June 2, 2026Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal third quarter 2026 revenue of $3.0 billion, including $388 million from CyberArk and Chronosphere combined.[10]
  • May 12, 2026Palo Alto Networks launched Idira, an identity security platform built on CyberArk's privileged access products, adding new capabilities for existing CyberArk customers.[11]
  • October 28, 2026Descope announced it was named to the 2026-27 Fortune Cyber 60 list in the early growth category, its fourth consecutive year on the list.[22]
  • September 30, 2026Descope announced Family Accounts, the first release in its relational identity framework for consumer companies.[23]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen October 24, 2026[14]
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[11]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organizations that want to secure human, machine and agentic identities on one platform. It names customers such as a group of dental practices, a government services organization and an organization with vault sprawl to control. Its pages address existing CyberArk customers moving to Idira.From its own pages, Descope sells mainly to organizations that need identity for external users such as customers and partners. Descope says its platform helps meet B2B enterprise requirements across authentication, SSO, delegated admin, fine-grained access, and auditability. Descope addresses teams that build AI agents and MCP servers. Descope says its FedRAMP High environment serves US government and regulated customers.
Last verified
September 27, 2026October 7, 2026

Where they overlap

  • CyberArk and Descope are both filed under Non-human identity security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • CyberArk's primary category is Privileged access management; Descope's is Customer identity and access management.
  • CyberArk is also filed under Identity governance and administration. Descope is also filed under Passwordless authentication and authenticators and Workforce IAM and SSO.
  • CyberArk lists Modern PAM, Secrets Management and Agentic identity security. Descope lists Descope Flows, Agentic Identity Hub and SSO Setup Suite.
  • CyberArk is headquartered in Petach-Tikva, Israel.
  • CyberArk was founded in 1999.
  • CyberArk is owned by Palo Alto Networks, since 2026.
  • CyberArk publicly names Northern Trust, Healthfirst, Carnival Corporation, Aflac and Webster Bank.

What it sells: CyberArk

What Modern PAM does[12]
Modern PAM provides discovery with continuous visibility and AI-driven analytics. It eliminates always-on standing privileges. A unified command center streamlines deployment through automation and embeds threat detection directly into privileged workflows.
What Secrets Management does[1][3][12]
The Idira platform includes discovery, risk analytics and modern secrets management. It includes governance and reporting for all vaults and workloads.
What Agentic identity security does[12]
Idira secures agentic identities alongside human and machine identities. Machine and agentic identities are often referred to as nonhuman identities.

What it sells: Descope

What Descope Flows does[1][13]
Descope Flows is a visual, workflow-based identity journey builder that keeps login flows out of application code. Descope says signup, login, MFA, SSO, and step-up can be added through a workflow interface. Authentication flows can be changed without touching the codebase.
What Agentic Identity Hub does[2][5][13]
The Agentic Identity Hub publishes the discovery metadata MCP clients use to locate the authorization server, hosts the token and authorization endpoints, and handles user authentication and consent. The Agentic Identity Hub supports Dynamic Client Registration (DCR) and Client ID Metadata Documents (CIMD). The Agentic Identity Hub provides a centralized view of every connected agent, the delegating user, and the tools and scopes they hold.

Questions about CyberArk and Descope

What do CyberArk and Descope sell?
CyberArk sells Modern PAM, Secrets Management and Agentic identity security. Descope sells Descope Flows, Agentic Identity Hub and SSO Setup Suite.
Are CyberArk and Descope in the same category?
They share Non-human identity security. CyberArk's primary category is Privileged access management and Descope's is Customer identity and access management.
Where are CyberArk and Descope headquartered?
CyberArk is headquartered in Petach-Tikva, Israel.
When were CyberArk and Descope founded?
CyberArk was founded in 1999.
Who owns CyberArk and Descope?
CyberArk is owned by Palo Alto Networks, since 2026.
Which customers do CyberArk and Descope name?
CyberArk publicly names Northern Trust, Healthfirst, Carnival Corporation, Aflac and Webster Bank.
Who are CyberArk and Descope sold to?
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organizations that want to secure human, machine and agentic identities on one platform. From its own pages, Descope sells mainly to organizations that need identity for external users such as customers and partners.
What have CyberArk and Descope announced recently?
June 2, 2026: Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal third quarter 2026 revenue of $3.0 billion, including $388 million from CyberArk and Chronosphere combined. October 28, 2026: Descope announced it was named to the 2026-27 Fortune Cyber 60 list in the early growth category, its fourth consecutive year on the list.

