CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cygrid vs Guardz

Cygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy. Guardz sells an MSP-ready security platform that brings identity, endpoint, email, data, awareness, and exposure protection together. CISO Tribune files both under Identity threat detection and response. 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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  • Cygrid
  • Guardz
Cygrid vs Guardz: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CygridCygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy.cygrid.ioGuardzGuardz sells an MSP-ready security platform that brings identity, endpoint, email, data, awareness, and exposure protection together.guardz.com
What it sells
  • Identity Intelligence Graph[1][4]Holds humans, non-human identities, AI agents, tokens, MCP servers and resources in one graph.
  • MCP Gateway[3][8]Sits in the tool-call path and audits, allows, rewrites or blocks every agent tool call at runtime.
  • Email Security[2][8]An API-based and AI-native engine to prevent credential theft, ransomware, and impersonation threats.
  • Security Awareness Training[2][4][10]Pre-scheduled security awareness training that alters behavior.
  • Phishing Simulation[14]AI-generated phishing attacks tailored by tone, industry, and language.
Categories
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany[2]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2026[2][3]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • November 2, 2026Guardz added browser protection from Palo Alto Networks' Prisma Browser for Business to its security platform for managed service providers serving small businesses.[17]
  • March 3, 2026Guardz announced a strategic partnership with FoxPointe Solutions, a cybersecurity advisory firm focused on governance, risk management and virtual CISO services.[18]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[13]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Finance teams whose AI agents work with ledger and bank data are among the audiences it addresses. Mid-sized retailers that run several stores are among the audiences it addresses. IT operations teams dealing with unused accounts, standing admin rights and forgotten tokens across SaaS are an audience, as are security and compliance teams that need evidence for NIS2, DORA and the EU AI Act.From its own pages, Guardz sells mainly to MSPs, and describes its platform as built for them. Guardz says small businesses find it difficult to keep up with their external posture. Guardz says MSPs can use a prospecting tool to attract new clients by showing the extent of SMEs' exposure. Guardz says even non-security experts can respond to cyber events. Guardz says it gives clients visibility and control with configurable admin roles.
Last verified
October 23, 2026September 30, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cygrid and Guardz are both filed under Identity threat detection and response.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security; Guardz's is MDR and managed SOC.
  • Cygrid is also filed under AI governance and AI firewalls and guardrails. Guardz is also filed under EDR and XDR and Email security.
  • Cygrid lists Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Guardz lists Email Security, Security Awareness Training and Phishing Simulation.
  • Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
  • Cygrid was founded in 2026.
  • Guardz is privately held.

What it sells: Cygrid

What Identity Intelligence Graph does[1][4]
Cygrid models the action, meaning the permission actually in play, in full context. The graph models access as SaaS actions rather than roles, so risk can be compared across tools.

What it sells: Guardz

What Email Security does[2][8]
Guardz email protection uses an API-based and AI-native engine to prevent credential theft, ransomware, and impersonation threats. Check Point Harmony powers Guardz Email Security.
What Security Awareness Training does[2][4][10]
Guardz helps teams plan, launch and track automated training campaigns. Campaign frequency can be set monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.
What Phishing Simulation does[14]
Simulations can be generated in English, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian. Failed simulations trigger an awareness issue.

Questions about Cygrid and Guardz

What do Cygrid and Guardz sell?
Cygrid sells Identity Intelligence Graph and MCP Gateway. Guardz sells Email Security, Security Awareness Training and Phishing Simulation.
Are Cygrid and Guardz in the same category?
They share Identity threat detection and response. Cygrid's primary category is Non-human identity security and Guardz's is MDR and managed SOC.
Where are Cygrid and Guardz headquartered?
Cygrid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
When were Cygrid and Guardz founded?
Cygrid was founded in 2026.
Who owns Cygrid and Guardz?
Guardz is privately held.
Who are Cygrid and Guardz sold to?
Finance teams whose AI agents work with ledger and bank data are among the audiences it addresses. From its own pages, Guardz sells mainly to MSPs, and describes its platform as built for them.
What have Cygrid and Guardz announced recently?
November 2, 2026: Guardz added browser protection from Palo Alto Networks' Prisma Browser for Business to its security platform for managed service providers serving small businesses.