About CyberArk

CyberArk sells the Idira Identity Security Platform, which brings together modern privileged access management (PAM), machine identity security and agentic identity security.[12]

The page says that legacy identity solutions were built for yesterday's problems, when elevated privileges were reserved for a select few. Idira is presented as a platform that extends privilege control to every identity in order to minimize attack surface.[12]

Idira secures human, machine and agentic identities. The platform is described as a unified control plane that discovers risk, applies privilege dynamically and governs the full lifecycle from first access to final session. The pages say one part of the platform covers modern privileged access, endpoint and identity governance needs, another covers every machine identity from secrets to workloads, and another discovers, controls and governs agentic identities.[3][12]

On the human side, the pages say modern PAM provides discovery with continuous visibility and AI-driven analytics. It also provides dynamic privileged access that eliminates always-on standing privileges. A unified command center streamlines deployment through automation and embeds threat detection directly into privileged workflows.[3][12]

On the nonhuman side, the pages say machine and agentic identities are often referred to as nonhuman identities. The Idira platform includes discovery, risk analytics and modern secrets management, with governance and reporting for all vaults and workloads. Customer quotes on the pages mention Idira Privileged Access Manager, Idira Secrets Hub and Certificate Manager.[3][12]

For zero trust, the pages say the platform enforces least privilege and secures access for human, machine and agentic identities across any device. Privilege controls are used to grant access for just the right amount of time, and the platform continuously monitors threats so organizations can adjust controls based on risk.[12]

Idira is described as built on CyberArk's legacy and powered by Palo Alto Networks. Existing CyberArk customers can continue to use the platform as they always have, with a new logo and design. The pages say that over time customers will be able to use cross-platform capabilities across the Palo Alto Networks product portfolio.[2][12]

The pages name customers including an organization securing access to clinical resources for over 900 dental practices, a government services organization implementing PAM as a service, and an organization deploying Idira to centralize secrets and control vault sprawl.[12][13]

CyberArk on the record

Sources

CyberArk full record

  1. [1]Palo alto networks completes acquisition of cyberark to secure the ai eraPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published February 11, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]CyberArk is now Idira Frequently Asked QuestionsCyberArk (Idira Team) · community.cyberark.com · published September 21, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]IdiraPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Zk2532806CyberArk Software Ltd. via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · undated page, accessed May 1, 2025 · Tier A
  5. [5]Northern trustPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]HealthfirstPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Carnival corporationPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AflacPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Webster bankPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Palo alto networks reports fiscal third quarter 2026 financial resultsPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published June 2, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Palo alto networks introduces idira the next generation identity security platform built for the ai enterprisePalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published May 12, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Idira | The Identity Security Platform - Palo Alto NetworksCyberArk · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]CyberArk Introduces First Identity Security Solution Purpose-Built to Protect AI Agents with Privilege ControlsBusiness Wire · published November 4, 2025 · Tier A
  14. [14]Palo Alto Networks (CyberArk) Reviews - GartnerGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C

Descope full record

  1. [1]descope.comDescope · descope.com · undated page, accessed October 7, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Crn stellar startups 2025Descope · descope.com · published November 10, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Descope | Customer and Agentic Identity PlatformDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Sign up for Descope | Product HuntDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Descope | No / low code CIAM platformDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Pricing | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Our company | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Security and Privacy with DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Security and Compliance | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]GradRight Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Descope Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier C
  12. [12]WisdomAI Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Token Security Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]FedRAMP High Authorized Identity Platform | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Navan Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Reco Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Collectors Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Linktree Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Refresh Token Rotation | Descope DocumentationDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Project Snapshot | Descope DocumentationDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Owens & Minor Customer Story | DescopeDescope · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Descope Named to Fortune Cyber 60 List for Fourth Consecutive YearDescope · published October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  23. [23]Descope Launches Family Accounts to Model Relational IdentityDescope · published September 30, 2026 · Tier A

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