About Cygrid

Cygrid sells a platform that finds shadow AI, over-scoped tokens and leftover admin rights across SaaS, checks every action by humans, service accounts and AI agents, and secures actions by applying customer policy. Cygrid puts humans, service accounts, API connections and AI agents in one Identity Intelligence Graph. Cygrid connects identity, SaaS, cloud and AI sources into the Identity Intelligence Graph and secures every identity at three enforcement points: before first use, while access exists and at runtime. Cygrid offers one platform to discover, clean up, audit and secure access across SaaS.[1][4][5][6][9]

Cygrid models the action, meaning the permission actually in play, in full context. The graph records what each identity may do, what it actually does and on whose behalf, and policy rules and AI-driven analysis score the risk together. Cygrid discovers the AI agents, MCP servers and connected apps across SaaS, maps each one to the person it acts for, and records who approved what.[4][5][7]

The Cygrid MCP Gateway sits in the tool-call path and audits, allows, rewrites or blocks every agent tool call at runtime, decided by the same graph as every other enforcement point. Every MCP tool call is authenticated through the customer identity provider, tied to the person behind the agent and checked against policy down to the tool and parameter. In the MCP Gateway, credentials are issued just in time, and every call is logged. Cygrid keeps a registry of approved MCP servers with owner, provenance and version, and pauses a server whose tools change until it is re-reviewed. Cygrid verdicts include allow, downscope, block, revoke on approval or grant just in time, and each verdict is written to an immutable decision log. Cygrid issues a scoped credential at the moment of use and lets it expire. Cygrid removes standing admin and grants elevated access on request, for a limited time.[5][8][9][10][11]

Okta, Entra ID or Google Workspace can sync users, groups and offboarding to the MCP Gateway, so access follows the person. Cygrid ingests existing security tools as feeds and does not replace them. Cygrid connectors are read-only by default, with write access only for fixes the customer approves. On approval, Cygrid revokes risky access, orphaned accounts and dormant tokens at the source, blocks unapproved MCP servers and controls which identities AI agents use. Cygrid inventories every OAuth grant, API key, service account and AI app connection, and revokes the risky ones. Cygrid works with ChatGPT, Claude, Claude agents and more, plus any agent that connects through MCP or OAuth.[5][6][8][9][12]

In a finance example, an AI assistant on Drive can read, edit and share files while every delete is blocked. When an agent asks to export 100,000 records, Cygrid blocks the call or reduces it to the 500-record limit before it reaches the app. For e-commerce, Cygrid maps staff, apps and AI agents with access in every Shopify store and flags dormant admins and over-scoped app tokens. Cygrid grants temporary staff, agencies and freelancers time-limited access and removes it automatically when the work ends.[13][14]

Cygrid audits every identity and its access, enforces customer policies on every action, and generates evidence for NIS2, DORA and the EU AI Act from one live graph. Cygrid fills in a register of ICT third parties, including OAuth apps and AI agents, automatically from the graph. Cygrid finds shadow admins whose rights come through groups and never appear in the admin list of the platform, and shows the path from user to group to role. The Cygrid gateway inspects tool calls, not content, and its logs record each action and the person behind it, never prompts. Cygrid is ISO 27001 audited, has SOC 2 Type II in progress and has passed an external penetration test. Cygrid is hosted in Frankfurt across multiple availability zones.[1][4][7][8][12][13][14]

Cygrid on the record

Sources

Cygrid full record

  1. [1]cygrid.ioCygrid · cygrid.io · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]AboutCygrid · cygrid.io · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Cygrid emerges from stealthCygrid · cygrid.io · published October 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Identity Enforcement for AI-Driven Enterprises | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Identity Enforcement Platform | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Least Privilege Across Your SaaS | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Identity Intelligence Graph | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]MCP Gateway for AI Agents | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Secure AI Agent Rollout for AI Teams | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Identity Enforcement Use Cases | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Integrations: Okta, Entra ID, SaaS & AI | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Identity Policy Enforcement & Compliance | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Identity Enforcement for Fintech & NIS2/DORA | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Identity Enforcement for E-commerce | CygridCygrid · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Guardz full record

  1. [1]guardz.comGuardz · guardz.com · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Msp business plan the ultimate blueprint for growthGuardz · guardz.com · published June 12, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]About usGuardz · guardz.com · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Guardz: Unified Cybersecurity Platform Built for MSPGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Security Awareness Training for MSPs and EmployeesGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]All-In-One Cloud App Security Solution | GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Protect Your Business from External Cyber Threats | GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Guardz Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier C
  14. [14]Adaptive Phishing Simulation Platform for MSP SecurityGuardz · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]AI-Native Security Platform Built for MSPs by GuardzGuardz · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cyber Risk Prospecting report - Thank-you | Guardz.comGuardz · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Exclusive: Guardz brings Palo Alto Networks browser protection to MSPs serving small businessesSiliconANGLE · published November 2, 2026 · Tier B
  18. [18]Guardz Partners with Foxpointe Solutions to Deliver Strategic, Scalable Cybersecurity for MSPs and Their ClientsGuardz · published March 3, 2026 · Tier A

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